Cabo de la Vela — the off-the-beaten-path and the“end of the world” spot

Cabo de la Vela, located along the north coast of Colombia in La Guajira region, is a magical place that is defined by its mixture of arid orange landscapes, golden sandy beaches, tranquil waters, dramatic coastline, mini sand dunes and kite surfing schools. It makes for a stunning off-the-beaten-path spot and has an “end of the world” feel. This area is rich in Wayuu culture and is a great place to learn more about their fascinating beliefs and traditions.

La Guajira region has the largest population of indigenous communities in Colombia. Nearly 50% of La Guajira’s residents are Wayuu, Arhuaco, Kogi or Wiwa.

Wayuu, Colombia’s largest indigenous group welcomes travellers and is happy to share their culture, rituals and cookery. Their freedom and independence are everything to them, and hence, they continue to lead their lives in the desert of La Guajira, giving them autonomy to maintain their culture and traditions.

Historically, the northern tip of Colombia resisted Spanish conquest and religious and cultural imposition. The indigenous communities in this region were successful in retaining an impressive degree of independence. This meant Catholicism didn’t spread in La Guajira as much as it did in other parts of Colombia.

Wayuu beliefs, rituals and traditions are at the heart of their existence and have been in place for hundreds of years, passed on through generations by the extensive sharing of stories — Memory is a vital source for Wayuu history.

Wayuu people identify themselves with a family or clan using their own chosen symbol. Wayuu family structure is one reinforced by a matriarchal society where women and the maternal side of the family are given special importance.

The Wayuu diet consists mainly of fruits of the sea (ish and seafood), as well as iguana, tortoise, goat, rice, beans, coconut and cactus fruit. We didn’t try the meat, but the seafood and coconut rice were delicious.

Support the Wayuu community — buy their handicraft items that they weave so beautifully and meaningfully. Their handicraft extends to chinchorros (hammocks) — to weave a chinchorro can take up to 4 months, Pulseria (bracelets), and Mochilas (handbags) — brightly-coloured and with varied patterns — Mochilas are a result of years of practice by Wayuu women, through craft that is learnt from a young age — each design holds a profound meaning.

If you want to learn more about the fascinating Wayuu and La Guajira culture — visit Grupo Etnográfico.

Cabo de la Vela is very remote, which means getting there is both time-consuming, but also pretty straightforward, given that options are very limited!

The nearest airport is in the city of Riohacha, about half a day’s travel by road.

From Riohacha, you’ll need to take a collectivo (mini-van) to a place called Cuatro Vias, a small, but well-known cross roads about 1 hour East. This should cost you about $1.50 per person. Ask the ticket guy to let you know when you get to Cuatro Vias and they’ll tell you when to get off. If you’re at all worried about getting lost, download the relevant Google Map or Maps.me to your phone before leaving so you can track your journey offline.

From Cuatro Vias you then need to take a smaller collectivo (standard shared car) to a town called Uribia. The journey will take about 35 minutes and should cost about $2 per person. Let the driver know you’re heading to Cabo de la Vela so they can drop you off at the start of the last leg.

From Uribia, the last leg is another collectivo (a 4x4 jeep) all the way to Cabo de la Vela. You’ll see why a 4x4 is needed as the journey goes from paved roads to sand in some parts. This journey will take about 2 hours and will cost you about $7.50 per person. Let the driver know where you’re staying and they’ll drop you off there! It’s a beautiful journey, though you’ll be bouncing around quite a bit!

To get back to Riohacha, do the same journey in reverse. Either ask your accommodation to help book the 4x4 back to Uribia or talk to the few travel agent guys that wander around town about booking something.

We strongly suggest you take a 4x4 and not a bus or coach back to Uribia, and ignore anyone asking you to book a bus all the way to Riohacha. We did this and ended up joining a pre-booked tour without reserved seats!

Whilst you’re in Cabo de la Vela, we suggest walking around town as it’s so small! You can jump on a mototaxi (motorbike with driver) or 4x4 taxi if you don’t feel like walking though!

One thing you need to bear in mind is that Cabo de la Vela experiences regular power cuts and running water is limited, making availability very controlled. So, be prepared to plan your showers accordingly!

Tip: On arrival, ask your lodging facilities about the timings for power cuts and water restrictions.

Some years ago, hammocks on the beach were the ONLY sleeping facilities, which is not a bad thing at all! But, if you’re like us who prefer to sleep in beds then worry not, the area has several lodging facilities. Of course, it’s cheaper to sleep in hammocks than to stay in a bedroom.

We stayed at Apalanchii hospedaje y restaurante, a few steps across the road to the beach. It has cabanas with private showers. There’s a restaurant onsite that does three meals a day. You can access WIFI but it's only available in the restaurant area.

Exploring the coastal area of La Guajira region means your staple diet is going to be seafood, salad and rice, especially in Cabo de la Vela! This is not an issue if you’re only staying there for a couple of nights and you love fish. However, if you’re staying for a week or so, it can get a bit samey, and NOT great for vegetarians.

Vegetarians — restaurants are generally flexible, ask them to replace fish or meat with eggs and if you’ve had enough eggs (Heena got fed up with eating eggs twice a day!), ask for vegetarian rice.

In Cabo de la Vela, check out the pizzeria on the strip that does awesome pizzas. We spent every evening in the pizzeria shack, sipping on a traditional Wayuu cocktail and watching the sun go down. This place does happy hour, too!

There’s a little fruit and vegetable shack a few steps from the pizzeria that sells a variety of fruits and veg.

Things to do

La Guajira is mainly a desert region located in the northern tip of Colombia and South America and is a spectacle like none other. Although this region has seen a steady increase in tourism, it’s still not very popular amongst international travellers. It provides an off-the-beaten-path experience and almost has an “end-of-the-world” feel, particularly in Cabo de la Vela!

Cultural experiences

• Why not stay in authentic Wayuu lodging to experience their fascinating culture? There are a couple of places in Rancheria Utta near Cabo de La Vela, where you can learn about their food, music and dances.
• The region also organises Wayuu Culture Festival with an aim to raise awareness of the cultural elements of the Wayuu community. The festival is held in Uribia, the indigenous capital of La Guajira — a great way to learn more about the Wayuu culture. If you are planning on visiting this region, definitely worth finding out about the festival prior to arrival.

So, what can you expect to do in Cabo de la Vela apart from slowing down, going for a swim in the most tranquil waters and chilling in hammocks?

We love walking, so we explored the desert and beaches. A tip — make sure you set off early in the morning to explore the area on foot, as it gets very very very hot! Oh, did we tell you it’s a desert?!

• Climb Pilón de Azucar — it took us about 40 minutes to walk from our hotel to the hill and that was purely because we kept stopping to take in the “out-of-the-world” surroundings. If you don’t fancy walking, you can also get a moto-taxi there from Cabo de la Vela. The climb up the hill is less than a 10 minutes’ walk. The views are magical and you’ll see the dramatic northern coastline of Colombia. It also costs nothing!

• Check out views from El Faro, a lighthouse just outside of Cabo de la Vela located on the edge of a rocky point. It is a famous spot to watch sunsets and you can easily walk up there — it’s a 30 minutes’ walk from Cabo de la Vela or a shorter moto-taxi ride.
• One of the most popular activities that attracts foreign travellers to this area is Kitesurfing. The spot is home to a few kite surfing schools and hosts an enthusiastic community of kite surfers from all over the world. Some travellers volunteer at bars for free hammock space!

Other points of interest in La Guajira region

Beautiful wildlife at the sanctuary

Fancy doing something less touristy? Visit Los Flamencos Fauna and Flora Sanctuary — a 770-square-kilometre wildlife sanctuary home to up to 250 species of birds including flamingos. The best time to visit the sanctuary is between December to January. This sanctuary is located in Boca de Camarones and is close to Riohacha, so makes for a great day trip option from Tayrona or Riohacha. There are no entrance fees to the sanctuary, but you will have to pay for a certified guide to take you around the sanctuary which also includes a 2-hour boat ride (it will cost you about $5 per person). We highly recommend it; it was unlike anything we’ve ever experienced.

• Boca de Camarones has a few places to stay if you want to stay overnight and advance booking is not required. We had a comfortable stay at Hostal Castillo del Mar. There’s a restaurant onsite and a terrace that offers lovely views of the beach. It offers private bedrooms with bathrooms and all rooms come with air-conditioning.

For more bird watching, visit the Macuira National Park (Parque Nacional Natural de Macuira). A 25,000-hectare park, it’s one of the most amazing places to connect to nature and its 140 different bird species. Get more information here.

Visit the most northern part of Colombia and South America — Punta Gallinas. The area has small villages scattered across the peninsula and is extremely remote, wild and windy.

Travelling responsibly

Travelling responsibly is all about choosing ways to travel that benefit the country you are visiting and the environment. It’s about being mindful of the impact you have on the place you’re travelling to and the people that live there.

So, how can we achieve this?

• Book accommodation owned and run by locals — it’s a great way to contribute to the local economy
• Go for eco-friendly lodging options — make sure you’ve done thorough research about the hotel before booking it. What kind of questions should you be asking? For ideas, visit Responsible Travel
• Buy local — go to local shops, AVOID supermarkets (where you can), restrict buying items that are imported and try living off local products (great for the environment, but also for your wallet!), purchase handicraft items from the local artisans rather than from a commercial shop, drink and eat at local bars and restaurants, and check out street food stalls (make sure it’s safe). This is a fantastic way to meet and interact with locals and learn more about them
• Explore with local guides — they have local knowledge and your money will benefit the local community
• Explore places on foot — brilliant for exercise, and you get to see more of the place instead of letting it pass you by from a tourist bus
• Use public transport instead of taxis (where possible) — a cheap way to get to places and you’ll be surprised how entertaining these journeys can be!
• Reduce your carbon footprint — do what you’d usually do at home: say no to plastic bags, reuse plastic bottles of water, and avoid takeaway containers
• Wherever possible use recycling bins for recyclable waste
• Learn about local culture and laws before setting off on your travels — this way you’ll be well aware of the dos and don’ts, you won’t end up offending locals, and you’ll be offered more opportunities to immerse in local culture

Money

The currency in Colombia is the Colombian Peso.

Grab some cash either before arriving or at an ATM on arrival (see map below), as not everywhere will accept card payments, especially in the more remote parts of the country.

Cash in Colombia is particularly useful for eating at smaller places when you’re on the go or for entry fees into some of the nearby historic sites. That said you can use credit and debit cards to pay for some things in larger restaurants, bars and shops.

There are some money exchange places in the larger towns and plenty of ATMs, but if travelling to smaller places, it’s probably best to grab some cash beforehand. There are no ATMs in Cabo de la Vela, and hardly anywhere takes card payments, so best to grab cash from Riohacha before leaving.

Try to avoid changing money at the airport as you’ll usually get a poor exchange rate, and be prepared to pay a varied commission fee (a small amount really) when withdrawing cash from an ATM.