A Tour of La Guajira, Colombia–or Maybe Mars…

Join me for a tour of Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas, in Colombia’s La Guajira in the north–a region that looks and feels like another world.

Traveling through the arid peninsula recently–with its rust-colored sand, meteor-like rocks and ever-changing, not-exactly turquoise water–I felt like I was dreaming.

Cabo de la Vela, La Guajira

A Few Thousand Miles Away or 141 Million?

Had I only traveled a few thousand miles away from home? Or was it actually 141 million miles (the distance between Earth and Mars)?

The terrain made me wonder.

In certain areas, ripply dunes, untouched by human footprints, drifted with every gust of wind. And the water, a multitude of colors, sparkled like an other-worldly gem.

Or maybe they were swirling gasses resembling water–a Martian mirage designed to stump mere Earthlings like myself.

Cabo de la Vela, La Guajira

I consider myself fortunate to have traveled there; it was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. It was also, I believe, the closest I’ll ever come to visiting another planet.

And that was wonderful because as a child, I was fascinated by the idea of space travel and dreamed of someday doing it. This trip made that dream come true.

The Rocket Is Ready for Takeoff

Join me now or an exploration of this surreal region of Colombia. Put on your seatbelt and get ready…the rocket is leaving momentarily.

(Note: many of these photos were taken with a ‘dramatic effect’ filter on my camera (I couldn’t help myself); others were taken without a filter. In a few cases, you may not be able to tell the difference.  Also, most photos are of Cabo de la Vela; they tend to have the rockier sand. A few, with longer patches of dunes, are from Punta Gallinas.)

Colombia’s Final Frontier–aka, the ‘Wild West’

The Guajira is known as Colombia’s Wild West. Why? Well, it’s the terrain–the inhospitable desert–and the fact that the region is untamed. It’s controlled by the Wayuu, an indigenous group with its own rules and laws.

As you can imagine,  it’s not so easy to travel there–especially Punta Gallinas. One must be in a truck or 4-wheel drive vehicle. If not, one could get lost and disappear somewhere in the desert…

The wind is different there, by the way. It howls–and nearly knocks you over. Nowhere else have I felt gusts quite that strong.

And there are miles and miles of surreal desert. Mirages in the distance. I thought I saw water one time. But it was just sand. Sand with a high saline content.

A mirage–a salt flat resembling water

En route to Punta Gallinas from Cabo de la Vela

Cabo de la Vela, La Guajira

Cabo de la Vela, La Guajira

Water That Sparkles Like an Other-Worldy Jewel

The body of water you see in the photo is the Caribbean Sea. And although the colors are intense, I don’t believe the photo even came close to capturing it. The way the water sparkles changes by the second, depending on the light and maybe the Martian atmosphere.

Punta Gallinas, Colombia

Another Dimension?

Actually, these photos were a ‘mistake’ of sorts. At one point, the sun and wind were both intense and I couldn’t see well when I was adjusting my camera settings. I thought I was taking separate photos. Later, when I uploaded them into iPhoto, I realized the ‘double exposure’ setting had been on.

A few, ended up looking like what someone with blurry vision might see. Others, like these, turned out kind of cool. So I thought I’d include them. Also, as part of the Mars theme, they seem to fit. On another planet–maybe in another galaxy–these types of ‘other dimensions’ might actually be possible.

Signs of Martian Life?

I’m not sure what this sign means, but when I saw it, I wondered if it might be the Martian language being used to say, ‘Keep an eye on the water…it can be rough.’ Not sure, though.

Your Thoughts/Reactions?

Have you wondered what it would be like to travel to another planet? If so, why and where?

And what do you think of these photos? See the resemblance to Mars? Which photos do you think capture it the best? And do you prefer the filtered or unfiltered photos?

Have you traveled to a region of the world that’s similar to this? If so, where?

More Posts Coming Soon

Stay tuned for more posts about the Guajira–how to get there and tips for making your journey as enjoyable as possible.