Jul 31, 2025
Beautiful day - We had a great day. Mixture between walking and swimming.
We were lucky enough to have several guides, including one who spoke English and French. But if you don't, you have to speak a minimum of Spanish because the other guides only speak Spanish.
Review provided by Viator
May 18, 2025
Fleet tour of Tayrona National Park - The tour guides did not speak English but were very motivated.You have to say that they still tried very hard to get everyone to their destination and explain the process and you had enough time to see the dream beaches.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 5, 2025
Nice day trip to Tayrona Park, bu tnot enough time - Nice day trip to Tayrona Park, but not enough time: we were left waiting for 30 minutes for our pick up, because they simply forgot about us: from 6.30 am to 7am, no breakfast and lots of whatsapp messages with the tour operator. The worst and most stressful day to start an adevture...
Review provided by Viator
Aug 31, 2025
MISLEADING ADVERTISING - This page has MISLEADING ADVERTISING, they sell you an itinerary that is not fulfilled No Snorkeling included do not give you solution, the group of guides is disorganized never has assistance during the walk that is quite heavy, they tell you that you will find on the way and what time you must return to the bus, the driver drives quite quickly runs red lights putting at risk families, at the end if you do not arrive on time to the bus they simply leave you and ask for tip for the Service. Writing to the support platform does not support ANYTHING just as WHATSAPP support does not support you. We requested this tour for security and left disappointed. I do not recommend taking this Service.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aug 22, 2025
Beautiful Park, Disorganized Tour Company - Proceed with Caution - I recently took a tour with VuelaMax Tours to Tayrona National Park, and while the destination itself is stunning, the experience was significantly marred by the tour company's severe lack of organization & communication.
Major Issues with Organization & Communication: Despite booking weeks in advance & reaching out for confirmation via WhatsApp, I received no concrete details until 4:20 AM on the morning of the tour!!! This was well after the Viator cancellation period had expired. The message expected me to be ready for a 6:05 AM pickup, despite the tour being advertised for a 6:30 AM departure! This left no room for error and caused me a great deal of unnecessary stress!
Language Barrier Concern: As a fluent Spanish speaker, I was able to manage this chaotic communication & even prepared to advocate for myself in person if the tour company decided to cheat me of this prepaid tour. However, I am deeply concerned for any traveler who doesn't speak the language fluently. Navigating this last-minute scramble & potential changes would be extremely difficult & anxiety-inducing.
The Tour Itinerary & Experience: The actual day in Tayrona was pleasant, but it felt more like a facilitated transfer than a “guided tour”.
Itinerary Clarity: The company provides minimal explanation of the day's schedule beforehand via this platform or WhatsApp. Here’s what the day actually entails:
•An early morning pickup & a stop for breakfast, while the guides purchase park entrance tickets. Note: Foreign tourists must pay an additional 50,000 COP fee at the park entrance, as per official rules.
•A 4-mile (approx. 2 hour) hike to Cabo San Juan beach.
•About 3 hours at the beach, which includes the time to eat lunch at your own expense at a restaurant. The guides put the food order for you, so you simply come back at 12 and eat, which is nice.
•A 4-mile hike back to the meeting point.
The guides were polite, but largely disengaged. Aside from EDGAR who gave a helpful day overview on the bus ride to the park, there was minimal interaction. They did not provide commentary, historical context, or point out points of interest during the hike. They functioned more as escorts than guides.
The Positive Aspects: It's important to note that the positives were almost entirely related to the natural beauty of Tayrona National Park itself & not because of the tour company.
•The hike through the jungle is beautiful & rewarding.
•Cabo San Juan is a gorgeous beach. A significant plus was the absence of persistent vendors, allowing for a peaceful experience.
•The lunch at the beach restaurant was surprisingly good.
Final Recommendation:
This tour gets you to and from Tayrona, but that is the extent of the service. I will add that I did like that they put in our lunch orders, so we didn’t have to waste too much beach time waiting for our food to be prepared. That was a nice touch. However, go at your own risk & only if you are a self-sufficient traveler comfortable with last-minute communication, significant physical hiking, and covering all your own expenses (meals, drinks, park fee surcharge). The disorganization is a real drawback that could ruin the experience for those who need clear planning or don't speak Spanish.
Review provided by Viator
Jul 17, 2025
Poorly organised - Tour seemed unorganised. Bus was packed and the three guides communicated the plans poorly. No English at all which made it hard to understand when to meet back with group
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 22, 2025
Terrible customer service and misrepresented - Awful experience with this tour operator. Communication was poor when trying to figure out a meeting point, they tried to cancel on us for being too far away, we ended up paying $100 for a ride to get to them and they finally contacted us to confirm 9pm the day before. Then when we showed up they only expected one of us even though we purchased 2 tickets. My partner had to stand on the bus the whole way while I was squished between strangers in the back. Then, we were told the tour was offered in English, but that wasn’t the case and only Spanish was spoken so we didn’t know what was going on.
Review provided by Viator
Mar 21, 2025
Do not book if you think you are going to get an English-speaking guide - I contacted tour operator in advance via whatsapp to ensure the tour would have an english speaking guide. I was picked up first on the day of the tour and by the time the not-english speaking guide got on one hour later there wasn't really a way for me to depart the tour.
The guides were nice in that they communicated via google translate what the meeting point and pickup times were and that they were not made aware that an english-speaking guide was promised as part of the tour. Once you enter the park though, you lose cell reception so google translate is no longer an option.
I paid the 50,000cop extra to enter the park as a foreign visitor as well as the additional fee for lunch. I spent my day keeping an eye on the guide so I would not get left behind which was absolutely not the experience i paid $50 for.
When i requested a refund the tour operator denied it, further communication with viator is still in progress because the tour operator is telling viator they provided an english-speaking guide when they absolutely did not. This tour operator should be required to remove 'English' as an available language option for this tour.
If you are looking for a trip to Cabo San Juan in English either book with a different tour operator than vuelamax actividades y tours or inquire at your hotel about local shuttle bus transport from Santa Marta to the park and go on your own because it's absolutely worth the trip. I am not sure where the pickup point is but on the return they were meeting people at the beginning of the trail from the beach for 5000cop per person for the return ride to the city.
Review provided by Viator