Venturing Into: Palomino - Where backpacking meets holidaying

Highlights

- Large array of shops selling jewellery, clothing, momentos.

- Multiple food venues, street food stalls very cheap.

- Range of activities organised by tour groups of the local area such as tubing, flamingos, ATVs.

- Several hostels offering accommodation options for any budget.

Lowlights

- Town itself is small and offers little in the way of day time activities outside the local tours.

- Best activities are expensive for a backpackers budget.

- Power cuts not uncommon

First things first. Palomino is very pleasant. It is a great tourist destination filled with bars, some restaurants, lots of accommodation options and activities to keep you busy. We however did none of these activities so it's impossible for us to say if any of them were worthwhile doing or value for money. They're are mitigating circumstances, I arrived with an upset tummy so I was out of action for a day or so, leaving only one full day before we were to set off again. The other reason however may be worth considering if you're thinking about a trip to Palomino... the cost. There are many adventurous activities offered by several tour companies on the main strip of the town, these include water tubing, ATV rides, Cabalgatas (traditional Colombian excursion into the surrounding areas on horseback), day trips to a nearby beauty spots to see pink flamingos all of which were very appealing. However as we are travelling for such an extended period we have to make compromises at times with where we decide to spend our budget and unfortunately this coincided with an unrelated event on which our cheap Barranquilla accommodation cancelled on us the day before we were due to arrive and so unwilling to miss out on the legendary Carnaval we forked out considerably more for a nice hotel at premium last-minute rates (the city was quite literally full to the brim). Our 'YOLO' fund for the time being was therefore tapped out so the flamingo tour didn't make the cut. The prices for any of these activities are not extortionate by European standards, indeed if you're planning a long holiday in Colombia (we've met many travellers doing 4-6 weeks around Colombia as a long holiday) then this would seem an ideal spot, it won't shatter your budget whilst providing activities more difficult to find elsewhere. 

Palomino is seemingly split in two: the touristy section close to the beach, and the residential section where the locals live. The touristy part is pleasant enough, it's quite rough and ready, no pavements or concrete roads to speak of, everything is a dirt track and the area essentially consists of one main strip with bars, hostels and shops sat on it all leading to the beach. The beach isn't one for sunbathing and relaxing, its ferocious waves are I'm sure great for surfing, but the high tide line pushes it right against the shops so you'll have to go elsewhere if you're looking to lay back and catch some rays. Presumably knowing this all the hostels we saw had their own pools. Our hostel was a little further away and involved a 5 minute walk in total darkness to get home after dinner. We never felt unsafe in the touristy area but it is certainly disconcerting walking home on total darkness with a myriad of glowing eyes around you from the numerous stray dogs that roam the town. These strays were all harmless from our experience, though many were quite poorly and infested with all manner of bugs so we wouldn't recommend petting one or eating a meal near one, they are quite literally a fly magnet. Our hostel was one of several tucked away behind the main strip so perhaps any solo female travellers may prefer the journey home after dark with a buddy, a head torch is also recommended. 

There are enough food options to enjoy for several days, we found the food stalls on the main strip near the beach to be very affordable, circa 15k COP for a full meal with soup as starter. We have often found in Colombia that the hostel restaurant is more expensive and worse quality than anywhere you will find in town and Palomino was no exception. It is worth going out to find dinner, it will save you money and you'll enjoy it a lot more.

The residential part of town was in stark contrast. Where the touristy section had buildings resembling the wooden huts with straw roofs of Jurassic Park, the locals had more simply brick and mortar or pre-fabricated houses. If arriving by bus you'll be dropped off at any convenient spot on the main highway and will then have a 15 minute or so walk through the residential area to get to the touristy part, or you can ake a moto-taxi. Again, the residential area seemed safe enough, we arrived during the middle of the day so we cannot speak to how safe this area feels if arriving at night. To catch the bus from Palomino return to the same general area and flag down the large brightly coloured bus as it passes, there may well be other backpackers attempting to do the same, so join their group or don't, the bus will stop either way. The bus was fairly cheap, approximately 16k COP to Santa Marta though expect it to be full, loud, hot and bumpy. We recommend taking noise cancelling headphones if you have them. 

So all in all Palomino was untapped potential for us, we didn't really capitalise on what it had to offer, but would we recommend a visit? If you're unconcerned about paying £50+ per person for a day activity such as those listed above... YES. You'll love it. However if you're looking to keep to a very strict budget, there are other places to go which will offer more free/cheap activities and aren't as far away.

PALOMINO AT A GLANCE

Accommodation

Easy to find, a very large number of hotels, hotels, airbnbs for all price ranges.

Transport

Well connected by local buses, 2 hours away from Santa Marta, buses are regular and cheap (13k COP to Santa Marta) simply flag one down from the main road side.

Affordability 

Several restaurants, bars, cafes, all fairly priced, local beers and foods are cheaper than imports. For from the stalls is very cheap - 15k COP (£3) for a massive meal.

Safety

Excellent throughout, we didn't go exploring at night but came home from dinner/drinks late in the evening with no issues. We never felt unsafe, though bring a torch or headtorch as there are no streetlights off the main road and the paths are not paved. There are many stray dogs so expect to see glowing eyes in the distance in the dark, all seemed harmless. We would encourage solo female travellers to buddy up with someone if going out late at night for reassurance if the accomodation is away from the main strip.

Activities

Plenty of excursions available to explore the local area but nothing cheap.

Tips/key takeaways

Take a head torch and be prepared to spend more than your normal budget would allow on the activities on offer to maximise your experience here.