Tayrona National Natural Park
🇨🇴 Colombia
🦎 Green Iguana Paradise in TayronaTayrona National Natural Park spans 15,000 hectares where the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta drops to the Caribbean, protecting tropical dry forest, palm-backed beaches, and coral reef. It is one of Colombia's most visited national parks, drawing more than 600,000 visitors a year to its coastal jungle trails.
11.324° N 74.043° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
Santa Marta White-fronted Capuchin
Cebus malitiosus
★ 
Cotton-headed Tamarin
Saguinus oedipus
★ 
Green Iguana
Iguana iguana
★ 
Colombian Red Howler Monkey
Alouatta seniculus
📊 Most Spotted
Gaige’s Rainbow Lizard
Cnemidophorus gaigei
Yellow-striped Poison Frog
Dendrobates truncatus
Blue-gray Tanager
Thraupis episcopus
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
White-throated Gecko
Gonatodes albogularis
Giant Marine Toad
Rhinella horribilis
Magdalena River Tegu
Tretioscincus bifasciatus
Bicolored Wren
Campylorhynchus griseus
Guayaquil Dwarf Frog
Engystomops pustulosus
Crimson-backed Tanager
Ramphocelus dimidiatus
White-tipped Dove
Leptotila verreauxi
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Brotogeris jugularis
⭐ Iconic Species
★ Santa Marta White-fronted Capuchin
Cebus malitiosus
★ Cotton-headed Tamarin
Saguinus oedipus
★ Colombian Red Howler Monkey
Alouatta seniculus
📊 Most Spotted
Central American Agouti
Dasyprocta punctata
Brown-throated Sloth
Bradypus variegatus
Red-tailed Squirrel
Sciurus granatensis
Crab-eating Fox
Cerdocyon thous
Northern Tamandua
Tamandua mexicana
Long-tailed Porcupine
Coendou longicaudatus
Common tent-making Bat
Uroderma bilobatum
Common Opossum
Didelphis marsupialis
Pacific Tent-making Bat
Uroderma convexum
Grey-handed Night Monkey
Aotus griseimembra
Northern Naked-tailed Armadillo
Cabassous centralis
Lesser Sac-winged Bat
Saccopteryx leptura
📊 Most Spotted
Blue-gray Tanager
Thraupis episcopus
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Bicolored Wren
Campylorhynchus griseus
Crimson-backed Tanager
Ramphocelus dimidiatus
White-tipped Dove
Leptotila verreauxi
Orange-chinned Parakeet
Brotogeris jugularis
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Buff-breasted Wren
Cantorchilus leucotis
Palm Tanager
Thraupis palmarum
Pale-breasted Thrush
Turdus leucomelas
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Melanerpes rubricapillus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Gaige’s Rainbow Lizard
Cnemidophorus gaigei
White-throated Gecko
Gonatodes albogularis
Magdalena River Tegu
Tretioscincus bifasciatus
Common Basilisk
Basiliscus basiliscus
Gaige's Anole
Anolis gaigei
Common House Gecko
Hemidactylus frenatus
Turniptail Gecko
Thecadactylus rapicauda
Cope's Ameiva
Ameiva bifrontata
Neotropical Green Anole
Anolis biporcatus
Venezuelan Cat-eyed Snake
Leptodeira ashmeadii
Grass Anole
Anolis auratus
Violet-bellied Whorl-tailed Iguana
Stenocercus erythrogaster
📊 Most Spotted
Yellow-striped Poison Frog
Dendrobates truncatus
Giant Marine Toad
Rhinella horribilis
Guayaquil Dwarf Frog
Engystomops pustulosus
Spotted Foam-nest Frog
Leptodactylus insularum
Rivero's Toad
Rhinella humboldti
Yellow Treefrog
Dendropsophus microcephalus
Colombian Four-eyed Frog
Pleurodema brachyops
Banana Tree Dwelling Frog
Boana platanera
Whistling Grass Frog
Leptodactylus fuscus
Savage's Thin-toed Frog
Leptodactylus savagei
Chirique-Flusse Tree Frog
Boana pugnax
Milk Frog
Trachycephalus macrotis
Recent sightings in Tayrona National Natural Park
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
3Lance-tailed Manakin Courtship
Male lance-tailed manakins gather at forest leks, where pairs of males leap in synchronised courtship dances to attract a female.
2Poison Frog Rainy Season
Yellow-striped poison frogs and túngara frogs call from the leaf litter and streams by the trails.
1Migratory Bird Season
Yellow warblers and summer tanagers forage the canopy while ospreys hunt over the bays.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Migratory Bird Season
- 2Poison Frog Rainy Season
- 3Lance-tailed Manakin Courtship
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
He helped us spot 3 out of 4 monkey species, an agouti, as well as various birds.
I also saw a snake, Titi monkeys, and a squirrel, and heard howler monkeys off in the distance.
While journeying to the beaches, I heard the rapid, high-pitched notes of the Buff-breasted Wren and the screeches of a Yellow-headed Caracara, which scared a pair of Orange-chinned Parakeets that had been vocalizing and fluttering above me.
We drove a little further up the road and stopped when Cristián spotted our first monkey of the day: a cotton-top tamarin.
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Tayrona National Natural Park?
The most likely sightings are Gaige’s Rainbow Lizard (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Colombian Red Howler Monkey (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Yellow-striped Poison Frog (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Blue-gray Tanager (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Black Vulture (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers) — among 1023 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Tayrona National Natural Park for wildlife?
September has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.
Can you see Santa Marta White-fronted Capuchin in Tayrona National Natural Park?
Yes — about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Santa Marta White-fronted Capuchin sighting in Tayrona National Natural Park, based on 73 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Cotton-headed Tamarin in Tayrona National Natural Park?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Cotton-headed Tamarin sighting in Tayrona National Natural Park, based on 36 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Green Iguana in Tayrona National Natural Park?
Yes — about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Green Iguana sighting in Tayrona National Natural Park, based on 91 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Colombian Red Howler Monkey in Tayrona National Natural Park?
Yes — about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Colombian Red Howler Monkey sighting in Tayrona National Natural Park, based on 108 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
.jpg/330px-Darien_Gap_on_Pacific_Coast_of_Panama_-_panoramio_(3).jpg)
_2.jpg/330px-Geoffroy's_tamarin_(Saguinus_geoffroyi)_2.jpg)