Santa Marta - Docking

Marinas

The marina at Santa Marta is making the city very popular with cruisers. It has excellent facilities including a hotel and restaurants. Call the marina on VHF channel 16 or 72 (staff are very helpful and some speak good English) and they will organise everything. The marina is just 10 minutes away from the beautiful beaches of Chengue, Neguanje and Concha Bay.

As you enter the marina past the fuel dock on your port side, the dock directly in front of you is E dock with F dock (the Superyacht dock) on the Western side of the marina. Turning to port on entering will guide you to the shore passing by E, D, C, B, and finally A dock on your starboard side

Anchorages:

You cannot anchor once inside the marina.

It is possible to anchor south of the moored small boats in the port and north of the new marina, but there is no safe or sensible place to land the dinghy.

Many cruisers prefer to head to Taganga Bay in the National Park, 3NM north of Santa Marta, whilst waiting for their clearance paperwork to be completed (which can take up to two weeks). A permit is required which should be requested via your agent on arrival. There should be no extra charge for this permit. In Taganga Bay there is a little fishing village, with friendly locals, basic services and supplies and nearby alternative anchorages. Ensure that your agent has arranged permission for you to anchor here FIRST.

This bay does have a history of boardings and robberies. A yacht anchored alone in Taganga Bay in December 2023 was boarded by armed men and the crew held at gunpoint while the boat was ransacked. See news item.

Feedback from Cruisers about Santa Marta can be found in comments (speech bubble icon) and in this report.

Last updated:  December 2023