Santa Marta and Tayrona sit inside the CDC's yellow fever and malaria advice.

Yes, and this is the buggier half of a Colombia trip. Jejenes, the tiny biting midges of the Caribbean beaches, come out at dusk from Tayrona to Palomino, Minca's hills have plenty of their own, and the day-biting dengue mosquito works the city. Unlike Cartagena or Medellín, this whole leg sits inside the CDC's yellow fever recommendation and below its malaria line.

Yellow fever and malaria: no city exception here

The CDC recommends yellow fever vaccine for most travelers to Colombia aged 9 months and older. It makes exceptions for "the cities of Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena, or Medellín," for Bogotá, San Andrés and Providencia, and for areas above 7,550 feet (2,300 m). Santa Marta, Tayrona, Minca, Palomino and the Ciudad Perdida trek aren't among them. The CDC's yellow fever map marks Magdalena and La Guajira "Vaccination recommended," shades only the high core of the Sierra Nevada "Vaccination not recommended," and shows no "generally not recommended" symbol at Santa Marta. The Lost City falls inside the recommended zone.

The CDC lists Colombia's entry rule as "Vaccine is required for all arriving travelers ≥1 year old," and entry rules can change. Its Level 2 notice, last reviewed October 16, 2026, says "Most cases are being reported in Tolima," far inland, and tells travelers to "Get vaccinated at least 10 days before travel."

Malaria follows the same pattern. The CDC reports transmission in "All areas <1,700 m (<5,600 ft) elevation," with exceptions only for the cities of Bogotá, Cartagena and Medellín, and every stop on this leg sits below that line.

Dengue, dusk midges and the trek

Colombia is on the CDC's global dengue list, and national cases reached outbreak level in September, according to the Pan American Health Organization's October 20 update. In that update, Magdalena and Santa Marta weren't among the places where cases rose or fell by more than 30% in late August and September, while La Guajira, Palomino's department, fell by that much. We haven't seen a dated 2026 dengue count for Santa Marta itself. The dengue mosquito bites in daylight in the city and El Rodadero, so repellent goes on over sunscreen at breakfast and again after swimming.

On the beaches, jejenes come out at dusk on still evenings and go for ankles and calves. They are weak fliers, so the dry season's wind helps. Cartagena forum posters say bugs get worse heading east from Santa Marta, and Minca, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, tends to stay greener and wetter than the coast. Spray feet, ankles and calves before sunset and wear light trousers in the evening. Our Barbados sand fly guide explains how midges behave.

The Ciudad Perdida trek adds forest sand flies that can carry leishmaniasis, a skin infection, and bite from dusk to dawn; the CDC Yellow Book names Colombia among its common sources in travelers. Treat a long-sleeved shirt, trousers and socks with permethrin, tuck the camp net's edges in, and keep cuts clean and covered, since the CDC's Colombia page also lists New World screwworm.

Where you're going

Scores are for a December–April trip.

Our Colombia briefing covers the full country, and the Cartagena and Medellín briefings cover the cities the CDC's exceptions name.

What travelers report

Paraphrased from TripAdvisor threads and a review and linked so you can read them in full. None gives a year, and one describes a November visit, just before the December–April window.

• Costeño Beach (between Tayrona and Palomino)

  A hostel guest called Costeño probably the best beach on the stretch between Tayrona and Palomino, with bad sand flies and mosquitoes as the one downside and something they felt could not be avoided in the area. TripAdvisor ↗

• Minca

  Asked whether Minca's biters are mosquitoes or something else, a respondent said the village has many biting insects, with no-see-ums (biting midges) the most troublesome and some mosquitoes too. TripAdvisor ↗

• Minca · November

  In a thread about a November visit, a poster called sand flies the big problem in Minca and advised long trousers, saying high-DEET repellent works on the mosquitoes. Replies disagreed over whether Minca's altitude keeps mosquitoes away. TripAdvisor ↗

One rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell the doctor you were on Colombia's Caribbean coast, naming Santa Marta, Tayrona and the trek if you did it. Dengue usually shows up within two weeks; malaria can take longer.

Traveler questions