Santa Marta, on Colombia's Caribbean coast, is getting ready for its busiest stretch of the year with longer hours at four of its main beaches. A decree issued by the district administration on October 29 temporarily overrides the schedule that has applied since 2015, letting people stay on the sand well into the evening through the December-January holiday rush.
The big winners are El Rodadero and La Bahia, where designated rest areas stay open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and beach kiosks can trade from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. If you actually want to get in the water, the windows are narrower: swimming is allowed 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and non-motorised water sports run 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Bello Horizonte and Playa Dormida get a shorter deal, with beach access and kiosks closing at 8:00 p.m., though swimming and water-sport limits match the other two beaches.
The extension runs until April 13, 2027, and authorities say they may add further safety and public-order instructions along the way. Crucially, longer evenings on the sand do not mean night swimming — entering the sea after hours, water sports in the dark and out-of-schedule business activity remain off-limits, and inspections will be carried out under Colombia's National Code of Security and Citizen Coexistence. Items used outside permitted hours can be confiscated.
The scale of the season explains the move. Between December 2025 and January 2026, hotel association Cotelco counted more than 1.1 million visitors to Santa Marta and its surroundings, and the city hopes to match that this year. Longer hours give hotels, restaurants, tour operators and beach vendors more time to earn during the Christmas and school-holiday period.
One rule worth remembering if you're packing for the coast: single-use plastics are banned on these beaches, part of the environmental provisions of Decree 376 of 2015 that stay in force. Bring reusable bottles and containers instead.
For travellers, this is genuinely good news. Santa Marta doubles as the gateway to Tayrona National Park and the Sierra Nevada, and many visitors use it as a base before heading to parks or diving spots. Being able to linger at El Rodadero or La Bahia until 10 p.m. makes for easier dinner-and-sunset evenings without rushing back from the beach, and the earlier swim cutoff is a fair trade for calmer, safer water conditions. If you prefer quieter sands, Bello Horizonte's earlier 8 p.m. cutoff still leaves plenty of afternoon — just plan your day around it.
