Blogs from Riohacha, Colombia, South America

My travels along the Caribbean Coast eventually led me to Riohacha. Riohacha feels authentic, although that may change soon as more people set their sight on La Guajira. The bus dropped me off before noon and I strolled thru the coastal town streets. Looking for a hostel. I picked up some caramelized coconut and stopped at an internet shop to look for a hostel. I found Hostel Hamacas. The woman running Hostel Hamacas was an Israel woman and her partner, another woman whom I didn't find out her ethnicity. Riohacha is the hub for traveling further into La Guajira. I stayed for a couple of days waiting for a group to join. I had lunch at a local dinner, which consisted of grilled fish or chicken with rice. Or maybe it was pork...I can't recall. At ... read more

flamingo sanctuary near riohacha... read more

Riohacha, Colombia We caught the bus to Riohacha on the side of the road. The bus was a nice air-conditioned ride. The landscaped gradually changed from lush tropical rainforest to barren grasslands. Riohacha is the capital of Colombia's La Guajira province... it is a semi desert landscape and has a small population. Riohacha is nothing much really, just a gateway to the more remote and stunning areas of the province. We arrived and checked into "El Castillio de Mar", literally, the castle by the sea. And it was actually such, but by appearance only. It was also surrounded by chain link fence, which was surprising as Riohacha appears quite safe! We had dinner, bought some supplies for the upcoming adventure to the top of the continent, and have a few beers while we wait to hear ... read more

After two weeks in the city and days on rollercoaster roads in the cloud forests, what better antidote than a spot of ecotourism in the desert? And if it includes a visit to an ethnic minority, then so much the better! La Guajira is a peninsular that juts north into the Caribean Ocean around the border between Colombia and Venezuela. What particular microclimate has produced this desert surrounded by jungle I don´t understand, but I do know that it contains a small area where a mountain range rises out of the desert and and sustains its own cloud forest with fresh water streams that run down into the desert and dry up. We found Kaí Ecotravel in the Lonely Planet, phoned, and booked a tour without paying a deposit. Thus we flew from chilly Bogotá to ... read more

Hey everyone! So sorry for the delay on the latest blog. This past month we’ve been on the coast living from hostel to hostel and beach to beach.... such a hard life, I know. But seriously, getting time to sit down and write this has been quite difficult. We are now back in Bogota for a few days. Lara´s sister Vicky and boyfriend Eric will be arriving this Thursday to Bogota for about 12 days. We can’t wait until they get here and show them around. Since our last blog we had just left the gorgeous Parque Tayrona, and headed to Taganga where some of our luggage was stored at a hotel. We spent one night there, and then headed out to Riohacha, the capital of Colombia’s northernmost province, La Guajira. La Guajira is known here ... read more