Santa Marta private tours: a city guide or an exclusive boat?
Santa Marta private tours make sense when the particular service matters: a historical walk with a guide in your preferred language, a city visit combining hotel collection and museum admission, or exclusive use of a boat towards Bahía Concha. The private element is different in each case. Choose between two hours in the historic centre, seven hours for the city and Quinta, and four hours on a coastal charter.
Santa Marta's historic centre contains colonial buildings, the cathedral, Parque de Bolívar, Parque de los Novios and Casa de la Aduana. The Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino adds a different setting, with a historic hacienda, contemporary art museum and botanical garden. Coastal travel moves the focus away from those buildings to the bays and beaches of the Tayrona region.
Private tours in Santa Marta
Choose a guided city walk or a private city tour with museum entries. The private boat charter accommodates up to 14 people and is priced per group.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of November 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Private boat charter to Bahía Concha
- Visit to Bahía Concha
- Ice and bottled water
- Insurance
The private 33-foot boat accommodates up to 14 people and visits nearby Tayrona beaches accessible only by boat.
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Private Santa Marta city tour
- Entry to Tayrona Gold Museum
- Entry to Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino
- All-risk insurance
This private city tour includes a guide and gastronomic experiences.
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Private historic centre walk
- Entry tickets to mentioned attractions
- Snacks
An expert guide leads the walk in your preferred language.
Check availability →Private history, museum visits and Bahía Concha
Compare the historic walk with language choice, the city visit with Quinta and Gold Museum admission, and a four-hour exclusive boat charter.
A private historic walk in two hours
Santa Marta's two-hour private historical walk suits visitors wanting a guided introduction to the centre in their preferred language. The walk starts at Cl. 20 #2A-20 in Santa Marta. Included services are the expert guide, admission to the attractions specified for the tour and snacks. Other food and drinks are extra.
The historic setting gives the outing its focus. Santa Marta was founded on 29 July 1525 by Rodrigo de Bastidas, and the centre's buildings provide the context for understanding the city. This is the option to choose for a historical walk rather than a full day combining the centre with the Quinta. The old town guide explains the wider range of city visits and tastings.
The language choice is a concrete reason to book this private format. If understanding the historical explanation in a preferred language is central to the visit, that included service deserves more weight than adding another destination. Travellers with limited time choose the two-hour walk; those wanting the Quinta and Gold Museum together choose the seven-hour city visit.
A seven-hour city visit with Quinta and Gold Museum
Santa Marta's seven-hour private city visit combines hotel pickup and drop-off with a guide, Tayrona Gold Museum entry and Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino entry. Gastronomic experiences and all-risk insurance are included. Lunch and additional purchases are extra, so keep a meal budget separate from the included tasting experiences.
The Quinta is relevant to both history and art. Simón Bolívar died there on 17 December 1830; the contemporary art museum and botanical garden form part of the wider visitor complex. That combination gives this private city visit a different purpose from a short centre walk. Museum entry and hotel transport are already components of the experience, alongside guided city exploration.
The seven-hour duration also makes this a substantial part of the day. Keep the visit distinct from a Minca excursion or a national park outing rather than adding another regional journey around it. The choice is between a city-and-museum programme and a shorter historical introduction, with the included services setting the difference.
A private boat towards Bahía Concha
Bahía Concha is the named destination of the four-hour private charter on a 33-foot boat for up to 14 people. The start is Cra. 1c #20134 in Santa Marta. Exclusive boat use, the Bahía Concha visit, nearby Tayrona beaches accessible only by boat, bottled water, ice and insurance are included.
The charter suits a party whose main priority is having the boat to itself. Food, alcoholic drinks, snacks and sunscreen are excluded. The visit concerns Bahía Concha and nearby beaches, rather than an advertised Playa Cristal itinerary. For the different land-and-boat approach to Playa Cristal, use the Tayrona guide; the boat tour page covers other coastal experiences.
Bahía Concha access arrangements should be checked for the travel date because the resolution of 4 March 2026 introduced approach restrictions without a stated end date. On the coast, follow permitted bathing areas, red flags and instructions for the day's sea conditions. The planned beach visits are a coastal programme, and swimming depends on the conditions at each stop.
Meeting points and hotel pickup in Santa Marta
Santa Marta hotel collection is included in the seven-hour city visit, while the two-hour walk and four-hour charter start at their stated city addresses. This difference is useful when choosing between an outing that begins at the accommodation and one requiring a journey to a meeting point. The hotel-return service belongs specifically to the longer city visit.
For the walk, plan arrival at Cl. 20 #2A-20; for the charter, use Cra. 1c #20134. Keep the meeting address together with the chosen experience rather than reusing a departure point from another tour. The arrival guide covers getting into Santa Marta, and the accommodation guide distinguishes city and regional bases.
Group price, individual price and shared alternatives
627 USD is the charter's starting price per group of up to 14 people; the historical walk starts at 93 USD per person and the seven-hour private city visit at 97 USD per person, with prices recorded in November 2026. Keep the charter's group total separate from the two city tours' individual prices when comparing the formats.
The shared seven-hour yacht excursion on the tours page starts at 78 USD per person and includes six beach visits, lunch, refreshments, marina admission and a bilingual captain and assistant. That option suits travellers prioritising an included meal and a coastal programme over exclusive boat use. The private charter instead offers four hours, exclusive use, Bahía Concha, water and ice, with food extra.
Santa Marta city and coastal alternatives
Santa Marta offers city visits, coastal experiences and regional excursions with different transport and admission arrangements.
Questions about private experiences in Santa Marta
Santa Marta's private options differ in both their included services and the unit used for the advertised price.
How much is the private boat charter?
627 USD per group of up to 14 people is the starting price recorded in November 2026 for the four-hour charter. The experience includes a private 33-foot boat, Bahía Concha, nearby Tayrona beaches, ice, bottled water and insurance. Food, alcoholic drinks, snacks and sunscreen are separate expenses.
How long is the historical walking tour?
Two hours is the duration of the private Santa Marta historic centre walk. The experience starts at Cl. 20 #2A-20 and includes an expert guide in your preferred language, admission to the specified attractions and snacks. It suits a focused historical introduction with a local meeting point.
Does the seven-hour city tour include hotel transport?
Yes. The seven-hour private Santa Marta city visit includes hotel pickup and drop-off, along with a guide, Tayrona Gold Museum admission and Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino admission. Gastronomic experiences and all-risk insurance also belong to the package. Lunch and extra purchases remain separate from the included services.
When does the shared yacht make more sense?
Santa Marta's shared seven-hour yacht outing suits travellers who want six beach visits with lunch, refreshments and crew rather than exclusive boat use. Its starting price is 78 USD per person in November 2026. The private four-hour charter instead centres on Bahía Concha, with bottled water and ice included.