Experience in Santa Marta, Colombia by Camila

How did you find living in Santa Marta? Would you recommend it? What is it like?

Santa Marta is a coastal city, it is the oldest city in Columbia, therefore its architecture is very colonial, with contemporary spaces that compliment it in a very harmonious way. It is a very calm city, where everything is close by, and a tourist city surrounded by a number of beaches. If you are a bohemian kind of person, quiet and you prefer small cities, Santa Marta is perfect. It is a hot place, it rarely rains but it has the advantage that it is on the outskirts of Sierra Nevada of Santa Maria, which has the largest snowfall at sea level, which allows you to experience all the different temperatures at each point when going up the mountain. There are not many universities but they are very good and nationally recognised. It is very economical and it is very easy to get around because it is so small. The cities around Santa Marta are very close by, you can get to Barranquilla within 2 hours, to Cartagena in 4, to Valledupar in 3 and to La Guajira in 5, which means you can get to know a number of things perfectly on the weekends.

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What is student atmosphere like?

The student atmosphere is super relaxed, in Columbia there are a number of holidays and festivals, therefore the cultural theme is impressive and you have a lot of days when you don’t have to work or study, which allows you to get to know things and make weekend plans. The majority of people who study in Santa Marta are people from all over the coast, which means it’s much easier to feel relaxed, because people from the coast are very open and warm.

How much does it cost to live in Santa Marta?

Living in Santa Marta is very cheap, the same as it is in the rest of the country, the neighbourhoods are divided into estates, from 0 to 6 (0 being the lowest and 6 the highest) but everything is relatively cheap. You can get apartments from 400, 000 pesos or rooms from 300, 000 pesos. There is the transport service, such as buses and taxes, the buses cost 1, 300 pesos and taxis cost 2, 000 for short distances. The most expensive is when you take taxis to Parque Tayrona which can cost you more than 20, 000 pesos, or the "bellohorizonte" area which is a zone of beaches and hotels that can cost you 15, 000 pesos. Places to go out and dance are cheap, normally they don’t charge you to get in during off seasons or it will cost you a maximum of 10, 000 pesos. To buy food there are very cheap restaurants, like chain restaurants, and there are a number of small neighbourhood supermarkets.

Did it cost you to find accommodation in Santa Marta? Can you give any advice?

Finding accommodation is really easy, most people rent directly and being in a small city means it’s very easy to find people who know places that are being rented out or available rooms. I would recommend estates 5 and 6, if you’re a quieter person, it’s better to not be too close to the beach because there are a lot of tourists, or to be in the surrounding neighbourhoods because this is also quite touristy.

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What is the country’s food like? What are your favourite dishes?

The country’s food is very diverse, in Santa Marta there are a number of typical and international restaurants. I love the coastal food, the fried foods such as empanadas, arepa de huevo, carimañola. I love the sancocho (soup), the coastal fast food is the best, such as, salchipapa, mazorca (corn on the cob) hot dogs, sandwiches, chuzos etc. and cocktails de Camaron.

Where would you recommend visiting in Santa Marta?

It is a must to got to Parque Tayrona, Sierra Nevada, Cuidad Perdida, Mamancana, the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandro and el Museo del oro.

What is it like to eat in Santa Marta? Can you name any of your favourite places to go?

Mucha Pizza, Tierra Negra, Burukaka, Donde Chucho and Radio Burger in the zone where you can eat and there is a lot of variety in a place called el Parque de Novios, where you can find a number of options and at a good price.

Where would you recommend going on a night out in Santa Marta?

The place where people go out to eat and party is a zone where there is a park called El Parque de Novios, where you will find all the places to eat and dance, there is so much variety, typical places to go on a night out, such as Burukuka or Drake.

Do you have any advice for future students going to Santa Marta?

Santa Marta is a very tranquil city, very small, which means that the person who wants to live there needs to be quite quiet. To visit and get to know, the city is a place with so many things to do, you have history, you have eco adventures, you have miles of absolutely spectacular beaches, and you have lots of places where you can get to know the natives.

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