We spent a weekend in Palomino with a group of cruiser friends and it was my favorite of our adventurous getaways from Santa Marta. A laid-back beach town with a weekend tradition of rafting down the Rio Palomino, Palomino is a blast!
About Palomino
Palomino is a small town on the north Caribbean coast of Colombia, near the Venezuela border. An agrarian community, it is now seeing tourism due to its beautiful white sand beaches and chill vibe. The town consists of one main paved road, the road from Santa Marta, and dirt road offshoots to the beach, the river, and farmlands.
We walked around the town a bit and it’s rustic and charming, with lots of restaurants, hostels, artisan shops and some cool street art. And, one of the top attractions is tubing down the river. No wonder backpackers are flocking to Palomino.
Getting to Palomino
From Santa Marta, you can drive or take a bus to Palomino. It’s approximately 90 minutes from the city, depending on traffic. Traffic can be pretty bad, especially since the road is one lane each way, and winding, so if you get stuck behind a truck, it may be a while before you can pass.
Required Gear for Rafting Down the Rio Palomino
If you’re going rafting, you need something to ride! Brian and I brought our float tubes which we’ve mostly used for sundowners behind the boat. We were excited to use them for something more adventurous, but they weren’t the best choice for rafting down the Rio Palomino.
Our friends used kayaks and paddleboards and moved a lot faster through the water. Us? Even with paddles borrowed from friends, we were tethered to each other and went in circles most of the time, and couldn’t steer effectively. Usually we ended up exactly where we didn’t want to go, but had lots of fun doing it!
So, you need a raft, paddleboard, kayak, anything that floats. But keep in mind: the lighter the better, because you have to carry it to and from the river. If you don’t live on a boat and don’t have anything of the kind, you can rent from one of the many eager locals with inner tubes and and industrious spirits.
You also want swimwear and a dry bag, and beverages and even snacks for the trip. There are vendors along the way selling mostly beverages, so you won’t go thirsty if you are unprepared.
Getting to the River
Rio is river: you knew that already, but just in case. So, how do you get there once you’re in town? Two options: hike, or get on the back of a motorbike. If you’re renting an inner tube from a local, he’s probably going to want to take to you to the river, so jump on the back of his bike and go.
Otherwise, walk along the dusty road which turns into a hiking trail and follows the river. There are a few places to put in the water and our friends knew what they were doing so we followed them to an entrance along the river. We hiked for about 40 minutes up and down some hills but it was mostly easy. One of our friends had a big cut on the sole of his foot and he did it.
The hike to the river was interesting, past hostels and homes, and then in the jungle of beautiful landscapes. We were passed by locals shuttling tourists past us on motorbikes, and we saw other hikers, but mostly it was just us and our friends enjoying the day outdoors.
The hike was hot, so it was a relief when it was time to inflate our floaties and get in the water!
Rafting Down the Rio Palomino
Even though, or maybe because, I was going in circles, and moving slowly down the river, I had a blast doing it. We spent hours just slowly floating, with short intervals of fast rapids, and then back to floating down the river.
It was a fun, relaxing, beautiful day with great friends and I would do it again. We admired the birds, chatted with locals who were bathing in the river, and had a blast. Some kids tried to jump on our floaties a couple times, which was pretty funny.
The Beach
After 4 or 5 hours, we got to the end of our rafting experience, which was a sandbar and the beach. No one was swimming in the ocean – like Parque Tayrona to the south, the water is pretty rough – everyone was in the river or sitting at a beach bar drinking a beer or mojito.
Which we quickly did too! We also had some delicious ceviche before the walk back to our cars along the beach and through the town of Palomino.
Where to Stay in Palomino
Palomino is a backpacker haven with tons of resorts and hostels to choose from.
If you have 4 couples, you can rent an awesome villa in a gorgeous gated community near the beach in Palomino for around $100 per person for the weekend. What a treat!
Our place had a pool and so did the complex, which was empty except for us when we visited on our lazy Sunday after our workout of the previous day. We made many meals and had a great time at our own private resort courtesy of Airbnb.
The villa actually fit more than just the 8 of us. Our bedroom alone had a king bed and two singles, which Domino enjoyed! She had a grand old time that weekend, although the propensity of wildlife overwhelmed her so much she slept under the covers hiding the second day.
Colombia is Wild!
Speaking of wildlife, this weekend in Palomino was a reminder that we are living in a wild world. I remember in Nicaragua being warned to check my shoes for scorpions before putting them on, and that maybe a good rule of thumb here too. Here are just some of the wild creatures seen on this weekend adventure:
A crazy spider in the rental car
We rented a car to get to Palomino and early in the trip our friend Elizabeth noticed a spider crawling on her! As we were pulling into a supermarket parking lot, we immediately evacuated the car, but the spider stayed. It took another friend, GC, pulling apart the seats before he found and killed the giant scary deadly spider. Note: I have no idea if it was deadly but it was scary!
Warning: the second photo is of a smushed dead spider.
Warning: the next photo is of a dead spider.
The frog on our patio
It looked like a blob or a slug, just a spot on the patio of the villa in Palomino. But when anyone walked near it, that frog jumped so fast it surprised us!
Bees in our Bedroom
They weren’t there when we arrived on Friday night, but by the time we woke on Sunday morning, industrious bees had built a hive on the ceiling of our bedroom. Don’t worry, we told the building manager!
Visit Palomino
Aside from river rafting there’s a lot to do in Palomino. Surf schools and yoga classes are popular. You can dine affordably at any number of restaurants in town and take the bus back to Santa Marta when you please.
It’s nice here in Colombia. We may never leave. Unless the spiders scare us away.
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The ocean views/ photos on your website are just incredible.
Looks like so much fun!
It was a lot of fun, Talia! So glad we did it!
That looks and sounds like a great adventure!
I would love to go rafting someday . That frog is too adorable.
The rafting looks awesome, what a beautiful place!
This sounds like such a fun place to explore! Thanks for sharing
Oh I haven’t heard of this place, but it’s on my list now. Would love to go rafting down the Rio Palomino. I have to say those spiders look terrifying though! Great post and definitely pinning so I have it handy when I am able to visit.
This looks beautiful though I definitely don’t do spiders! :). It’s cool to see adventure activities from some lesser-known areas.
Niiice it sounds like you and your friends had an absolute blast!
“Usually we ended up exactly where we didn’t want to go, but had lots of fun doing it!” ???????? That sounds like my kind of rafting ability!
I looove the look of the ceviche at the beach at the end of the adventure too!
Oh my gosh, so fun! I have some good memories floating around the lakes in Minnesota with friends all tied to each other like you are in your photos. So awesome!
Definitely my kind of adventure! we do a couple of float trips every year and we always enjoy ourselves, but we never ended up at the ocean, which is so awesome!
It was a great day! I would do it again in a heartbeat!