
Rivers of La Sierra Nevada
5 January, 2022
Tayrona Park
6 January, 2022Bonda
Where to Go, Bonda
Bonda is a small village of indigenous origin that lives off the agriculture and ecotourism. Located in the vicinity of the Manzanares River, its main natural attractions revolve around the spaces adorned by waters that descend from the Sierra Nevada. Bonda´s eco touristic portfolio is rapidly growing and many visitors are changing itineraries to include this natural, off the beaten track destination.
Donama Stone
Bonda boasts several icons of the Tayrona culture, such as the cobbled paths, the carved stones of the Pozo de Bondigua and the more famous Donama Stone. This monolith of approximately four meters in diameter and three meters high, contains many petroglyphs engravings thought to represent nature’s codes. It is presumed that the carving was made by the Tayrona between 500 and 1525 AD. Although its true meaning remains a mystery, the stone has great spiritual and symbolic significance for the indigenous populations of the area.
Make sure you visit Pozo la Lisa on your trip to Bonda, for a nice off the beaten track river destination.
Diana Magaloni
Common tours and nearby activities
Paso del Mango
Paso del Mango has beautiful scenery located 500 meters above sea level in the middle of the Sierra mountains. This place is a great option to enjoy natural pools and crystal-clear rivers without having to worry about huge crowds. The paths are packed with mango trees, which give this area its name, but these are just one of many agricultural products in the area. Farms and homeowners have set up private tours so people can enjoy and take part of the process of taking cacao and coffee from farm to table. Visitors get the chance to experience how daily activities unfold and buy souvenirs of their own making like ground coffee or cacao cakes.
Activities include:
- A trip to the vicinity of Bonda
- Visit to a cocoa farm
- Visit the Caoba reserve to observe the flora and fauna of the Sierra Nevada area (we will observe animals such as: crocodiles turtles, marmosets, macaws, etc.)
- Visit to the Indian Bridge (built by the Kogi) and 2 huts that recreate home of indigenous communities in the Sierra Nevada.
- Visit fish farming pools and others to observe the Pirarucu (also known as the King of the Amazon).
- Visit to the Pozo del Indio for baths and meditation sessions.
Cacao / Chocolate Tour
Guided tour of the chocolate farm for 2 hours to experience the cocoa transformation process.
- Visit Cacao plantation.
- Learn how they plant, collect, clean, dry and make homemade organic cocoa.
- Buy chocolate and thus support the local economy.
- Relaxing chocolate-based massage and then a fun immersion.
Other nearby activities

Tayrona Park
The Tayrona National Natural Park (Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona) is a natural protected that covers approximately 30 square kilometers of maritime area in the Caribbean Sea and approximately 150 square kilometers of land.

Rivers of La Sierra Nevada
Santa Marta is more than sun, beach, and history. Thick jungles also account for a big portion of the territory, carrying through them the rivers that descend from its highest mountains.