The perception of Colombia is drug and violence, but when you actually go to Colombia, it is all about the kindness of people and the beautiful nature. Along Colombia Caribbean coastal, the northern coastal is where the desert, La guajira Colombia, meets the blue beach and the southern coastal is where the jungle meets the blue beach. You can also do this all at once. How? Read this.
La Guajira is the Northern point of Colombia. You go through the desert and reach to Playa Dunas de Taroa which makes you speechless. But the trip is not easy. If you like your trip to be rough and adventurous, this is for you. Here is an idea on what you will be seeing. Also watch my video on the whole trip in La Guajira below, if you are not like a reading type.
Should I Travel Independently or with a Group Tour?
I will say if you have an experience driving an off road 4×4, you can do it without a tour operator. But if you don’t have any experience, you have to go with a tour company. I did it with a tour group and when we were coming back to Riohacha, we encountered a jeep flipped in the desert. It was an independent group and one of the guy had a broken his arm. The tour guide said it happens occasionally when you go independently because they are not aware of the geography of La Guajira. I used Alta Guijara. There are not many tour operators as it is still a new and upcoming destination.
If you are coming from Santa Marta and decided to do Tayrona Beach as well, below tour is the offer right now.
What Will I See in La Guajira Desert, Colombia
There are so many places to see in La Guajira Colombia. Because of the massive land, it took two nights and three days to see all the point of interests. But I have thought that we could have cut it a bit short to One night and two days. The only reason was because you will be sleeping on a hammock for two nights with no wifi, no water and electricity (They will have cold shower and electricity from 7PM – 10PM). It was a great experience, but for a first time adventurer, it was a bit tough 🙂
URIBIA
This is probably the first stop for anybody who does the tour group. This is the last town you will see before entering the desert, so you will have to buy pretty much everything you want. You will have to buy some cookies (explain later).
Uriba Will Be the Last Town You Will See Before Going to La Guajira
You really water for three days. I thought I didn’t want to drink a lot of water cause I didn’t want to go to bathroom too often and hard to stop in the middle with other travelers, but it is a desert after all. And you will need water because it is a desert after all. We actually had one traveler who fainted on the way back. We are not sure if it’s because he was dehydrated or was tired, but it was scary.
You Need to Buy Coockies Becuase There Are Road Blocks on the Way, and This Is the Bribe to Get Through
You will have to buy the cookies, because when you go through the desert, the natives will be road blocking and you will have to give them food or money to go through. We have gave them cookies, but I just thought it could have been better if we could have bought more water or brought small changes to give them. You can see my vlog below and you will understand what it means.
SALINAS DE MANAURE
This is where they collect salt. I went to Bolivia to see the salt flats, and compared to what I saw in Bolivia, it wasn’t impressing. But I just had to go along the group. If you are doing a private tour, this is the one you can definitely skip.
PILON DE AZUCAR
The heat in La Guajira Colombia is no joke. It will burn you to death if you stand in the sun for few minutes. But Pilon De Azucar is a great place to cool down. You can stay on the beach and chill or climb up the mountain for the beautiful view. We were lucky to be here during the sunset, and I am not really a sunset person. But it was really beautiful when the sky turned pink.
CABO DE LA VELA, COLOMBIA
This is where we stayed over night. We were served with amazing lobster. And it was probably like 3 pieces of lobster. No joke it was better than having a lobster at Chelsea Market in New York. They catch it real fresh and serve it to you. Cabo De La Vela is known for a strong wind, so a lot of people come here to do wind surfing. Our guide told us Kite Addict is the best to learn if you are planning to do some wind surfing.
We stayed in a hammock at Apalanchii hostel which was pretty decent. Waking up in the morning with the sound of the beach wave was pretty special.
PLAYA DUNAS DE TAROA
This was the highlight of the trip. It is where a massive sand dunes meet the beach. After a little climb up the dunes, you will encounter the beautiful beach. The best part is that because of its remoteness, it is not crowed like the beaches in America. It is a bit windy, so it was hard to fly my drone, but I tried and you can check out my videos below.
Before we talk about the last bit, I just want to let you know that we also help people create customized itinerary. Rather than opting in for package deals, we customize it with your travel style and taste, so you can have to best experience. If you are interested, you can fill in the questionnaire here. Or click on the banner below to talk to us on Whats App or below right on FB Message.
OK, let’s get back to La Guajira!
PUNTAS GALLINAS
From Cabo De La Vela, you drive another few hours to get to Punta Gallinas. Punta Gallinas is the most northern part of Colombia. You will visit Las Playas de Punta Aguja which was beautiful. You can also go to the tip of Punta Gallinas which is called Faro Punta Gallinas. There is not much to see but I guess it is more symbolic that you are the tip of South America. We spent some time roaming around and relaxing at the beach. Took some picture and went back to the hostel.
In Puntas Gallinas, there is basically only one hostel. It was actually a lot nicer than the hostel in Cabo De La Vela, Colombia. It is on top of the cliff of Las Playas De Punta Aguja and it was so peaceful and calm in the morning. You also see people doing kite surfing in the lake as well.
