The essential places in La Guajira are in Alta Guajira: Punta Gallinas, the Taroa dunes, Bahía Hondita and Cabo de la Vela, reached by 4×4 from Riohacha on 2- to 4-day tours. This list of things to do in La Guajira organizes the places by area and explains what you do in each one, which tour visits it and on what day. For context on the department, read the La Guajira guide.
Alta Guajira
From Uribia toward Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas there is no paved road: everything that follows is traveled by 4×4 on desert tracks.
Punta Gallinas and its lighthouse
Punta Gallinas is the northernmost point of continental South America. The 3- and 4-day tours arrive on day 2 around 2:00 p.m., have lunch at a ranchería and leave the afternoon free to rest and walk around the area. On day 3, the route visits the Punta Gallinas lighthouse, a metal tower with a small building beside it that marks that end of the continent: this is the photo stop of the day. You sleep in a chinchorro hammock in a Wayuu ranchería, 1 night on the 3-day tour and 2 nights on the 4-day tour. On the 4-day tour, day 3 ends at Punta Agujas beach, where you can swim and watch the sunset.
Taroa dunes
At the Taroa dunes, you walk up loose sand and, from the top, see the desert and the Caribbean Sea at the same time. Travelers who want to can go down the dune to the beach and swim. It is the first stop on day 3 of the 3-day tour, early in the morning, and it is also part of day 3 on the 4-day tour. Sandboarding is offered subject to availability and for an additional cost, with no published price: ask before you travel and set aside cash to pay for it.
Bahía Hondita
Bahía Hondita is followed along the shore on day 2 of the 3- and 4-day tours, on the way to Punta Gallinas. The 2 tours also pass Bahía Honda, and the 3-day tour also passes Bahía Portete. From the 4×4 you see ocher and reddish earth bluffs, dry scrub, mangroves along the shore and anchored fishing boats.
Cabo de la Vela and Pilón de Azúcar
Cabo de la Vela is included in all 3 tours. When you arrive on day 1, you have lunch with local food from La Guajira and rest for a while before the afternoon visits. From the beach at Pilón de Azúcar, you climb the hill by a wooden stairway, and from the top you see the desert and the Caribbean Sea. Sunset on day 1 is seen from the Cabo de la Vela lighthouse, the viewpoint visited by all 3 tours. There are also the beaches of Cabo de la Vela, such as Playa Arcoíris, Ojo de Agua and Playa Dorada, and on the village beach there are palm enramadas. The 2-day tour spends the most time here, with the night and the following morning in Cabo de la Vela.
On the route
Manaure salt flats
The Manaure salt flats are the largest salt complex in Colombia and the 1st stop on all 3 tours, on day 1. At the stop you see brine ponds, separated by earth embankments, and salt mounds, with the sea in the background. It is a working area: photos are taken from the edge, without walking on the ponds, and you should ask permission before photographing anyone who is working.
Uribia
Uribia, known as the Indigenous capital of Colombia, is the 2nd stop on day 1 of all 3 tours and the last stop before entering the desert toward Cabo de la Vela. There the trip logistics are adjusted, with water, snacks, food and cash. On the 3-day tour, lunch on day 3 is also in Uribia, on the way back to Riohacha.
Riohacha and nearby places
Riohacha
Riohacha, the capital of La Guajira, is the departure city for the tours, at 8:30 a.m. The afternoon before is useful for walking the waterfront, watching the sunset from the pier and getting your cash ready, because on the Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas route there are no ATMs or digital payments.
Mayapo beach
Mayapo is a beach near Riohacha that can be visited in a day, before or after the tour; none of the Punta Gallinas Tours itineraries stops there.
Los Flamencos Sanctuary
Los Flamencos Flora and Fauna Sanctuary is in the district of Camarones, in the municipality of Riohacha, according to the sanctuary page from Parques Nacionales Naturales (consulted on October 5, 2026). It is not included in Punta Gallinas Tours itineraries, and flamingo sightings are not guaranteed: if this is your main plan, check that page for how to visit before you go.
If you are coming from Palomino
Palomino has its own guide: things to do in Palomino. If you want to combine it with Alta Guajira, keep in mind that the tours leave from Riohacha, not from Palomino or Santa Marta; the Santa Marta to La Guajira guide explains how to connect the routes.
Wayuu culture and food
On the tours, nights are spent in a chinchorro hammock in Wayuu rancherías (settlements), and the food is prepared by local cooks. Sleeping in a bed costs COP 30,000 per person per night, subject to availability. If you want to take home a Wayuu mochila or chinchorro, buy it from the person who weaves it and pay in cash.
What is not in any itinerary and what we do not promise: dances, ceremonies or visits to families outside the rancherías where you sleep. Rancherías are family homes: ask permission before photographing someone and do not enter a home unless you are invited.
What to do in La Guajira in 2, 3 or 4 days
Itinerary data as of October 5, 2026. Source: Punta Gallinas Tours.
Place | 2-day tour | 3-day tour | 4-day tour |
|---|---|---|---|
Manaure salt flats | Day 1 | Day 1 | Day 1 |
Uribia | Day 1 | Days 1 and 3 | Day 1 |
Cabo de la Vela and Pilón de Azúcar | Days 1 and 2 | Day 1 | Day 1 |
Playa Arcoíris | Day 2 | Day 1 | Day 1 |
Bahía Hondita | No | Day 2 | Day 2 |
Punta Gallinas | No | Days 2 and 3 | Days 2 and 3 |
Taroa dunes | No | Day 3 | Day 3 |
Punta Agujas | No | No | Day 3, at sunset |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
- 2 days: Cabo de la Vela with 1 night in a ranchería. From COP 409,500 per person in groups of 6 or more; COP 803,250 if 2 people travel.
- 3 days: Cabo de la Vela, Punta Gallinas and the Taroa dunes, with return to Riohacha on day 3 around 3:00 p.m. From COP 900,000 per person in groups of 6 or more; COP 1,650,000 if 2 people travel.
- 4 days: the 3-day route with 1 more night in Punta Gallinas and Punta Agujas beach at sunset. From COP 955,500 per person in groups of 6 or more; COP 1,874,250 if 2 people travel.
Riohacha and Mayapo fit the day before departure or after the return. How to see them: the 2-, 3- and 4-day tours in La Guajira are compared side by side on 1 page, with the price according to the number of travelers.
