Hammocks at Tayrona National Park

The view of the beaches of Cabo San Juan from the pagoda that houses the hammocks

My absolute favorite thing about Tayrona National Park in Colombia was hanging out in my hammock in the middle of the Carribbean-- reading my book, falling asleep, and waking up to the crashing waves. Not just one set of crashing waves, but stereo surround sound waves.

The pagoda ("Mirador"/lookout point) where the hammocks are

Sometimes a photo grabs you and takes hold. Back in the States, I saw a photo of the twin beaches at Tayrona, and the finger of land separating the two where a little pagoda houses a circle of hammocks.

"I want to stay there," I thought.

And I did. Two nights.

I had no idea how to get a hammock and didn't even know how many there were, but I figured if I got there on the early side, it wouldn't be a problem since it's not high season. I ended up not getting there as early as I had hoped because Bianca and I somehow took a wrong turn. So the 1.5 hour hike to Cabo San Juan turned into a 3+ hour hike that included a full lap back to the parking lot for some extra exercise. 

A friend on the beach

Luckily, it ended up not mattering because we got there before 1:30 p.m., the time that they start giving out hammocks. First in line, a party of 4 guys. Second in line, a party of 3 women. There was only one hammock left in the little lookout. I was next in line. Que suerte!

But by far, the best happy toe curling moment was the second day and night, after I requested hammock number 8. There is a low wall around the pagoda except for in front of hammocks 6 through 9, which face directly onto a patio over the water. 

On my hammock, I could always see the sea past the tip of my toes. 

The hammocks looking out on the Carribbean

Imagine the first thing you see when you open your eyes in the morning is the open horizon of the sea.

Imagine the last thing you see before you close your eyes to sleep is the moonlight on the water. 

Imagine the default soundtrack to your life is the rhythm of crashing waves. 

And imagine the default wallpaper to your life is the waters of the Carribbean in front of you, two perfect new moon beaches to the side of you, and the jungle mountain behind you.

On the second night, this rainbow appeared over the beach on our right

At the same time, this was the view of the beach on our left.