Blogs from La Guajira, Colombia, South America - page 3

Hey, my friends, Well, this time is not going to be about beaches, museums, conferences or courses; this entry will feature a bit of our mining history. In Colombia, we have some regions well known by its mining industries, these are... The Caribbean region: Manaure and Galerazamba Cundinamarca: Nemocon and Zipaquira Meta: Upin As I found myself visiting the Caribbean region, here I will tell you about my short visit there. La Guajira, salt everywhere La Guajira is a peninsula located on the border of our country and Venezuela, the region is surrounded by beautiful white sand beaches offering breathtaking views that contrast with that scorching sun. The Guajiros have lived off the extraction of salt even before the Spanish conquered the region, which is understandable as these deserted areas enjoy the right weather conditions... read more

the desert of the Guajira... read more

Getting off the grid even further & leaving the civilization behind us for well…not sure for how long actually, and that is very much part of any trip to the Guajira peninsula, the Wild Wild East of Colombia, you know when you go there but never when you might manage to come back! This huge deserted area at the northern most point of South America is the land of the Wayuu tribe, fierce & proud, they are about the only people who manage to live in this remote part of the world, even the Spanish never manage to conquer this part of Colombia and this say little about just how isolated & difficult to access the place is…but as well how rewarding it is once you managed to get there… immaculate desert & its rainbow of ... read more

I am not the best writer but I thought I would share my travel experiences through Guajira at least. Basically La Guajira is a desert area on the northerneasternmost corner of Colombia. Native Wayuu and other indigenous tribes primarily live here. I started out my trip from Santa Marta and took a bus to Riohacha. We didn't leave Santa Marta until mid afternoon and although the bus ride is only 2 hours to Riohacha, you have to arrive in Uribia, an hour away, by noon or 1pm to catch a truck to Cabo de la Vela. So after talking to some people outside the bus station and consulting Lonely Planet, Castillo del Mar appears to be the best option for backpacker lodging. Castillo del Mar is a crazy big complex that looks like an old Navl ... read more

Cabo de la Vela, Colombia The day started off meeting our guide Alvaro, and Daniel (from Bogota) who was not a backpacker, but actually going up to Punta Gallinas to work with the native Wayuu peoples living there. He was a fantastic travel companion over the next few days, teaching us about his country, the scenery, and the people. The drive into La Guajira province was amazing. We drove along dirty, rough roads, getting lost a few times eventually arriving in Cabo de la Vela. We passed endless cacti and sand. Cabo (as I call it for short) is a remote Wayuu (native) fishing village. It is slowly developing tourist infrastructure - it just got power within the last year, and new "huts" are springing up for backpackers. It is becoming the next place to visit ... read more