The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is the highest coastal massif in the world, its snowcapped peaks rise to 18.700 feet within 26 miles of the Caribbean coast. What applies to Colombia in terms of diversity applies even more to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. All climatic regions are contained within its boundaries and due to its isolation from the Andes it contains a vast number of endemic species. The scenery is one of steep forested slopes and narrow valleys with clear, rushing streams.
Juxtaposed against this dramatic natural backdrop is one of the most fascinating aspects of the Sierra: It is the home of the ancient Tayrona civilization that flourished prior to the arrival of the Spanish. The Tayrona lived in terraced cities connected by stone paths and their system of agriculture took full advantage of the different climatic zones to sustain a large population and a culture of great complexity. With the Spanish conquest the Tayrona retreated into the high slopes of the Sierra and the jungle took over their cities.

Today several ethnic groups, the Kogi, Arhuaco and Wiwa claim their ancestry to the Tayrona. They have managed to maintain their own identity and language and adhere to an elaborate cosmology in which the material world is but one manifestation of several spheres of existence. They regard themselves as keepers of the earth and regard the Sierra Nevada as the "Heart of the World."
They are wary of strangers and generally dislike to be photographed. Outsiders need permission to enter their territory, which includes most of the high Sierra. Starting from the native village of Nabusimake high in the Sierra we will explore the surrounding region, in the company of a mamo, a native priest, who will translate, as it were, the significance of natural features like lakes, waterfalls and high altitude valleys.
We schedule this part of the trip at the end of the tour; after spending a prolonged period outdoors one acquires a greater sensibility to the nuances of the natural environment and the explanations of the mamo start to make intuitive sense.
The last two days of the trip are spent at the facilities of Tairona National Park on the Caribbean coast, with the option to explore its numerous trails, or to simply sit at a secluded beach and contemplate the experiences of the previous weeks.