If you would like practical tips on visiting La Guajira – please see my post on this region of Colombia here.
I wanted to post these photos as a reminder of how beautiful and untouched this paradise is and how fortunate I was to visit (not once but twice!). I hope to take my children back some day and hope that it remains wild and free.
Erika xx
The Guajira Peninsula is an incredibly off-the-beaten track area of Colombia: so much so that it doesn’t even have a track. The area is very remote and the region is the poorest in Colombia so it can be a difficult place to visit and you will need to put up with a lack of creature comforts.
When I first visited the region in 2011 – the peninsula and the jumping off point (Cabo de La Vela) were deserted. Although some basic facilities for tourists existed. I only came across 2 travellers in Cabo de La Vela (a photographer and his girlfriend) and no others on the peninsula itself.
In 2019 when I returned, things hadn’t drastically changed. A windsurfing school had opened in Cabo De La Vela which had led to some more accomodation and a few bars and some basic restaurants. The Guajira Peninsula accomodation in hammocks and tour on the back of a truck was now for 10-20 people at a time (rather than just me on my first trip!) and the local women and children had got wise to the fact that they could charge passing trucks a ‘toll’ to drive through their private land.
The landscapes and the region itself are still magical and out of this world. Take a look at my Guajira Photo Essay for more beautiful examples!
Top Tips for visiting La Guajira:
Where to stay:
You aren’t spoilt with choice for accomodation options in Cabo de la Vela or the Guajira Peninsula. You can sleep in a hammock outside or in Cabo de La Vela you sometimes have the option of a very basic room. Showers are only cold water bucket showers and you also flush toilets using a bucket of water. Be prepared for this!
Its all part of the experience as long as its not for your whole trip. We love sleeping in a hammock on occasion – in Cabo De La Vela you are right next to the water on the beach! You also get a lockable shack to get changed in and store your stuff.
Expect to look like this by the end of your journey:
Getting there and away:
I’m not going to lie – getting to La Guajira is a PAIN. But the journey is all a part of the adventure right? You can probably book a tour in advance from Cartagena or Santa Marta but how I have done it in the past is by getting to Cuatro Vias (a crossroads in rural Colombia), or Uribia and making my way from there. You’ll need at least some basic spanish to do it this way. At this point you can get on a much cheaper tour for both Cabo de La Vela and the Guajira Peninsula if you get offered one; or be able to find transport direct to Cabo de La Vela.You will be able to book an overnight tour from there to the Peninsula. You can only get to the peninsula itself with a tour.
To get to Cuatro Vias: Take a bus from Santa Marta bus station that terminates at Maicao and get off at Quatro Vias (a crossroads in the middle of nowhere – don’t second guess yourself – its the right stop). The bus will take you 4-5 hours so get started early in the morning. This crossroads heads in 4 completely different directions so it has become a bit of a meeting place for the area with market stalls and vehicles going in different directions. From here, someone will ask you where you are going and will arrange a full tour with you (through their guy in one of the nearby towns) or you can get in a taxi/mototaxi which will take you to the trucks carrying supplies and people leaving from Uribia. There may even be transport around heading direct to Cabo de La Vela. The trip to Cabo de La Vela will take you a few more hours depending on your transport – you may have to wait for the trucks to fill up.
Past Uribia your only transport is via motorbike or trucks as the roads turn to dirt tracks.
Your tour to the tip of the peninsula will only be for 1 day/night. Most tour operators will let you stay on another if you wish and you will just be able to pay the accomodation another night directly. However, there is not much to do in the area without transportation and you will have visited all the tourist spots on the truck the day before so 1 night is probably enough. After your night in the peninsula you will likely be transported directly back to Uribia, Riohacha or even Santa Marta so make sure you spend all the time in Cabo de la Vela that you want to before heading over to the peninsula.
Getting around:
You will probably be on a tour – in this case your tour will take you everywhere you may want to go. If not, there you can find moto-taxi’s to bring you to and from your destination or if you are up for it most places are only a hike away through the hot desert. Pilon de Azucar is a great spot to visit around Cabo de La Vela, as is El Faro for sunset.
If you arrive in Cabo de la Vela without a tour and want to get over to the peninsula (and trust me you do!) You can ask your accomodation and they will be able to find a tour going or know of someone in the small town that can arrange this for you.
Food:
A word from the wise – food is actually pretty expensive here compared to the rest of Colombia. There are no shops except for a corner store or two that sell cold drinks for very expensive prices. I suggest stocking up on snacks at a supermarket in Santa Marta before you come. I would also bring all the bottled water you will need during your trip as that is pretty hard to come by also!
I also suggest bringing some extra snacks and water for the locals. Especially once you get to the peninsula you can really see the poverty here and the locals find it really hard to access and afford food and water other than seafood. Try to avoid the ‘sweet tax’ from the local kids and give them something a little more filling and nutritious instead.
Meals are made at your accomodation – or at anyone else’s! Almost every shack along the beach will serve you food. Your options are usually fresh whole fried fish or lobster. If you are vegetarian or have any sort of dietaries good luck. The fish is amazingly fresh and tasty and the lobster is cheaper and fresher than you will find elsewhere. Enjoy the delicacy while its available!
What to bring:
What to expect:
Expect to experience total wilderness – I’m not sure there are many places left around the world that feel this untouched. Soak it all in and enjoy the ride (even if your butt hurts from all that bumping around on the back of a truck and even if you haven’t showered in a week)!
Erika xx
I apologise in advance…this is a loooong list.
Colombia is a big country, but its also filled to the brim with amazing places. I couldn’t possibly reduce this list down at all from here.
This list is a result of 2 trips to Colombia (one in 2011 and 2019). Most of the places in this list I visited in both these trips and the ones I didn’t I regret not going to twice. I would visit all of these areas again in a heartbeat.
Make sure you allow time to visit all of these locations when you go to Colombia – or like me you will have to go back!
Bogota
I have to start with the capital: Bogota is a super cool city – high altitude and chill vibes. Check out its bars and restaurants, find your inner artist in Candelaria or do what the fit locals do and get a workout in by climbing a mountain.
If you want to find out more about Bogota – see my post on my latest trip here.
San Gil and Barichara
Go to San Gil for the adventure! Once you have had your fill of white water rafting and paragliding, and you need to give your heart a rest; then do a hike (or catch a taxi) to Barichara – the sweetest little mountain town. The best place to spend some time doing nothing and soaking in the views.
Medellin
Medellin has come a long way since its past as the centre of the Colombian drug wars. Its a young, modern, happening university town with a giant market, interesting architecture, some amazing social programs for previously dangerous neighbourhoods and some fun Botero scupltures in the central city. You can even take a really interesting tour about Pablo Escobar.
Cartagena
Ahhh Cartagena – the jewel of Colombia. Don’t come for the beaches – there are much better beaches elsewhere along the Caribbean coast. The colonial city really has that romantic feel and the whole walled area is utterly spectacular.
For a unique experience you can catch a boat from Cartagena and stay at a hostel on a rock in the middle of the ocean (well not quite – the land is pretty close) but its still a wild time! As a bonus – its right next to the most densely populated island in the world Santa Cruz del Islote.
Guajira Peninsula
La Guajira is so off the beaten track that there is no track. When I first visited in 2011 you could walk for hours and not see another soul. Tourism has hit now – Cabo de la Vela is an epic place to windsurf and there are ‘truckloads’ of tourists a day (not tour buses – literally tours organised on the back of trucks). It still remains very isolated and secluded. There are no roads through most of the desert and no public transport to any of it. In terms of what there is to do. It’s a desert by the beach – the scenery is spectacular everywhere you look.
See here for my post with details on how to travel this tricky region or here for some more inspiration in photos!
Tayrona National Park
You need to hike for a few hours to reach the coast of Tayrona National Park (or take a very terrifying boat) which is what has stopped this park from being overrun with tourists. It’s still pretty busy. There are also minimal facilities when you arrive. You can sleep in a tent or a hammock and just enjoy the tranquility and swimming in the warm Caribbean water.
See my post here for more info on how to visit this amazing national park!
Palomino
Palomino is Colombia’s version of Bali. It has such a cool hippie vibe but is also very touristy despite its tiny size. There are a few beach resort style accomodations if you like that sort of thing. Its a great beach, very family friendly and super close to Cartagena if you only have a short time in Colombia.
Guatape
Views for days! You have to climb up 700 steps to see them though. Are you up for the challenge? The town of Guatape is also brightly coloured and adorable – to see it all you have to do even more walking. Make sure to pack your walking shoes!
Check out my blog post here on visitng Guatape on a day trip from Medellin.
Salento
Cowboys – tick. Coffee – tick. Hiking – tick. Mountains – tick. Palm trees – tick. Hummingbirds – tick. What more could you ask for?
Relax, learn about making really good coffee and see the worlds biggest palm trees on a really nice hike through the forest (even if you don’t like to hike).
Cali and San Cipriano
Come to Cali for Salsa, street hamburgers, and Giant cat sculptures. While you are here, take a trip to San Cipriano – a little village in the middle of the forest with a calm lazy river to raft along and a motorcycle train. If you want some tips on visiting Cali and things to do see my post here.
Ipiales
Ipiales is a horrible town – and I don’t say this lightly. I am someone who takes pride in finding the wonderful about places that others think are dangerous, ugly or boring. But Ipiales literally has nothing going for it. It is an unsafe border town which is dangerous to be out and about in after dark (and by that I mean after 5pm…). There is nothing to eat except for a couple of dirty, horrible takeout joints that serve inedible food (and I love junk food..). Even getting to Ipiales is dangerous (although it is much safer than it used to be).
BUT, it is all worth it to see the most beautiful church I have ever seen in my life. Plus you have to pass through Ipiales if you want to go overland into Ecuador so that is a pretty good reason to visit too. See my post on Las Lajas Sanctuary here for more info.
I have to admit there are still a couple of great places I am yet to visit but desperate to go to. If you have the time I recommend checking out Minca and the San Andreas Islands and letting me know what you think – Im planning to hit these spots up next time I am in the area!
Erika xx
Jaisalmer is otherworldly. The ‘Golden City’ is a small rugged city in the middle of nowhere where it almost never rains. The city is an oasis in the Thar desert where travelers long ago used to rest for months on end partaking in copious amount of Opium in luxurious havelis.
GENERAL INFO
Getting there and away: We took an overnight train from Jaipur to Jaisalmer – this took 12 hours (we left Jaipur late at night and arrived in Jaisalmer at midday). You can walk into the centre of Jaisalmer from the train station or there are plenty of rickshaws.
From Jaisalmer, we travelled on overnight train to Jodhpur which took 6 hours and arrived in the early hours of the morning.
On our trip to Jaisalmer we were pushed for time (We had 3 weeks to explore 9 locations in India!) so we took an overnight train to Jaisalmer and back out again. This was the only way we could fit 2 days here into our itinerary. If you are in a similar situation I highly recommend doing the trip this way – its exhausting but much better than skipping Jaisalmer altogether. It is possible to spend only a day in Jaisalmer and take back to back overnight trains. The train station has a secure luggage storage service so you can explore the city with a daypack – however I highly recommend staying at least a night as the long train journeys are exhausting and your day would be very rushed.
Accommodation: There are many great options for accommodation in Jaisalmer – a lot of them quite pricey. We didn’t stay in the city itself so can’t recommend a specific place here.
I do recommend spending a night out in the Thar Desert however – there are multiple camps that combine a night in the desert with sandboarding, camel riding and dinner cooked under the stars. We stayed at Damodra Desert Camp which was a great experience. It is gorgeous (see photos below) and we particularly enjoyed dinner around the fire with local performances.
Food: Most of our meals were at our accommodation (as above) but we did have a great lunch at Natraj Restaurant. It is a lovely terrace restaurant with views of the upper part of Salim Singh Ki Haveli.
Getting around: We walked everywhere in Jaisalmer except for arranging transport with our accommodation out to the desert. All accommodation in the desert will provide this service and I highly recommend using it as its your only option to get out there unless you have your own car.
Top Tip: If you aren’t spending the night in Jaisalmer itself I definitely recommend making use of the luggage storage at the train station. This was so helpful as it meant we could do some sightseeing in Jaisalmer before and after our trip into the desert without lugging around our huge bags with us.
DAY 1
Use your morning to explore the intricate Havelis in Jaisalmer – you could even purchase one for yourself for a steal and settle in Jaisalmer permanently. Head to Nathmalji ki Haveli first and take a look at the outside – each side of this Haveli is slightly different.
Then make sure to visit Patwon-ki Haveli – the Kothari’s Patwon-ki Haveli Museum is the only part here worth entering. Allow an hour – hiring a guide is definitely recommended as you learn so much about the history of Jaisalmer and the beautiful Haveli.
In the early afternoon it will be time to head into the Desert for a little adventure. Your accommodation provider will put you on a camel to ride into the centre of the Dunes. After doing a bit of sandboarding to satisfy the adrenaline junkies you will then settle on the sand to watch the sunset.
This trip isn’t all that spectacular – don’t get me wrong its all nice – but there are more amazing deserts elsewhere; better places to sandboard and much more interesting camel rides. However, we had a good time and I did have the most impressively spectacular faceplant when I was sandboarding – it could have happened anywhere but it happened here and was captured on camera by my wonderful husband – so there’s that! *sigh*. Its a fun way to spend an afternoon.
You can still do the same activities above as a day trip if you would prefer not to stay overnight.
DAY 2
Day 2 should be spent visiting Jaisalmer Fort.
If you spent the night in the Desert (like we did) you will be dropped back into town around 10:30am after breakfast. Therefore, I recommend visiting the Jain Temples in the Fort first as they are only open to the public between 11am-12pm. No shoes or leather items are permitted inside.
After the Jain temples wander the rest of the rest of the Fort. This Fort is particularly fascinating as it is one of very few ‘living forts’ in the world – almost one fourth of the population still resides within its walls. Make sure to visit the Fort Palace and Museum (the audio guide is worth getting).
EXTRA STOP
If you have time – try to visit the haunted village of Kuldhara near Jaisalmer. Deserted places are fascinating and this village has a great legend. Around 300 years ago it was a thriving village. The state prime minister at the time set his sights on the daughter of the village chief and decided to force marriage upon her. Instead of following orders, the whole village left their homes and vanished, but not before leaving a curse forbidding anyone to settle their village ever again. It is probably more likely that the true story is that taxes were raised and the inhabitants had to migrate as they couldn’t afford to pay but the village has remained empty to this day and many believe it is haunted by the curse.
I didn’t have a chance to go here but I will definitely be visiting next time I make it to Jaisalmer.
I hope you enjoy Jaisalmer as much as I did!
Erika xx
The day after our bender, very early, we decided it was the appropriate time to take a tour (with the same crazy tour guide) to see the ancient Mesoamerican site Teotihuacan. We had a few stops while I was still half asleep to view various churches and ruins that weren’t all that exciting at that time of the morning. Until we reached a cathedral that was so beautiful that I had to perk up and take some pictures.
Eventually, we started heading out of town toward the main attraction, which was about an hour’s drive. When we were sufficiently in the middle of nowhere of inland Mexico, we stopped at a little place with a buffet lunch laid out for us. I have today had my first Mexican dish which was too spicy to handle! It was an onion and fresh chilli salad, and on second thought, it should have been obvious that it would be insanely spicy. We also learnt here about all the things which can be made from the cactus plant.
The pyramids are breath-taking. The site that exists today is thought to be only 17 percent of what it once was. Large mounds of earth can be seen for miles around that were likely to have been pyramids in the past but have not yet been excavated. There are two major pyramids on the site, one of which cannot be climbed up all the way as the top is damaged. At the first pyramid, some of the guys raced up the steps. You can see how crazy that is in the photo below. I walked and I was still exhausted when I reached the top!
On the top of the next pyramid, we spent a long time sitting in the cool breeze at the top admiring the view before heading back to the Centro Historico for dinner and drinks.
THE ONLY ERIKA IN THE VILLAGE 