Alta Guajira 3-day tour: Wayuu culture & Punta Gallinas
The Wayuu teach you their crafts while you walk to the northernmost point of South America.
A 3-day guided tour of Alta Guajira departing from Riohacha takes you through Manaure salt flats, Cabo de La Vela, and Punta Gallinas lighthouse, the northernmost point in South America, with two nights in local accommodation, meals, and direct participation in Wayuu weaving and cultural knowledge. The tour includes a Spanish-speaking guide and hotel pickup, and moves through the region's bays, dunes and beaches in a shared group.
3d
Step-by-step itinerary
Day 1: Explore Cabo de La Vela and surroundings
- Visit Manaure Salt Flats
- Stop in Uribia for snacks and bathroom
- Travel to Cabo de La Vela and have lunch
- Enjoy rainbows at the water rocks
- Hike or photograph Sugar Pylon
- Relax at Playa Dorada beach
- Watch sunset at the beach
- Optionally see sunset at alternate location
Day 2: Visit Punta Gallinas and nearby bays
- Breakfast and depart for Punta Gallinas
- Pass Wind Farm and visit Bahía Portete
- View Bahía Honda and Bahía Hondita
- See Dunas de Taroa and Sahara dust dunes
- Enjoy Mirador de Casares bay view
- Visit Punta Gallinas Lighthouse and sunset
- Dinner and rest at local accommodation
Day 3: Enjoy Mayapo beach and return
- Leave inn early morning
- Enjoy Mayapo beach and water sports
- Travel to Riohacha or continue adventure
The Experience
The salt flats at Manaure open the first day: you watch local workers crystallize and harvest salt by hand, a craft refined over generations, then drive roughly two hours to Cabo de La Vela for lunch at your accommodation. The afternoon splits between optional hikes: the Sugar Pylon, a sacred Wayuu site, or the beaches of Playa Dorada and Playa Ojo de Agua, where you can swim or photograph the sunset over calm water. You stay in a local guesthouse overnight.
Day two moves north toward Punta Gallinas. After sunrise and breakfast, the route passes the Wind Farm, then Bahía Portete, Bahía Honda, and Bahía Hondita, with lunch somewhere along the way. The Taroa Dunes (sand brought by Sahara winds each March through May) meet the Caribbean where you can swim in cold water. The Mirador de Casares overlooks the bays before you reach Punta Gallinas Lighthouse, the northernmost point of South America, in time to watch the sunset. Dinner and a second night follow at local accommodation.
The final morning leaves around 7 a.m. for Mayapo beach, roughly 40 minutes away, where the wind and waves suit water sports and the sand stretches open. By afternoon you return to Riohacha or continue onward. Between the three days you participate in Wayuu weaving activities and learn about local astrology and history shared around a campfire. The cultural exchange happens alongside the geography, not separate from it.
What’s included
- Three-day guided tour with Spanish-speaking guide.
- hotel pickup from Riohacha.
- two nights in local accommodation.
- breakfast on days two and three, lunch on days one and two, dinner each evening.
- participation in Wayuu weaving activities and cultural knowledge sessions.
- health insurance.
- access to Manaure salt flats, Cabo de La Vela beaches, Punta Gallinas lighthouse, Taroa Dunes, and Mayapo beach.
Prices and times updated yesterday
Operated by History Travelers
Is this one for you?Choose this if you want a Spanish-speaking guide leading a fixed itinerary with other travelers, and you're prepared for walking, climbing, and exposure to heat and wind.
Traveler reviews
Top questions
Can children come?
15 to 17 years; 5 to 14 years; under 5, free.
What happens if it rains?
It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24h before the start.
What exactly do you do when you visit the Manaure salt flats?
At Manaure you observe local workers carrying out salt extraction up close, watching how salt crystallizes in the extensive salt pools and is harvested by hand: a process that reveals the ancestral skills and connection to the land that the Wayuu community has perfected over generations.
Can you swim at Punta Gallinas and the other beaches on this tour?
Swimming is not allowed at Cabo de La Vela, but you can bathe in the cold waters at Taroa Dunes near Punta Gallinas and at Mayapo beach on the final day. Playa Dorada and Playa Ojo de Agua at Cabo de La Vela have calm water suitable for wading or photos instead.
What is Punta Gallinas and why does it matter?
Punta Gallinas Lighthouse marks the northernmost point of South America. You reach it on day two in time to watch the sunset from this geographic landmark before returning to accommodation for dinner.
Do you participate in Wayuu cultural activities or just observe them?
You participate directly: learning weaving crafts from the Wayuu community, listening to their knowledge about astrology and local history shared around a campfire, and engaging with travelers from around the world in these cultural exchanges throughout the three days.
What meals and accommodation are included?
The tour includes two nights in local accommodation and meals. Lunch is provided on days one and two, with breakfast on days two and three, and dinner each evening at your guesthouse.
How do you get from Riohacha to the starting point and back?
Hotel pickup in Riohacha is included on day one. On day three you return to Riohacha by afternoon or can continue your adventure depending on your choice.
Alta Guajira 3-day tour: Wayuu culture & Punta Gallinas
3d · ES · at your hotel
from US$ 410 per person
★★★★★★★★★★4.87308 reviewsVerified traveler reviews via our booking provider