Jasmine's 2011 Trip: Cabo De La Vela

The reception at Dreamer Hostel in Santa Marta was able to put us in contact with an agency that offered a three day, two night stay in Cabo Ge La Vela and Punta Gallinas. These two remote Wayuu villages are located in peninsula of Colombia know as la Guajira. The northernmost section of la Guajira is mostly a barren desert, and something of a no-man's land. Up until just a few years ago, the only people who lived here were the native Wayuu and guerillas. It's much more stabilized now although still difficult to get to. It's also not for everybody, there was no running water and electricity goes out at nine at Cabo de La Vela, and you are basically sleeping out doors in a hammock. Insect repellant is a must, and yes, they get very big, even in the desert. But if you are willing to do it, it's the trip of a lifetime.
We started out at 5 am from Santa Marta in a van, to the coastal town of Rioacha, middle Guajira's capital, and typically the end of the line as far as civilization goes. That took about three hours. Once at the agency's office in Rioacha, we were were picked up by one of their guides, Franklin. In order to cover the rough terrain we traveled in a 4 x 4 jeep, with a friendly Colombian couple from Bogota. Franklin was very friendly, very informative. First, we visited the salt mines of Manuare, then he took us to Uribe, truly a border town where all sorts of contra band from different countries come in and out on a daily basis. Once there, we switched vehicles and met our new driver, Jorge. We then had to drive 17 kms to Cabo de la Vela on back roads (and I use "roads" very loosely here, mostly there were just tracks crisscross crossing the muddy ground) the ride was rough, due to recent rains. There were small goats everywhere and we would occasionally see a truck loaded with Wayuu. After bouncing around for about a half hour, we arrived at the restaurant/lodge where we would be staying for the night, just out of village of Cabo de la Vela.
We had a delicious fried fish lunch and then drove out to see the village. Afterwards, Jorge took us out to a beach called Ojo del Agua (named for a rare fresh pool of water found there) and then up to the light house, El Faro, for a spectacular view.
We went back to the lodge for dinner and went to bed early, as we were getting up again at 4:30 to head out to Punta Gallinas. Sleeping out on the beach in a hammock was wonderful. There were small, silent flashes of light for most of the night from distant thunderstorms, and as there is no light pollution, (the nearest city is 180 km away), the stars and moon completely lit up the sky.

Not much out here! The squares are salt pits.