These are the booking, payment and cancellation rules for Punta Gallinas Tours, operated by Expotur Eco. They cover the La Guajira tours, which leave from Riohacha (the Cabo de la Vela Tour 2 Days, the Punta Gallinas Tour 3 Days and the Punta Gallinas Tour 4 Days), and the tours that leave from Santa Marta to Ciudad Perdida, Minca and Tayrona National Park (Sierra Nevada tours and Tayrona Park tours). The deposit and the cancellation policy are the same for all of them; where a rule differs for the Santa Marta tours, it says so.
Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
Deposit to book | 7% of the booking total, or the full amount if you prefer |
How you pay the deposit | Online when you book, if online payment is active for the tour; if not, you send a booking request and the advisor tells you how to pay it |
Balance | La Guajira tours: before or at the start of the tour, in cash or by payment link. Santa Marta tours: on the day of the tour for Ciudad Perdida, by the day before for Minca, Cabo San Juan and Playa Cristal, and before it starts for Playa Gairaca |
Confirmation | Once the deposit is paid, the booking is pending confirmation and an advisor confirms it within 12 hours |
Cancellation or change with no penalty | Until 5:00 p.m. (Colombia time) on the business day before departure |
Cancellation or change after that deadline | 20% penalty on the total |
Tour already started | No refund |
Minimum age | La Guajira tours: over 6 years old, no child rate. Ciudad Perdida: 13 and older |
Prices valid until | La Guajira tours: December 31, 2026 |
Bed instead of a chinchorro hammock | La Guajira tours: COP 30,000 per person per night, subject to availability |
Currency | Colombian pesos (COP) per person, taxes included; USD and EUR amounts are for reference only |
The rest of the contract terms are in our terms and conditions.
Deposit and balance
To book, you pay a deposit of 7% of the booking total, or the full amount if you prefer. On the La Guajira tours, the balance is due before or at the start of the tour, in cash or by payment link. On the Santa Marta tours, it is due on the day of the tour for Ciudad Perdida, by the day before for Minca, Cabo San Juan and Playa Cristal, and before it starts for Playa Gairaca.
How you pay the deposit depends on whether online payment is active for the tour you choose:
- If it is, you pay the deposit, or the full amount, when you book on the tour page.
- If it is not, the tour page lets you send a booking request: you pay nothing when you send it, and an advisor replies with availability and how to pay the deposit.
How the price is calculated
Prices in Colombian pesos (COP) per person, taxes included. USD and EUR amounts are for reference only.
The La Guajira tours are private and priced per person according to the number of travelers in the booking (1 to 6 or more). The “from” price applies to groups of 6 or more, and each of their tour pages shows the full table of per-person prices by group size. The Santa Marta tours are group tours with a fixed price per person.
Published prices for the La Guajira tours are valid until December 31, 2026. On those tours, sleeping in a bed instead of a chinchorro hammock costs an extra COP 30,000 per person per night, subject to availability.
Example
Two travelers on the Punta Gallinas Tour 3 Days pay COP 1,650,000 each, or COP 3,300,000 in total. The 7% deposit is COP 231,000, and the balance is COP 3,069,000.
Booking confirmation
Once you pay the deposit, the booking is “pending confirmation,” and an advisor confirms it within 12 hours.
With a booking request, the order is reversed: the advisor first replies with availability for your date and then tells you how to pay the deposit. Nothing is charged until then.
Before you pay a deposit online, you can ask us on WhatsApp what happens to it if your date cannot be confirmed.
Cancellations and changes
No penalty if you cancel or change until 5:00 p.m. (Colombia time) on the business day before departure; after that, a 20% penalty on the total. No refund once the tour has started.
The penalty is calculated on the total value of the booking, not on the deposit. For example, if your tour leaves on a Wednesday and Tuesday is a business day, you can cancel or change with no penalty until 5:00 p.m. Colombia time on Tuesday. If you are not sure which day counts as the business day before your departure, ask us on WhatsApp when you book.
Send your cancellation or change in writing, on WhatsApp or through the requests and complaints form (PQRS), so there is a record of the date and time of your notice.
Purchases made online or otherwise at a distance are also subject to the rules on the right of withdrawal and payment reversal in Colombia's Law 1480 of 2011, explained in our terms and conditions.
Changing the date or the number of travelers
A change of date depends on availability on the new date. On the La Guajira tours, because the per-person price depends on the number of travelers in the booking, a change in group size can also change the per-person price.
No-shows
If you will be late for the departure (because of a delayed flight or bus, for example) or cannot travel, message us on WhatsApp as soon as possible.
Children
The La Guajira tours are for travelers over 6 years old, and the Ciudad Perdida tours for travelers 13 and older. On the La Guajira tours there is no child rate: each traveler pays the per-person rate for the group.
Each child counts as a traveler when we work out the price tier for the booking.
Expotur Eco rejects all forms of sexual exploitation of children and adolescents. Read our child protection policy.
Weather and force majeure
There is no paved road from Uribia to Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas: the trip is made by 4×4 on desert tracks. Rain, the condition of the tracks or a decision by the authorities may mean changing the order of the stops or the schedule. During the tour, follow your driver-guide's instructions.
Before you travel, ask us on WhatsApp about the condition of the tracks on your date.
The definition of force majeure that applies is in our terms and conditions.
Payment methods
When online payment is active for a tour, the deposit, or the full amount if you choose to pay it when you book, is paid through the site's payment gateways. With a booking request, the advisor tells you how to pay the deposit. On the La Guajira tours, the balance is paid in cash or by payment link.
The accepted payment methods are listed in the site footer when online payment is active.
There are no ATMs or card payments on the Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas route: bring cash for crafts, food and other local expenses, as our guide on what to pack for La Guajira explains. If you would rather not carry the tour balance in cash, you can pay it by payment link.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the deposit, and when do I pay the balance?
To book a tour with Punta Gallinas Tours, you pay a deposit of 7% of the booking total, or the full amount if you prefer. If online payment is active for your tour, you pay it when you book on the tour page; if not, you send a booking request and an advisor tells you how to pay the deposit. The balance is due before or at the start of the tour, depending on the tour.
What is the cancellation policy?
The same policy applies to all the tours run by Punta Gallinas Tours: no penalty if you cancel or change until 5:00 p.m. (Colombia time) on the business day before departure; after that, a 20% penalty on the total. No refund once the tour has started.
When is my booking confirmed?
If you book with online payment, your booking is “pending confirmation” once you pay the deposit, and an advisor confirms it within 12 hours. If you send a booking request, you pay nothing when you send it: an advisor replies with availability for your date and how to pay the deposit.
Is there a child rate?
Not on the La Guajira tours: they are for travelers over 6 years old, and each traveler, adult or child, pays the per-person rate that matches the size of their group. Each child counts as a traveler when we work out the price tier for the booking. The Ciudad Perdida tours are for travelers 13 and older.
A question about this text?
Message us on WhatsApp or file a request with the PQRS form.