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Midway through the first day of our trip to the peninsula of La Guajira, we were taken down a very bumpy road through the desert. The path would lead us to the small village of Cabo de la Vela. This village made up of mostly simple huts is famous for kitesurfing and can be quite difficult to get to.
Getting There
While on the road, local Wayúu children would emerge from their homes and pull a rope across the road to stop our truck. They would rush to the window and wouldn’t let us pass until the driver and Pedro would give them candy and coins. This happened at least ten times along the way.
Wayúu Ranch
We arrived at a Wayúu ranch about 30 minutes from the actual village of Cabo de la Vela. It was comprised of a few concrete cabanas, a dining hut, and a hut with chinchorros (special hammocks) for sleeping outside.
Our meals, a lunch and dinner, were less than desirable, but the conversation was fantastic. We listened attentively to Pedro’s explanations about the differences between the various indigenous groups living in La Guajira and the Sierra Nevada near Santa Marta. It was quite fascinating and entertaining.
To sleep, were given the option of sleeping in the chinchorros or in a cabana for an extra cost. We decided on the cabana for comfort reasons.
Cabo de la Vela
After lunch at the ranch, we went for a quick stop in Cabo de la Vela for a swim. I noticed a lot of cabanas offering places to sleep for the night along with small restaurants, but not many tourists at all. It’s not the nicest beach and the cleanliness left a lot to be desired, but it was refreshing.
El Ojo del Agua
We were then taken to El Ojo del Agua, a gorgeous beach and collection of rocky outcrops jutting out to the Caribbean Sea. We were given time to explore the area a bit and walked to the first couple outcrops. It was extremely windy so I made sure I didn’t get too close to the edge! I also had to be very careful with my camera because of the tiny drops of water causing some moisture issues. When we looked down, we were able to see sea turtles and crabs below, along with a great view of the beach and the other outcrops.
El Faro
Just before sunset, Pedro took us to El Faro. This is where Cabo de la Vela’s lighthouse is located. The scenery was breathtaking but the sunset was not as spectacular as it could have been because of low hanging clouds.
Wind Farm
On the fourth and final day of our trip of La Guajira, we made a short return to Cabo de la Vela. After returning by boat from Punta Gallinas, we were shown a wind farm that provides much needed electricity to the area. I praise wind farms for their cleanliness but I despise them for ruining the natural surroundings.
Sugar Pylon
Next, we arrived at the Sugar Pylon (Pilón de Azúcar), a small hill that happens to be the highest point in the area. It is also sacred land to the Wayúu. They believe that the souls of their deceased travel to the afterlife from there.
On the very top of the hill is a small shrine to Our Lady of Fátima built by Spanish pearl divers in 1938.
Climbing to the top is well worth it and it takes less than ten minutes. The views are spectacular.
Playa del Pilón
At the parking lot for the mountain is a small beach, Playa del Pilón. It looked like the most beautiful and swimmable beach in all of La Guajira that we had encountered, with crystal clear water and soft powdery sand, but unfortunately we were too short on time to swim. I was disappointed about this.
End of the Tour
After the mountain, we returned to the Wayúu ranch for our third disappointing meal there, a quick breakfast, and the tour was over. We returned to Riohacha on another long and bumpy ride for transport back to Santa Marta with Pedro.
