La Guajira is our best known route
During its 25 years in the kite-boarding and windsurfing business in Colombia, Kite Center Eoletto has been helping clients find the best wind routes and logistical options. La Guajira is our best known route and in recent years it has become our specialty.
Air transport
Avianca and Viva-Air fly daily to Riohacha. The nearby airports, with cheaper offers, are in Santa Marta and Valledupar; You have to take into account the distance between Riohacha and Santa Marta or Valledupar, both have very good public transport, it takes on average between three and five hours. The price of this public transport is between $ 20,000 cop to $ 60,000 cop, (updated 2020). There are also private transports that make this route, and have rates from $ 300,000 cop depending on the type of car. In general, all interdepartmental transportation to Riohacha meets insurance, and other official requirements.
Car in La Guajira
Having a car in Riohacha can be very helpful, especially to go daily to sail in Camarones or Mayapo. They are nearby spots, about 40 minutes from Riohacha on a paved highway. Only the last stretch of beach access at the two sites are uncovered paths. If they are wet, the car is usually left in a nearby restaurant and you can walk to the lagoons.
A car would also allow you to visit Maicao, Uribia and Manaure on paved roads.
Gasoline in Riohacha is very cheap, both official and non-legal. Finding diesel is not difficult.
In Riohacha it is recommended to always leave the car in the parking lot.
Riohacha does not have rent-a-car offices, the closest are in Santa Marta and Valledupar.
But if you plan to go from Uribia to Cabo de la Vela, Puerto Bolivar, Punta Gallinas, Bahía Honda, Nazarteh or the National Parks Macuira, and take an off-road trip, we recommend for safety reasons renting a car with a driver experienced, or at least have a local guide with you. A 4x4 truck is essential.
In the desert with your own car
If you decide to do an off road trip in Guajira, you must take into account the time of year, the difficulties of the route and the public safety situation. These conditions are changing, so we recommend contacting us a week or two before leaving to give you accurate and updated information.
If you don't have a car, how do you manage?
In the near RIOHACHA:
We can solve it. If you are our kite or windsurf client and you are taking lessons, the transfer to the spot (Mayapo, Riohacha, Camarones, Manaure) is included in the price of your course. If you are renting equipment from the Kite Center Eoletto, you have two options: either you pay for your daily shuttle in the company van, which in season leaves at fixed times from our office in Riohacha, calle 4 No 9-87, and also returns at certain times (this option is not too expensive), or we have several private taxi services that take you to the spot and then pick you up and bring you back to the hostel. The price of that service is around $ 80,000 cop. If there are multiple people, this fee can be shared.
In the very north desert PUNTA GALLINAS, CABO DE LA VELA, MACUIRA :
We help you with up date infos, only contact us trought whatsApp +573214680105
You can choose between:
- A travel agency. We recommend Alta Guajira Tours., History Travelers.
- A private driver (ideal for groups of up to 6 people), from $ 450,000 a day. Call us to recomend someone.
- Travel through places in passenger carts to Uribia, in 4x4 from Uribia to Cabo de la Vela. Arrownd $80.000 each way. Call us for more info about this option.
The very North Guajira-Transport
From Riohacha to the desert the situation is different, because many of the cars are not official, have a temporary license plates or do not have them at all, and therefore the issue of insurance and the guarantee of the conditions of the cars is not very trustworthy. We recommend using accredited services.
But there is also another option if you want to live an extreme backpacking experience, you can take a collective desert transport in Uribia, which we call “transwayuu”, which is the form of transportation used by locals.
Rainy season in La Guajira desert
In general in the rainy season, October and November is difficult, the roads can get wet and with only one rain and you can be literally surrounded by water. The difficulty is knowing the driest routes well. For this the drivers of the “transwayues”, who travel daily, can give you a hand and, in exchange for a tip, allow you to follow them through the desert. It can be picturesque, as they go from house to house, delivering passengers and supplies. Another option is to hire a local guide.
The option that we most recommend if you come in your own car, is to leave it in Uribia, in a parking lot, and hire a private 4x4 jeep to take you to Cabo de la Vela or Punta Gallinas.
Some of these destinations may be completely inaccessible in the rainy season, when locals offer boat trips. You should know that these maritime transports are not authorized as of now, since they represent a great danger for passengers.
What else can I do in Guajira except kite and windsurf?
• Hikes. (In Cabo de la Vela: El faro, Ojo del Agua, Pilón de Azúcar y Cueva del Diablo beaches. In Camarones follow the medicinal route, in Macuira National Park traking with a gide)
• Visit Salinas de Manaure.
• Do a boat trip to see flamencos in Camarones.
• Fishing (take the necessary material).
• Snorkeling.
• Have a wayuu experience and visit a community.
Useful things to keep in mind in the desert:
- Bring a travel blanket with you, it is cold at night.
- Don't forget to bring a flashlight. Most desert lodges do not have electric light. They use generators a few hours a day.
- Bring small money (no one has change)
- Drink only water and bottled products. Juice can be dangerous. The ice they use is usually not drinkable.
- Demand a locker from your host and use your own padlock. Take care of your personal things, flip flops, glasses, phones, wallets.
Ten years ago, many indigenous people were nomads and visited the tourist areas during the vacation seasons (Cabo de la Vela, Punta Gallinas). Nowadays, they have settled there permanently and and density of the local population, added to the visitors, revealed the fragility of the environment.
For this reason we recommend always choosing local entrepreneurs who work correctly and in an environmentally friendly way.
In the desert, the landscape, the wind and the conditions of the spots (Riohacha, Camarones, Mayapo, Manaure, Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas) have not changed much over the years, but the tourist industry, which gained strength in La Guajira towards 2016, has radically changed the region in a short time; the accommodation, transportation, general services offers have dramatically improved for the visitors’ comfort -nice-, but the customs of the local population have also changed -bad-.
The quality of the offers has changed at great speed in Guajira, which used to be an ideal and paradisiacal place a few years ago. Today, it can be the destination of numerous mass tourism buses, overcrowding hotels and restaurants.
In Eoletto we are constantly updated on the best "small" hostels, restaurants, offers, the quietest places to sleep, the best qualified drivers and service providers who work well and whom we recommend and support so that each visitor who comes to La Guajira has an optimal overall experience and says: "I will come back to La Guajira".
¿If i have to sleep one night on the way, where can i stay?
Accommodation.
In Riohacha: We recommend Bona Vida, or Casa Lallemand Calle 4 No 9-79. A friend recommnded the Patio Bonito House.
In Uribia: Hotel Jayasirain. We have not been there and Tripadvisor says, “Only if you are desperate” and notes how loud it is, but apparently it has a good breakfast.
In Palomino: We recommend the Zoo Hostal +57 3212588878.
¿What about the food?
Get ready for the best lobsters in Punta Gallinas, the fresh fish from Mayapo at Doña María’s place, the garlic shrimp in the Camarones, and the most varied offer of food in Riohacha.
A tip: In basic restaurants ALWAYS ask the price before eating.
How much is sleeping in a traditional settlement?
- In Chinchorro $35.000 cop for a night.
- In Hammock $25.000 cop x night.
- In a cabin. Book before. From $60.000 cop x nigth.
Call us for a recommendation.
Our tours combine kite-boarding classes with sightseeing in the Northern Guajira's best desert destinations.
We organize our trips with our partners in other Guajira's schools or travel agencies from the area.
In Northern Guajira you can find from high level quality accommodation (boutique hotels) to basic and nice camps in tents or hammocks.
Usually in the desert locals and tourists sleep in chinchorros or hammocks if you would like to try, but don’t worry, now is available in many places, some private cabins.
Baths and shower
The showers and bathrooms in wayuu environments in the desert are located in the backyard of the settlement in separate cabins for men and women. The toilets work with brackish well water that is available in tanks at the entrance of the cabins. For the showers they provide fresh water in buckets to their customers.
