Riohacha, my secret favorite

Riohacha is a small city on the Carribbean and a capital of the Guajira department. It is not touristy and there is not a lot to do - most people use it as a gateway to La Guajira desert tours.

I loved it. We stayed in a small hotel with great breakfast and rooftop chill zone over looking city and sea which is where I spent most of my time. There is even a coworking that charged you by hour which adds up to be super economic if you work part time like me.

I could swear that in 4 days we spent there we saw like 4-5 other tourists. We loved the fact.

There is one common piece of advice we heard from everyone: so it’s worth mentioning: don’t go to the beach in the night, it is super dangerous.

The local indigenous Wayu people come to Riohacha to work and sell their handycrafts so there is a lot of movement and selling involved in the city. The market is where we tried the best arepa con queso in all of Colombia and ended up returning 3 times there for more.

Riohacha might be the cheapest place I’ve visited in Colombia. There are also nice cafes and bars and even a craft beer stand. One night we went looking for the craft beer and ended up talking to the local lady who lives there. She said that the stand would open tomorrow and if we want she can also cook for us traditional food of the region for the fraction of the price it would cost anywhere else (3$ or 2.5e).

Next day when we came back for the food, I asked if I can wash my hands and was escorted to the very modest bathroom inside, and what called my attention were three of the young girls diligently making Wayu crafts in silence.

After couple of days, we visited some surrounding places and headed to Cabo de la Vela, in order to go on a desert exhibition.Read more