Parque Tayrona - Playa Brava

Parque Tayrona is one of Colombia's most popular national parks. I avoided the crowds and went to one of the most remote beaches, Playa Brava. It is a 5.6 km hike from the road to Santa Marta and is nearly vertical at both the beginning and end of the trail. I managed to do it in 2.6 hours. This area is the ancestral land of the Kogi people. They remain one of the few tribes not conquered by Spanish rule as they retreated deep into Sierras during the colonization of Colombia. As a result, they have retained most of their culture and remain mistrustful of outsiders.

These are the Sierra Nevadas de Santa Marta. It was here that the Kogi fled the Spaniards. In more recent years, this is where Santa Marta Gold was grown before it was replaced by huge coca plantations. 80% of the plantations have been converted back to forest or to farms.

A Kogi girl I passed on the trail.

Tamarin monkey off the trail.

I hiked upon these two Kogi children who were guiding a horse with supplies bound for the same ecolodge I was to camp at. Their names were Juan Carlos "Pancho Villa" and Simone. Pancho Villa is wearing a Grateful Dead hat he found on the trail. They guided me to my camp.

Jenny is next to a huge trash pile of about 4 feet high created by leaf cutter ants. The ants actually don't eat the leaves that they carry back to the nest. They make compost with it and grow a fungus that they eat. This is a pile of inert compost that is constantly being replaced by fresh leaves.

The Kogi call these millipedes "munkala". They told they were not dangerous but I still did  not not try to pick them up. Some are known to release poisonous chemicals when threatened. The largest I saw were about a foot long and were by far the most common creature in the jungle.

My guide from the trail, Simone, at the Teyumakke Ecolodge. Photo taken by her brother "Pancho Villa".

Pancho Villa. Photo taken by Simone.

Jorge Dip, owner of Teyumakke Ecolodge. He sold his advertising company 11 years ago and has returned to a more simple life, living here at Playa Brava. He has been purchasing land around Parque Tayrona and is giving back to the Kogi people. He is well versed in their culture and they have accepted him as one of them. His mission is to educate his guests on their culture and conservation of this delicate ecosystem. Photo taken by Simone.

Jorge and his Kogi helpers preparing dinner in the kitchen. Photo taken by Simone.

My hut on the beach.

Sunrise from the deck of my hut.

After three days of fishing with no success, Jorge told me had a spear gun. I had much more success and speared all kinds of fish that we ate for lunch and dinner. I wish he told me he had a spear gun sooner.

Of all the farm animals at Playa Brava, the baby donkey was the most friendly with me. All other animals would only come up to me when I was eating. He and I would play tag, siesta in the shade and talk about globalization in the 21st century.

Poison dart frog.

There were at least three kinds of chitons that I found in the intertidal. After my first two unsuccessful attempts at fishing, I took out my frustration on chitons and made chiton ceviche. Sorry Doug.

Making chiton ceviche required collecting a lot of chitons and was tedious removing the foot from shell. But after adding, lime, onion, tomato and bell pepper, my stomach was happy. 

I found this little guy coiled up on a tree. The locals call it Matoco. From my past forays into herpetology, I think it is a kind of viper. Jorge got bit in the thigh by an adult Matoco not too long ago and treated the bite with native plants including tobacco. He showed me the scar and it looks like it healed nicely. He says that the native plants work better than anti-venom.

Coca. The Kogi grow their own coca and the men chew leaves when they come of age. There is a ritual process that one must go through before he can chew the sacred leave. The men chew the leaves like chewing tobacco with the addition of a little calcium powder from crushed seashells. It gives an mild sensation of well being, increases alertness and suppress appetite. Not too different from caffeine. 

Playa Brava was a beautiful place filled with  a rich cultural history and a rich biodiversity. When I hiked back to the nearest town, Calabazo, Pancho Villa was there getting supplies for Teyumakke. I bought him lunch and gave him glasses as a parting gift. I will be seeing him soon.