Tayrona National Park

My trees are so tall they seem to tickle the clouds, and my green jungle tumbles down the mountains right to the edge of the sparkling blue sea. In my branches, monkeys chatter and play, while colorful birds sing happy songs all day long. On my warm, sandy shores, giant, smooth boulders rest like sleeping giants who have been napping for thousands of years. The air here is warm and smells like flowers and salt from the ocean. Can you guess where a magical place like me might be? I am Tayrona National Park, a beautiful treasure on the coast of Colombia.

Long, long ago, before there were cars or big cities, I was home to my very first friends. They were called the Tairona people, and they arrived nearly two thousand years ago, around the year 200. They knew how to live with me, listening to the whispers of my jungle and the rhythm of my waves. The Tairona people were amazing builders. They created stone paths that wind through my trees like secret ribbons, connecting their villages. They also built their homes, which were round like circles, on flat steps they carved into my hillsides. One of their special villages was called Pueblito Chairama, and you can still see the stones they placed so carefully. I loved having them here. Many years went by, and things changed. To make sure my animals, my jungle, and the history of the Tairona people would always be safe, I was officially created as a national park on April 23rd, 1964.

Today, my life is full of adventure and wonder. I am a safe home for amazing animals, like fluffy cotton-top tamarins with their wild white hair, loud howler monkeys that roar like lions, and bright blue butterflies that dance in the air. People from all over the world come to visit me. They hike on my ancient stone paths, swim in my warm, clear waters, and feel the history all around them. The descendants of my first friends—the Kogi, Wiwa, Arhuaco, and Kankuamo peoples—still visit me. They say I am a sacred place, a place to remember and connect with the earth. I hope that when people see my beauty, they remember to listen to the stories the land has to tell and to protect all the wonderful wild places in the world.