Hike to El Cabo de San Juan

There are multiple possibilities to start this hike, to combine it with longer treks and to stay overnight. I will describe the route that I took, but you should definitely take into consideration to stay in the park for a night or two.

Take a bus and let them drop you off at the East Entrance of the park (El Zaino). Make sure you bring your ID but leave glass bottles and alcohol at home. After you paid the entrance fee (45000 COP, appr 15 USD at the moment), you can take the shuttle for another dollar to the start of the hike (it saves you app 90min of walking).

Once you get dropped off, you will see signs for Arrecifes. The hike will guide you through the forest until you get to the first beach (ca 60min). From there it is a short way to the next two gorgeous beaches La Piscina and El Cabo where you can actually swim. The hammocks of El Cabo are definitely a great option to spend a night in the park, but you need to come early a spot.

You can stay here, relax and watch a gorgeous sunset or you can continue the hike to El Pueblito, a very different but gorgeous part of the park.

Hiking from the park entrance to El Cabo would be a 2.5-mile hike (assuming you take the shuttle as mentioned above). If you hike the same way back it makes a 5 miles round trip. If you decide to exit the park via El Pueblito this will extend your trip to a total of 7 miles.