Tayrona

Tayrona is a stretch of protected coast where the Sierra Nevada — the world's highest coastal mountain range — falls straight into the Caribbean. The park is a few hours' walk end to end, through dry tropical forest that opens onto a series of coves: La Piscina, Cabo San Juan, Playa Cristal. The water is warm, the sand is white, and the only buildings are a few eco-camps set back from the shore.

It is not a beach trip in the resort sense. There are no roads inside the park; you walk in, sometimes for an hour, with your bag. There is no Wi-Fi at most of the camps. The Kogi and Arhuaco peoples still live in the mountains above the park, and their presence — quiet, dignified, present at the trailheads — is part of what makes Tayrona different from anywhere else on the Colombian coast.

Go for one night if you want the postcard. Go for three if you want to actually slow down.