Playa Bonito Gordo (the pretty fat beach) in Tayrona

Last Saturday, having arrived the day before in Santa Marta, Colombia, I was supposed to have visited the touristy beach of Playa Cristal. It's a pretty beach accessed by a 1.5 hour bus ride, so there isn't any hiking or horseback riding involved to get there, like other beaches. But I had been there before and knew what to expect. Friday night, the hotel I was staying at asked me if I was interested in joining a chartered boat with 5 other people instead, where we would visit beaches accessible only by boat, so I jumped at the chance and cancelled my tour.

Saturday at 7:30 I was picked up and taken to the marina where I met the five others. Three were from Ecuador and two were from Holland. We were told we would visit two beaches, then do some snorkeling. The first beach is called Playa Bonito Gordo and was amazing. Although it's part of the Tayrona National Park and open to anyone who pays the admission fee, it's only accessible by boat. And what a boat ride! We had to navigate through very choppy waters for most of the trip with some of the waves topping 20 feet.

But getting there was worth it. We had a mile-wide beach to ourselves the entire day - nobody selling massages or drinks or souvenirs. The second beach, while more populated, was also very nice. We were treated to a traditional lunch grilled whole fish with rice flavored with coconuts and patacones. Before you knew it, we were back on the boat for an hour of snorkeling where we saw sea turtles, a ton of fish and stingrays in their natural environment.

Click here to see more pictures from this fun excursion.