Founded in 1525, Santa Marta is the oldest surviving city in Colombia and the second-oldest in South America. It sits where the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the world's highest coastal mountain range peaking at 5,775m, meets the Caribbean Sea. The nearby Tayrona National Park preserves pre-Columbian terraces of the Tairona civilization amid pristine tropical forest and beaches.
Nights sit around 25°C and afternoons around 33°C.
Santa Marta barely changes season: afternoons sit around 33°C and nights around 25°C most of the year.
Some April days reach 37°C.
Rain is spread through the year — about 562 mm in total, from 127 mm in October down to 0 mm in January — so no single month is a washout.
Wind is rarely an issue; most months sit between calm and a light breeze. Air quality is worth watching: May averages an AQI of 54, while January clears to 30.
Daylight is steady all year, around 12.0 hours a day.
For what you're after, the best months in Santa Marta are November – September. Expect fast internet (243 Mbps) and a moderate cost of living (about €900 a month).
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