Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [147]
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LOCAL VOICES: FRANCISCO HUÈRFANO PÁEZ
Age: 41
Occupation: General Director, Kaí Ecotravel
Residence: Uribia
Favorite Colombian Singer: Jonny Buenaventura
‘The Guajira Peninsula is a spectacular area with a very special culture. The Wayuu are neither Colombian nor Venezuelan, they are a culturally, socially and historically independent people. It’s a border of culture. There is a myth that the Wayuu are dangerous, but really they’re very generous and curious. They appear tough and are definitely strong-willed, but are very exotic and full of passion.
‘The Guajira is a place to relax and just feel the heat and the Wayuu magic. No itineraries. No hours. No days of the week. Just experience the culture, live and direct.
‘Punta Gallinas (opposite) is my favorite place in the Guajira for its essence – it is pure nature, totally virgin and infinite.’
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The rustic village has electricity by generator only and there are no fixed phone lines, internet or any of life’s numerous other distractions. In the last couple of years, Cabo has become a hotbed of ecotourism and now boasts a wealth of indigenous-style accommodations. It’s not as clean as you might want it to be, nor is the beach as nice as you might want it to be, and there’s definitely too many flies, but there is something to be said for hanging out in a village on the tip of the continent without a care in the world.
Cabo de la Vela is not for everyone – you are definitely off the grid here. It’s not uncommon to see Wayuu men toting large rifles or a goat-slaughtering in someone’s living room. But for a certain kind of traveler – you know who you are – Cabo is the sort of place you can lose yourself indefinitely.
The village is best avoided during Semanta Santa (Holy Week) and December and January, when Colombians descend on the area, turning its tranquil atmosphere into a rowdy fiesta.
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Sights & Activities
The main activity in Cabo de la Vela is no activity at all, just lazily passing the time in a hammock in this far-flung corner of the continent. If you’re too anxious for this sort of thing, this is probably not the place for you, but there are a few options to satiate your wayward needs. Wayuu and tourists alike head to El Faro, a small light-tower on the edge of a rocky promontory, for those postcard-perfect sunsets. The view is indeed stunning – just watch out for langosta, massive flying beasts the size of model airplanes, named for their keen resemblance to lobster and considered the Guajira’s most annoying pest. It’s a 45-minute walk from town, or you can wrangle a ride with a local for COP$30,000 or so return. If you set out on your own in summer, the heat can be stifling. Take plenty of water, insect repellent and a hat.
Just beyond El Faro is a far more appealing beach than in the village itself. Ojo del Agua is a nicely sized crescent-shaped dark-sand beach bound by 5m-high cliffs. The beach gets its name from a small freshwater pool that was discovered here, a true rarity in the Upper Guajira.
But the jewel of the area is Playa del Pilón, far and away the most beautiful beach in Cabo. Here you’ll find a startling rust-orange collection of sand backed by craggy cliffs that glow a spectacular greenish-blue color, especially at sunrise and sunset. In wet season, add in lush desert flora and fauna to the mix and the whole scene is rather cinematic (though in high season, you must add in 1000 tourists on the small beach and a few kitesurfers). Pilón de Azucar, a 100m hillside, looms over the beach and provides the area