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PUNTA GALLINAS

Punta Gallinas is the kind of mystical place you read about in books (like the Thai beach in Alex Garland’s novel The Beach) or see in movies (like Playa Boca del Cielo in the 2001 film, Y Tu Mamá También), but rarely stumble upon in real life. Reaching this stunning wildscape, South America’s northernmost tip, isn’t exactly a skip down to the corner store, either. But those that make the effort will be rewarded with one of the most dazzling landscapes in South America, a sanctuary of solitude that equals travel Nirvana.

Located approximately 75km north of Cabo de la Vela, Punta Gallinas is accessed via Bahía Hondita, where burnt-orange cliffs surround an opaque emerald bay with a dazzling wide and wild beach, and translucent waters that stretch kilometers out to sea. There is absolutely nothing here except a large colony of pink flamingos. The bay is home to a mere eight Wayuu families and about 60 people. The land they call home is indeed spectacular: a feral desertscape peppered with vibrant green vegetation (in winter) and buzzing with herds of goat and swarms of langostas (lobsters). As the continent gives way to the Caribbean, massive sand dunes toppling 60m in height push right up against the shimmering turquoise sea like a five-story tsunami in reverse. The otherworldly scene here is only trumped by Taroa Beach, Colombia’s most beautiful and least trampled upon, accessed by sliding down a towering sand dune right into the water. It is here that you will have that treasured travel moment, a flash of discovery so rare in this globalized world, your photos will never do it justice, and nobody will ever believe you.

The only place to stay is in hammocks with a very sweet Wayuu family, who cook wonderful meals (succulent grilled lobster, for instance) and can help show you around the desert. The fact that Punta Gallinas is not a national park is a shame from a preservation standpoint, but it should tell you something about the place: be it a novel or a film, it’s almost impossible to believe it’s not fiction.

There is virtually no way to reach Punta Gallinas without the help of an organized tour, though don’t be put off by the sound of that. We are talking about you and your mates and a couple of Wayuu handling the travel logistics. From September to November, access is by three-hour boat ride from Puerto Bolívar, a short drive from Cabo de la Vela near the El Cerrejón coal mine. The rest of the year, vehicles can reach Bahía Honda, the first of the three side-by-side bays in the area, where a one-hour boat ride lands you in Punta Gallinas. Contact Aventure Colombia in Cartagena or Kaí Ecotravel in Riohacha to make the trip; the latter is an ecotourism pioneer in the area.

SOUTHWEST OF CARTAGENA

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Unspoiled beaches and the road less traveled characterize the Caribbean coast southwest of Cartagena, an area that, due to security concerns, has seen little international tourism in the last two decades. Secure and at the ready these days, areas like Tolú and Islas de San Bernardo, which previously catered to Colombians, only are now wide open for foreign exploration.

There is quite a notable change in the landscape here from the northern coast through the departments of Sucre, Córdoba, Antioquia and Chocó. Swampy pasturelands dotted with billowing tropical Ceiba trees, ground-strangling mangrove trees and crystalline lagoons flank the seaside around the Golfo de Morrosquillo, while the jungle near the Darién Gap rides right up against cerulean waters and beaches where the Golfo de Urabá gives way to Panama near the serene villages of Capurganá and Sapzurro.

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TOLÚ

5 / pop 36,000

You’d never know it, but the tranquil pueblo of Tolú, the capital of the Golfo de Morrosquillo, is one of Colombia’s most visited tourist destinations. Colombians flock here throughout the high season for its small-town feel, wild nightclubs and surrounding beaches and natural playground, but there’s rarely a foreigner in sight. The rest of the