Further north of Cabo de la Vela, lies Punta Gallinas: the most northern point of South America and where the desert meets the sea.
Having been all the way down south to Argentina’s Ushuaia at the start of my trip, I was extremely keen to go to Punta Gallinas, the very north and tip of the continent. Seriously cool!! Well, for me at least!!
After spending three nights in Cabo de la Vela (an extra one than planned because I got sick!), we set off in a 4×4 for Punta Gallinas at 5.45am.
Note: Make sure you know what time pick up is at and be prepared to wait! We’d been told to be ready for pick up at 5am on the dot!! 5am came and went! At 5.15am, we were a bit nervous as to where the car was, especially given how clearly they’d told us to be ready for 5am. Finally just after 5.30am, the car picked us up!
I didn’t have the utmost confidence that the car would get us to Punta Gallinas. It didn’t look in great shape and, having already had a car tyre mishap on our journey from Uribia to Cabo de la Vela, I was feeling sceptical.
Moreover, despite feeling loads better the previous day, I’d also relapsed and was back to feeling poor. We’d probably been driving for around an hour when we had to stop to check the car.
The tyre was flat and destroyed again. Luckily, we didn’t have to change vehicles this time, another tour car helped our driver change the wheel and we were back on the road. I slept for most of the ride in a bid to make up for a night of nonexistent sleep and feel better!
Note: On the road to Punta Gallinas, there’ll be many times when children will stop the car by pulling a rope across the road. Be prepared for it. I felt uncomfortable at these times and it was hard to see. The car in front would give out water bags at these points. On our return journey, those with spare water gave it at the stops and our driver handed out packets of coffee.
The final step to getting to the hostel at Punta Gallinas was crossing a small riverway. We went in the boat and in five minutes had arrived at the hostel (around 8.30am).
I was feeling pretty bad at this point and couldn’t eat my breakfast. I managed to eat a mashed banana but was again seriously lacking energy. We then got our hammocks and soon it was time for the tour to Punta Gallinas’ highlights to start (at 10am).
I was determined to go on it. I hadn’t gone all that way not to stand on the tip of the continent. Internally, I was telling myself to power on through.
The tour had three stops: El Faro (the lighthouse), Mirador de Casares and Taroa Dunes. Like the lighthouse in Cabo de la Vela, the lighthouse in Punta Gallinas isn’t anything special – a metal structure.
However, being at the most northern point is really cool and I loved it!!
We then went to Mirador de Casares for views over Bahía Hondíta. It’s a striking landscape: so arid and dry yet there’s a bay of water!
The last stop was at Taroa Dunes. This is where the desert really does meet the sea – the rolling sand dunes run down to the shore. Really beautiful! We had an hour and a half at the dunes to relax and swim. Swimming was fun and once again I got wiped out by a wave!
Climbing back to the top of the dunes was tough! I zigzagged to make the climb easier.
We then back to the hostel, arriving around 2pm, for lunch. We had the afternoon to ourselves, I slept for most of it in the hammock and went to Playa Aguja for sunset. The walk to and from the hostel is around 20/30mins.
The next morning we left at 6am for Uribia. Our car broke down towards the end and Phoebe and I couldn’t believe it. So far, every 4×4 we’d been in had failed in some way – wheels or engine! Thankfully, Wilsón got it running again and we made it to Uribia just before 10am.
Note: Punta Gallinas tours (booked from Cabo de la Vela) drop off in Uribia. We found this quite handy! Return travel to Riohacha and onwards is straightforward.
How to get to Punta Gallinas
You can only get to Punta Gallinas with a tour.
Where your tour starts from is up to you. Tours start from other cities (Santa Marta, Riohacha) and towns (Palomino) on Colombia’s northern coast. They are usually three days long and go to Cabo de la Vela as well as Punta Gallinas.
You can also go to Cabo de la Vela independently, which is what we did, and from there, book a ride to Punta Gallinas.
Tours leave at 5am from Cabo de la Vela on Day One and return to Uribia between 9am-11am the next day, Day Two.
See my previous post for more information on how to get to Cabo de la Vela independently.
How much does it cost to go to Punta Gallinas
Bear in mind that the further away the starting point, the higher the tour price. In Palomino, we saw tours on offer for 500,000COP (£120 approx). From Santa Marta, I’d expect prices to be higher and from Riohacha prices to be slightly less.
We went to Punta Gallinas from Cabo de la Vela. Prices seem to be around 130,000-150,000COP. We paid 120,000COP (£30 approx) for transport and managed to get breakfast included.
For once we successfully negotiated! We booked with one of the hostels and gave them the price that one of the guys from our mototaxis told us. They accepted it straight away.
It’s important to know that the price only includes transport to and from Punta Gallinas and the minivan excursion to see the highlights. Everything else, meals and accommodation, weren’t included.
We stayed at Hostel Alexandra. For accommodation, hammocks cost 15,000COP (£4 approx), chinchorros were 20,000COP (£5 approx) and private rooms were 35,000COP (£8 approx). For meals, lunch and dinner cost 15,000COP (£4 approx) and breakfast was 7000COP (£2 approx).
Final thoughts
I’ve been to the tip of South America!! It’s crazy, I can’t quite believe it! On this trip, I’ve been from Ushuaia, the end of the world in the south, to Punta Gallinas, South America’s most northern point.
Aside from being ill and not top form for a lot of my stay in Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas, I really enjoyed it.
Punta Gallinas was worth the trip. There was something really cool about knowing I couldn’t go any further north.
It’s also funny because I wouldn’t necessarily say Punta Gallinas is a must if you’ve been to Cabo de la Vela (which I preferred!). However, if you’re in Cabo de la Vela, I’d still make the trip further north to Punta Gallinas because you’re so so close to the very tip of South America!! Super cool!
I’d say a night in Punta Gallinas is definitely enough, especially as it’s main draw for me was its most northerly location. Once you’ve seen the highlights, you don’t need to hang around. I’d personally spend more time in Cabo de la Vela.
If you’re exploring Colombia’s northern coast and wanting to see a different landscape, head up to Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas! They’re so different!
