Eco Hostal Yuluka — Hotel in Magdalena

We loved Yuluka! We stayed there 3 different nights for 1 night each. We first stayed right before we entered Parque Tayrona. Yuluka is positioned perfectly between the two entrances to the park. Zaino is about 20 minutes walking, and Calabazo is about a 20 minute drive on the public bus which costs about $2,000 COP. We were able to leave our big bags locked up there and only take our daypacks into the park, which was great! Then when we came back out of the park, unfortunately they were all booked for the night, so we got a room at a hostel in Santa Marta, but they were still kind enough to let us shower and swim at Yuluka before we left. We returned the next night, and spent our last stay the night we came back from the Lost City trek. We were able to book our trek straight from Yuluka, with Magic Tours. They will pick you up at Yuluka, so you don't have to travel to Santa Marta just to turn around and come back the same direction. It was great! Also, the food at Yuluka was excellent! The have free delicious breakfast in the morning, and fresh juice anytime of day. I highly recommend the Maracuya juice, and the limonada coco. Those were delicious! We did order a mojito one day, and it was not our favorite :/ We used the washing machine twice, and surprisingly all of our clothes dried in about 15 hours! The pool is refreshing especially after a long hike! Also, the service there was great. The girls at the front desk were very friendly and helpful with everything! ANDDD the hammocks here are the most comfortable I've ever layed in! We inquired about where we could buy them, but they said they are handmade in the region outside of Riohacha. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to make a trip out there to buy one, but I will never forget how...

We stayed 5 nights in a private room (Azulejos). Nice hostel, clean, fresh temperature, good food, nice pool, good & clean bathroom, helpful sercice. It's a good base for day excursions to nearby Tayrona, we found ourselves happy to return here after the tiresome park walks/heat. Great place to unwind with comfort (running water, wifi, etc). If you are from Europe or big cities and want to stay "close to the green" (vegetation, birds, butterflies, small lizards, even a squirrel) without being too far from civilization/comfort, this place strikes a good balance. If you want closer (and much rougher) stay inside the Tayrona park. If you want 5 stars comfort stay in Santa Marta. Yuluka was a nice "middle ground" for us, 26 minute walk to the park entrance (or 4 min by bus). My wife loved it. For a couple I highly recommend the Azulejos room. Regarding Tayrona, I recommend setting one day for a day trip to "playa cristal" (bring a snorkel), the staff can help you arrange it. Another easy-going "one day" good experience is going from Yuluka to "la piscinita" (the beach nearest to the Ecohabs inside the park). A much tougher but worthy experience is going to Cabo San Juan and staying there one night (just don't take the horses, please, it's seriously unsafe, very dangerous, I mean it). After doing all that we were happy to return to Yuluka for...

Big time highway noise (crazy loud!) Cold water, bad wifi, cockroaches, bugs and more. All for „Eco Hostal“-prices. Breakfast just 7-9am. Enjoy!

I would say this is a classic Latin American Eco Hotel/Hostel. You pay a lot and get everything you hoped it NOT to be! In this One you feel like sleeping in a Motel right next to the main Highway. In hope of getting a shower after a horrible night with noise and bugs..there is just cold water and noise of the highway never takes an end and dogs are welcoming the day. Roaches are saying hi in the morning next to the bug sitting right on you chest!

During the very looooong check in, you sign stuff you can’t read (just spanisch) and get no info about the park or the shuttle that should run from the Hotel to the Park entrance.

If you enjoy all the this, good for you. I didn’t. Especially not for that price! Could have had the same bad nights and cold water in a cheap hostel next to this highway.

The photos look cool and fancy, but it’s nothing more than a nice look. The rest is not...