tayrona park

..in 2005 i started a tayrona trek via 4 wheel drive to trailhead & then an hour or so walk to arrecefe...then headed across to cabo san juan de gui...up to puebito & on to calabrazo where i got a bus back to santa marta

...in my notes i wrote that i wanted to return to tayrona but begin the trip a calabrazo & but stop off at playa brava on my way back to pueblito & cabo san juan

...any info out there on playa brava or other san juan de gui campsites & entering the park via calabrazo

I have no idea about alternative entrances to the park today. The park has been given in administration to a private concessionary called aviatur (www.aviatur.com.co) which gives you a wristband upon payment of the entrance fee. If you enter through calabrazo you will probably not be able to pay this entrance and will not have the wristband, and will probably have to pay the fee or get some kind of fine/trouble. Despite this, you will be able to maybe buy the wristband in their Santa Marta office, and also ask them about info to enter via Calabrazo.

when did they start issuing a wristband?...never heard of that

I think it started end of 2006. I went to the park in December 2006 and 2007 and always got the wristband, each one has a different colour, depending on the day you get there, and I think also on the length of your stay.
With the new administration, there is still the same old budget hammocks, but there are also slightly pricier ones, but with mosquito nets and very clean bathrooms in the Arrecifes area. The also have some cabanas for really high prices, and have a few quality relatively expensive restaurants in the Canaveral and Arrecifes area.

How closely is this new administration checking to verify the Yellow Fever vaccinations? Still hit and miss?

Yeah, I didn't get asked for my certificate and no one I know got asked. I do think that even if you don't have the certificate, it's advisable to have the jab, it is a real threat about yellow fever in the area and you never know when there is going to be a new outbreak, as there was a few years ago. The jab should not cost more than 10 or 15 USD in any major hospital or red cross in Colombia. And they should even issue some type of certificate.

Yeah, I didn't get asked for my certificate and no one I know got asked. I do think that even if you don't have the certificate, it's advisable to have the jab, it is a real threat about yellow fever in the area and you never know when there is going to be a new outbreak, as there was a few years ago. The jab should not cost more than 10 or 15 USD in any major hospital or red cross in Colombia. And they should even issue some type of certificate.
Plus, you never know when they will really start asking everyone for the certificate, in Colombia you never know.