Nestled along Colombia’s Caribbean coast, where snow-capped Andean peaks drop abruptly into vivid turquoise waters, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and adjacent Tayrona National Park stand as the crown jewels of the country’s booming tourism sector. Drawing millions of travelers annually drawn to untouched jungle hiking trails, powdery white-sand shores, and the ancient Lost City— a pre-Columbian archaeological site older than Peru’s iconic Machu Picchu— the region has become a cornerstone of Colombia’s global rebranding as a top travel destination. But behind the postcard-perfect scenery lies a dangerous undercurrent: armed non-state groups control large swathes of the area, extorting local businesses, terrorizing Indigenous communities, and fueling environmental destruction that threatens both people and the region’s ecological heritage.
The 2016 historic peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) ended 52 years of civil conflict and opened the door to a tourism boom that has lifted local economies across the country. For the Sierra Nevada region, that deal left a power vacuum that was quickly filled by the Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada (ACSN), a faction of former paramilitaries founded by a commander later extradited to the U.S. Today, the group— whose members are commonly nicknamed “Conquistadores” by locals— controls key cocaine trafficking corridors running through the park, runs illegal gold mining operations, and generates massive revenue through systematic extortion.
Local businesses from hotels to tour bus operators are forced to hand over a cut of their earnings to the ACSN, and Indigenous communities that have lived on the land for millennia are not spared. Indigenous artisans sell handwoven hammocks and textiles to thousands of passing tourists, but a share of every sale goes to the armed group. For the Kogui people, who consider the Sierra Nevada “the heart of the world,” the constant intimidation has created a climate of fear. “We are afraid and anxious about the future,” Atanasio Moscote, the Kogui governor, told AFP during an interview deep within the park.
The conflict has already spilled over into the region’s most famous tourist attraction. In February, the Colombian government shut down Tayrona National Park— a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to Colombia’s best-preserved dry tropical forest and one of its most biodiverse coral reef systems— for more than two weeks after ACSN fighters issued threats against park rangers. Authorities say the group pressured the Indigenous Wayuu people, who reside within the park’s boundaries, to resist government crackdowns on illegal logging, another lucrative criminal activity damaging the region’s fragile ecosystems.
Park rangers who patrol the protected area risk their lives daily to conserve the region’s unique natural heritage. “Our presence in every corner, in every area, is vital to conserve, maintain and monitor the resources we have,” explained 31-year-old ranger Yeiner Hernandez during a patrol accompanied by AFP reporters.
Ten years after FARC completed its disarmament, the ACSN remains the dominant armed force in the Santa Marta region, but new violence has erupted in recent months. Colombia’s largest criminal drug cartel, the Gulf Clan, has moved in to seize control of trafficking routes and illegal operations, sparking deadly clashes between the two groups that have trapped Indigenous communities in the crossfire. Many of these communities maintain their traditional way of life, speaking their native languages and relying on subsistence farming rather than integration into Colombian mainstream society, leaving them particularly vulnerable to violence. “Indigenous people who don’t speak Spanish, and who live off their crops and their traditional knowledge, are being caught in the middle,” said Luis Salcedo, governor of the Arhuaco people, another Indigenous group based in the Sierra Nevada.
The persistence of armed control and extortion in the region has become a major political flashpoint ahead of Colombia’s upcoming presidential election, with the first round of voting scheduled to begin May 31. Current left-wing President Gustavo Petro, the country’s first modern leftist head of state, made the “Total Peace” initiative his signature policy, aiming to negotiate disarmament for all of the country’s armed groups. Four years after the campaign launched, the ACSN still holds unchallenged power over the Sierra Nevada, and the initiative has failed to curb the group’s activities, according to researcher Norma Vera. Extortion has become a central campaign issue, with official Defense Ministry data showing more than 46,000 extortion complaints have been filed nationwide since 2022.
For local tourism leaders, the ongoing violence and criminal activity pose a critical threat to Colombia’s still-nascent tourism sector, which has only recently recovered from decades of conflict-driven negative global attention. Omar Garcia, president of the hotel association for Santa Marta, the main gateway city to the Sierra Nevada parks, warned that persistent security risks will deter travelers from visiting. “Any news affecting the image (of a destination) and visitor safety makes tourists think twice,” he said.