Departure
My bags were packed and ready to go. Shortly I would be departing for the upper portion of the Guajira Peninsula. I heard of this remote landscape online and had a somewhat mild game plan of how I was going to get there.
My plan was to fly from CÚCUTA to RIOHACHA and figure out the rest upon arrival. From my brief research, the best route after Riohacha was to travel in colectivo (a public transportation vehicle) to Uribia (the contraband capital of Colombia). Once in Uribia, the plan was to travel in colectivo again to Cabo De La Vela. Last but not least, once in Cabo De La Vela I would travel in Jeep to Punta Gallinas, the Northern-Most point of South America.
This is a map of the Route I planned to take:
Arrival to Riohacha
When I arrived in Riohacha it was very hot but since I live in Cúcuta I was accustomed to the heat. I told the taxi men at the airport I needed to go to Uribia and their response was “100 mil”. I knew this was way overpriced of a quote. I rephrased my statement that I needed to go to the “Colectivos para Uribia”. A taxi driver agreed to take me there for 10 mil.
Once at the colectivo spot, I waited about 15 minutes for our colectivo car to fill up with passengers and off we were. The transport fee from Riohacha to Uribia was 15 Mil and roughly 1.5 hours of time until Uribia arrival.
Arrival to Uribia
I ate lunch at a restaurant in Uribia that was surprisingly tasty and then began waiting for the next Colectivo to fill. Uribia was a very interesting town. Lots of gasoline smuggling, contraband and street merchants. While waiting, I noticed the passengers stocking up on water to bring to Cabo de la Vela. When I asked them about it they said water was much cheaper in Uribia.
Make sure to stock up on water in this city if you decide to make the trip. This colectivo took a lot longer to fill up with passengers. After about an hour of wait time we finally departed. Travel time from Uribia to Cabo de la Vela was roughly 1.5 hours plus 1 hours of wait time and cost 20 mil.
Arrival to Cabo de la Vela
Cabo de la Vela. What an interesting place. The tranquility was on a whole other level. When we arrived I was somewhat disorientated from the long bumpy ride through the barren desert. I agreed to stay at a hospedaje recommended by the colectivo driver that was called “Pargo Dorado”. Pargo Dorado has hammocks on the beach for 12 mil and also has Fresh Lobster for 30 mil (~10USD).
I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there and would recommend it if you are in town. After getting settled I unpacked and began exploring the mysteries of Cabo.
My energy was supercharged at this point and I wrote this quote which I later used as the caption in one of my Instagram (@rarecolombia) pics I took of the sunset at Cabo de la Vela:
Journey to Pilón de Azúcar
The first night sleeping in a hammock was different but eventually the body gets used to it. One thing to note about sleeping in hammocks on the beach in Cabo is that there are no mosquitoes, only wild flys.
When I awoke after my first night, I departed in Moto taxi to Pilón de Azúcar. The ride cost 5 mil and took anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. You can walk there if you like, as I would estimate it to take around an hour walking. If you do decide to walk, make sure to bring enough water.
When I arrived there was a small amount of other tourists present. What is there to do at the Pilón de Azúcar? Well for one you can hike to the top of Pilón de Azúcar, which is a small mountain with a Shrine at the top. You can also descend to the Playa del Pilón de Azúcar which is absolutely beautiful. If your really feeling risky you can go for a walk in the barren desert and see what you find!
First encounter with the Wayúu
After hiking to the top of Pilón de Azúcar and descending down to the nearby beach, I was tired from the immense heat. I took shelter in one of the sun houses made by the indigenous Wayúu that populate the land. As I was resting, I saw the Wayúu painting their face for sun protection and told them I wanted mine painted as well. After they painted my face I gave my camera to a Wayúu boy and he snapped this pic of me and a Wayúu female.
Journey to El Faro
Later in the day I ventured to “El Faro” to watch the sunset. El Faro is a lighthouse with a viewpoint at the top of a hill located on an extreme point of Cabo de la Vela overlooking the water. I remember it being very windy there. Similar to Pilón de Azúcar you can go in Moto Taxi or walk. Here is a pic I snapped at the top.
Journey to Punta Gallinas – The Secret Toll Road of La Guajira
We departed from Cabo de la Vela the next day at 5:30am. On the way from Cabo de la Vela to Punta Gallinas I was surprised what I saw in the middle of the remote desert. The ride took about 4 hours in Jeep and was full of twists, turns, rocks and dust.
My surprise was the abundance of Wayúu children who set up homemade roadblocks with string and rope. They demanded candy or bags of water for us to pass. As we passed we tossed some candy and the children allowed us to continue. I have never seen anything like this. It is a very sad situation for the Wayúu as they live in extreme poverty and harsh environmental conditions. Seeing this opened up my eyes and reminded me to ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL of what you have. To see my full video of the “Secret Toll Road of La Guajira” click the video below:
Arrival to Punta Gallinas
The Northern-Most point of South America, Punta Gallinas was absolutely breathtaking. The unexplored beauty of this place is something out of a fairy tale book. Very little people have made it there due to it’s difficulty to reach and location remoteness.
After travelling from Cabo de la Vela to Punta Gallinas across remote Guajira desert in Jeep, we arrived to a small boat dock practically in the middle of nowhere. We transferred our bags from Jeep to Boat and begin cruising down a river until we arrived at the official Punta Gallinas arrival dock. We ascended up a set up steps that had a somewhat “Jerusalistic” feel. Maybe this explains why they named a section of Punta Gallinas, “Nazareth”. At the top of the steps was the place we would be staying, the only lodging in Punta Gallinas by the name of “Hotel Alexandra”.
Due to the extreme conditions of Punta Gallinas, some trees tend to grow sideways from constant wind exposure. You can see an example of this in the pic I snapped below.
Journey to El Faro and Las Dunas de Taroa
Immediately upon arrival we ate lunch at Hospedaje Alexandra in Punta Gallinas. After our meal we departed in Jeep to El Faro de Punta Gallinas (geographically the most northern point) and Playa Las Dunas de Taroa (an exotic sand dune beach). This is a picture I snapped of a friend at Las Dunas de Taroa:
Hospedaje Alexandra
The only lodging place in Punta Gallinas, Hospedaje Alexandra is one of the most interesting places I have ever stayed at. We slept in “Chinchorros”; beautiful hammocks handmade by the Wayúu. One highlight of Punta Gallinas was the Chivo (Goat) I ate for dinner. It was the BEST GOAT I have eaten in my life! This is a picture of two wild pigs walking around Hospedaje Alexandra:
Journey to Ojo de Agua
After a full day and night at Hospedaje Alexandra we prepared to return to Cabo de la Vela. We departed from Punta Gallinas and arrived in Cabo de la Vela sometime around noon. I relaxed, ate lunch, and set off to a place called “Ojo de Agua” about 15 mins from Cabo de la Vela in moto taxi. My plan was to take some pics of the sunset. Here is my favorite picture I took of the sunset at “El Ojo de Agua”:
Return to Cúcuta
The next day I travelled in colectivo from Cabo de la Vela to Uribia, colectivo from Uribia to Riohacha, in plane from Riohacha to Bogota, and finally plane from Bogota to Cucuta. This is page 1 of my diary I wrote on the plane:
“I realize the importance of life and death. The importance of consumption to live. The importance of timing and the concept of time. No moment will last forever, only the memories. It is important to live in the moment and take no moment for granted. Also, it is important to surround yourself with others of productivity and intelligence.
This reflects on my philosophy that the meaning of life is to connect with other people. He who has connected with and experienced many people and places will be the wisest and the strongest.”
Final thoughts
This was one of the most enlightening trips I have taken. The things you will see in the upper portion of La Guajira will change your life forever. Overall, I highly recommend making the trip there to experience it for yourself.
- IG: @rarecolombia, @ryanp3z
- Facebook.com/rarecolombia, facebook.com/ryanpez
Best,
Ryan Lopez