But as I wanted to visit the National Park, I thought we stay here for 2 nights. People here are not nice, we just felt harassed everywhere we went trying to sell you tours, invite to eat in their restaurant etc. You say no thank you, but they still follow you for over meters grabbing your hand from behind and trying to sell you things.
Very distressing. Tons of rubbish, plastic everywhere. The houses are falling appart and no one cares to even give it a leak of paint. Tons of homeless dogs and cats on the street starving and ill, and you can see locals kicking and mistreating the anymals. Locals just dumping rubbish outside their houses, on the streets. The police here are corrupted and scared of local gangs. They are not in a business of helping tourists or keeping the place safe.
If you are still thinking of coming here, ask yourself why, why would anyone want to come here? Why did you go in the first place? You have people that know and like Colombia a lot telling you not to go yet you went? Why are you complaining? I dislike Taganga but there are a few tiny redeeming factors. The view from the lookout point towards the bay. It looks like something out of a greek catalogue nothing like the dump that awaits. Some decent cafes and a hippie vibe nightlife on weekends.
Aside from that I agree with you, it's a dump. Unfortunately years of gangs and drugged up foreigners from Argentina and Israel especially have turned a traditional fishing village into a culture of narco-tourism dependency. Many people go because it is one of the cheapest places in the world to get diving certifications without the crazy crowds that you encounter when doing it in Thailand.
Taganga attracts tons of divers because it is so close to the National Park and once you get away from the village the waters are great to dive in. Great sunset, good bars on the beach. Rough around the edges yes, but if you want to get your Open Water Certification for cheap, Taganga is the place to go.
