Ecohabs Tayrona

Ecohabs Tayrona is the only lodging actually inside Tayrona National Park, and it charges accordingly — that exclusivity is most of the price. The palm-thatched, native-wood bungalows climb a hillside in the Cañaveral sector, their design borrowed from the indigenous Tayrona, with Caribbean Sea and forest views from the top. Set expectations correctly: this is dry tropical forest, scrubbier and more open than the rainforests elsewhere on this list, so come for the park, the beaches and the trails rather than dense jungle canopy. Monkeys and a serious cast of birds turn up along the park paths, and being inside the gates means you get the place early and late, when the day-trippers have gone. It's not cheap and it doesn't need to be. Verdict: pay the premium if sleeping inside Tayrona is the whole point; otherwise stay in Santa Marta.