In this guide, I’ll show you how to travel to Cabo de la Vela without a tour, based on my own experience from 2024. This remote part of La Guajira is one of those places in Colombia that most travelers either skip entirely or rush through on a whirlwind tour. That’s exactly what I did when I first visited Colombia in 2019. At the time, there wasn’t much information online, and everything I read made visiting Cabo de la Vela independently seem difficult and even dangerous. So I joined a guided tour.
But the tour wasn’t great—it mostly involved long, bumpy drives and awkward moments, like giving out candy to kids who blocked the road with strings. It didn’t feel like the kind of travel I enjoy. So when I came back in 2024 with Miguel, we decided to do it differently. We needed a break from the humidity and set our sights on Cabo de la Vela—this time, on our own. No guide, no tour. Just adventure. And we’re so glad we did!
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Table of Contents - How to travel to Cabo de la Vela without a tour or guide
Know before you go
I’m going to start this post a little differently than my other posts, because I think it’s important to come to Cabo de la Vela with the right expectations.
Cabo de la Vela is a very simple and remote fishermen’s village in the desert. While this might sound very romantic, there are a few things to take into consideration before traveling to Cabo de la Vela. There is electricity, but only for a few hours in the evening (although some places have solar panels). There is phone signal, but it’s not the best. There are some shops, but they have limited products, and things are more expensive due to the remoteness. Water is scarce, so be careful not to use more than necessary. And if you don’t eat meat or fish, you might have difficulty finding suitable meals since fresh vegetables are even scarcer than water.
So if you’re looking for solid facilities, great comfort, or high-speed internet to work remotely, Cabo de la Vela might not be the right place for you.
However, if you’re looking for a real, unique place in Colombia. An off-the-beaten-track place where local traditions are still being held up. A beautiful natural place to wind down and disconnect, then you will certainly enjoy a few days in Cabo de la Vela.
When is the best time to travel to Cabo de la Vela
While December to April is ideal, Cabo de la Vela is a great destination to visit year-round. Just be aware, despite it being a desert, there is a rainy season in La Guajira. This rainy season runs from September to November and can bring sudden downpours that may make the dirt roads impassable. It won’t rain for months at a time, but it might mess up your travel plans if roads are closed for several days, so that is something to take into consideration. The months leading up to the rainy season are slightly hotter and more humid, making December to April the best time of year to visit La Guajira.
For kitesurfers, the best time of year to visit Cabo de la Vela is from December to August.
How to get to Cabo de la Vela without a tour or guide
Getting to Cabo de la Vela in La Guajira without a tour takes a few steps, but it’s certainly doable. First, you will need to make your way to Riohacha, the capital of La Guajira.
There are buses and vans from Palomino to Riohacha🡕. The day we wanted to travel, there were no buses due to strikes, so we took a shared van for 20.000 after negotiating the price down. I believe a bus would have been the same price, or maybe a little cheaper.
Next, you need to take a shared taxi for 30.000 from Riohacha to Uribia and then a shared 4×4 taxi from Uribia to Cabo de Vela for 50.000 per person. The prices for the shared vehicles seem to be fixed. There is no negotiating with the 4x4s; you might be able to negotiate the shared taxi to Uribia, but we didn’t manage to get it down. (Prices accurate in 2024.)
Tip: Buy water, snacks, and other things you might need during your stay in Cabo from the store next to the 4x4s to Cabo de la Vela. It’s much cheaper here.
Where to stay in Cabo de la Vela
Accommodation is all pretty basic. It’s best to look beyond apps like Booking and Agoda🡕 as a lot is not on there. You will find several options on Google Maps, though, that you can contact.
While your first thought might be to book a bed and be more comfortable, I recommend booking a hammock instead. Not only is this the local way, it’s also much more comfortable to sleep outside. There is only electricity for a few hours a day in Cabo de la Vela, so there are no fans during the night, and don’t even think about air conditioning. Sleeping outside in the desert breeze is often the better choice.
Best things to do in Cabo de la Vela
The best thing to do in this sleepy and remote town is to disconnect and relax. Bring a book or two, a deck of cards, plenty of sunscreen, and slow down the pace.
Kitesurfing
Most people who travel to Cabo de la Vela without a tour come to kitesurf. It’s almost always windy in Cabo de la Vela, making it a great place for kitesurfing. Especially from December to August, in the dry season.
There are a few schools in town where you can take lessons or just rent gear if you already know how to kite.
Visit stunning beaches
The sea in Cabo de la Vela is gorgeous blue and much calmer than in many other parts of Colombia’s Caribbean coast. While the beach in town is perfectly fine for swimming, and I’ve taken many dips to cool off here, my favorite beach in the area is Pilón de Azucar. In the morning, the sea is super calm and there is some shade at the beach, so this is the best time to visit. In the afternoon, the wind starts to blow and the waves start to get bigger. But it was still great for swimming when we left around noon. There was almost no shade left at that time of the day, though and the beach started to fill up with people.
You can walk to Pilón de Azucar from town (about 1 hour) or take a motortaxi (10.000 COP per person, but you can negotiate if you’re two sharing one moto taxi).
Learn about the Wayuu culture
Cabo de la Vela is Wayuu territory. While most locals speak Spanish with visitors, they usually speak their own language, Wayuunaiki, among themselves.
They also preserve many other of their traditions and we had very interesting conversations with the owner and staff of the accommodation during which they explained more about their culture.
Admire gorgeous sunsets
The most popular place to watch the sunset is the lighthouse (faro). But it gets busy since tours come here for sunset as well. Sunset’s in town are also very pretty, and much nicer if you prefer a quieter place to enjoy the sunset.
Visit South America's northernmost point: Punta Gallinas
We didn’t visit Punta Gallinas this time around, since the road was closed due to floods. But I visited it as part of a 3-day tour of La Guajira back in 2019. While it sounds cool to say you’ve been to the northernmost tip of South America, the drive from Cabo de la Vela is very long: it’s 80+ km on a bumpy road, which wasn’t quite worth it in my opinion.
This was: How to travel to La Guajira without a tour or guide
I hope this guide helps you plan your own independent trip to Cabo de la Vela.
For more information about other, less remote destinations in La Guajira, check out my Colombia Travel Guide. Or for more in-depth travel tips for other remote off-the-beaten-trek gems in Colombia? Check out my guides to Mompox and La Macarena.
Have you been to Cabo de la Vela with or without a tour? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
FAQ about travel to Cabo de la Vela without a tour or guide
Cabo de la Vela has a tight-knit Wayuu community and low petty-crime rates, making it quite safe for solo explorers. So don’t let others who haven’t visited scare you off. But do use your common sense as anywhere else. Trust your instincts, keep your wits about you, keep valuables out of sight, and you’ll find solo travel here both secure and rewarding.
Besides the usual things, it’s smart to be prepared for the rustic experience of visiting Cabo de la Vela. Bring a book to read or a deck of cards to play when there is no signal or electricity, a powerbank if your phone tends to run out of battery quickly, wetwipes if you’d like to freshen up throughout the day to save water and a headlamp can be handy as well at night.
Independent transport in La Guajira relies on shared vans (colectivos), moto-taxis, and 4×4 trucks. There’s no strict schedule, vehicles depart when full, so build in buffer time and arrive earlier in the day for better chances of a truck leaving.
Speaking some Spanish will be extremely helpful when traveling Cabo de la Vela independently. Keep in mind that Spanish is the second language here, after Wayuunaiki and it’s a remote and off-the-beaten-track village where English is not widely spoken, if spoken at all.
Signal in Cabo de la Vela is spotty, but does exist. Wifi is generally only available during the few hours in the evening when the town receives electricity. Purchase a local SIM card with data in Riohacha if you haven’t got one yet to get signal when possible, download offline maps, and embrace the disconnect: it’s part of the charm of Cabo de la Vela.