La Guajira: Cabo de la Vela, Riohacha & the Best of the North
La Guajira is a land of lonely beaches, extraordinary landscapes, desert and the Wayuu culture.
Cabo de la Vela is the tourist hub of the Guajira Peninsula and a great place for an unconventional holiday.
Traveling to La Guajira is an unforgettable experience. The Guajira department lies on the Caribbean coast, on the peninsula of the same name at the northeastern tip of Colombia, very close to the Venezuelan border. The area is home to the Wayuu communities, who share their culture with visitors keen to discover this corner of Colombia.
How to get to La Guajira
To explore La Guajira you first travel to Riohacha, the departmental capital. The city is connected to the rest of the country by road, chiefly the Troncal del Caribe linking it to Santa Marta, Barranquilla and Cartagena; the road to Valledupar is also widely used.
The distances from Riohacha are: Bogotá 1,120 km, Santa Marta 170 km, Barranquilla 264 km, Valledupar 255 km.
Riohacha has Almirante Padilla Airport, with flights from Colombia's main cities.
Bus companies: Expreso Gaviota, Berlinas del Fonce, Expreso Bolivariano, Rápido Ochoa.
From Riohacha you travel to the Upper Guajira; the distances are: Maicao 70 km, Manaure 65 km, Cabo de la Vela 180 km.
Riohacha
Riohacha is the departmental capital and the main city of La Guajira. Many travelers use it as a base for excursions into the Guajira Peninsula.
Riohacha has excellent facilities for visitors, including a range of hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, nightlife and various places to visit. Plaza Padilla is the city's center, surrounded by a historic quarter with buildings worth seeing, such as the Casa de la Aduana, the Our Lady of Remedios Cathedral, the Casa de las Fuentes, the Capuchin Chapel, the Aurora Theater, the balconies of Calle Tercera and the Vladimiro Pérez house, among others.
The Paseo de la Marina runs along the beaches to the tourist pier, a spot many people choose each evening to walk in the sea breeze and meet friends.
Riohacha beaches
The beaches that stretch along the city are also worth noting; the busiest are:
- Playa del Guapo
- Playa Marbella
- Playa La Raya
- Playa del Muelle
- Playa Valle de los Cangrejos
Top sights
Pink Flamingo Sanctuary
The sanctuary is a nature reserve 21 km from Riohacha, where flamingos are the main attraction.
Laguna Salada
This body of water is part of the Ranchería River system and is home to various bird species.
Valle de los Cangrejos
North of the city lies this wide mangrove area, home to thousands of crabs.
Cabo de la Vela
Cabo de la Vela is one of the most visited spots in the Upper Guajira. This small village has simple lodging and restaurants run by Wayuu families. The beach has yellow sand and a deep-blue sea, and the nights are pleasant thanks to the gentle winds.
From Cabo de la Vela you can take trips to the Pilón de Azúcar hill and the lighthouse.
The beaches at Cabo de la Vela are very beautiful and, with their arid setting, different from the rest of the Colombian Caribbean.
Manaure
Manaure is another town in the Upper Guajira, where Wayuu families work extracting salt. You can visit the salt flats and learn about the process. The area is desert, with spectacular scenery — an ideal place to learn about the local culture.
El Cerrejón
El Cerrejón is the largest open-pit coal mine in the world. Its output is exported worldwide from Puerto Bolívar, 140 km from the mine. Extraction uses the most advanced technology, and its production is an important pillar of Colombia's economy.
Uribia
Uribia is one of the most important Wayuu centers in La Guajira. Its people live from herding and from making handicrafts. In Uribia you can visit the famous Wayuu rancherías, buy crafts and learn about the local culture.
Macuira National Park
Macuira National Park protects the highest area of the Guajira Peninsula. It is a true oasis, with its own water sources, and a notable site for Colombian wildlife. Across its 25,000 hectares it protects a unique evergreen dwarf cloud forest that forms a genuine oasis in the Guajira desert.
Maicao
Maicao is the main border city of La Guajira. Traffic with Venezuela is heavy, and its main activity is trade in countless goods arriving from the neighboring country or through the port.
Frequently asked questions about La Guajira
It is a department at the northeastern tip of Colombia, on the Caribbean peninsula of the same name, near the Venezuelan border. It is a land of lonely beaches, desert and the Wayuu culture.
First you travel to Riohacha, the capital, along the Troncal del Caribe (Santa Marta 170 km, Barranquilla 264 km) or the road to Valledupar. Riohacha has Almirante Padilla Airport, with domestic flights.
From Riohacha you continue to the Upper Guajira: Cabo de la Vela is about 180 km. The final stretch runs on desert tracks, so it is usually done on 4x4 tours or specialized transport.
See Cabo de la Vela and the Pilón de Azúcar, reach Punta Gallinas (the northernmost point of South America), visit the Taroa dunes, the Manaure salt flats and spend time with the Wayuu communities.
Highly recommended. The distances are long, there is little signage and the terrain is desert, so most travelers book 4x4 tours from Riohacha or Cabo de la Vela.
The dry season (December to April) is the most stable for touring the desert. In the rainy season some tracks become difficult, so check road conditions.