Colombia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 527

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CIUDAD PERDIDA: TOUR GUIDES AND TIPS
As of 2008, the area has been safe from paramilitaries, but you can only do the hike as part of
an organized group . There are four tour companies authorized to lead tours, all with o ces
in Santa Marta, the most reputable being Magic Tour (C 14 No. 1B-50, Taganga; T 5 421 9429,
W www.trail.com/magictour), though you may find that guides from different companies swap
clients to accommodate those who wish to do the tour in more or fewer days, and during low
season the four companies pool clients. The of cial price of the tour is set at COP$650,000 and
includes all meals, accommodation along the trail, the entrance fee to the ruins and transport
to and from the trailhead. Guides generally don't speak English. Groups consist of four to
twelve hikers.
The hike can be done all year; the driest period is between late December and March,
while during the wet months from May to November the trail can get exceedingly muddy.
It's a reasonably challenging trek lasting four to six days, and a reasonable level of physical
fitness is required.
Expect to get wet at any time of the year and pack everything you'll need, especially: sturdy
footwear suitable for river crossings (either waterproof trekking sandals or hiking boots and
flip-flops); 50 percent DEET insect repellent (not available in Colombia); water-purifying
tablets ; anti-malarial prophylactics (there's low risk of malaria but if you want to err on the
side of caution); waterproof bag and poncho, and sunscreen .

before lunch or - if you're already at
Camp 1 - a somewhat less gruelling
four-hour slog, with the steepest part at
the very beginning. Hearty victory lunch
at Machete follows, and a transfer back to
Santa Marta.

Cabo de la Vela
A dusty one-street settlement strung
out along an aquamarine bay, CABO DE
LA VELA is main draw is the spectacular
landscape: a long sliver of beach, rocky
cliffs and cactus-studded arid plains.
In December and January the village is
inundated with holidaying Colombians,
but the rest of the year it's a tranquil
spot for sunset viewing, particularly
from the westernmost hill at the far
end of the bay, El Faro, kitesurfing and
lazing on the sand.

THE GUAJIRA PENINSULA
Colombia's northernmost point, Guajira
Peninsula has a hostile desert climate that
has kept it largely isolated since colonial
times. As a result it's one of those special
places where independent travellers can still
feel as if they're leaving fresh tracks. Some
240km long and no more than 50km
wide, the barren peninsula is empty except
for the semi-nomadic Wayuu, a beguiling
mix of desert and sea, a smugglers' haven
that English pirates once tried to conquer.
More challenging to explore than the rest
of the Caribbean coast, the Guajira
Peninsula rewards those who make the
effort with the end-of-the-world feel of
Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas . Cabo
de la Vela is a remote Wayuu fishing
village, 180km northwest of Riohacha ,
the capital of the Guajira Peninsula that in
itself is 175km northeast of Santa Marta.
On the journey to Cabo you pass through
a landscape of sand, baked mud huts of the
Wayuu and goats grazing under the sparse
shade of the acacia trees.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By bus Catch an early morning bus from Santa Marta's
Terminal de Transportes to Riohacha (3hr); from Riohacha,
Cootrauri (C 15 No. 5-39; T 5 728 0000) runs shared cars
to Uribia (COP$15,000;1hr) where the driver will drop you
off at the pick-up truck departure point. The last trucks
head for Cabo at 1pm at the latest (COP$15,000; 2hr).
Coming back, trucks leave Cabo between 4 and 4.30am.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
There's plentiful accommodation consisting of hammocks
(CH$15,000), traditional Wayuu chinchorros (warmer
hammocks; COP$20,000), Wayuu huts made of yotojoro
(the inner core of the cactus) and basic concrete rooms
(around COP$30,000 per person). Showers tend to be
bucket-style affairs. Most guesthouses have generators
that only work between 6 and 10pm, and many double as
restaurants serving goat and locally caught fish and
lobster.