La Guajira – True North

Text by Federico Rios. Photos by Federico Rios and Septima Photos.

Colombia’s La Guajira desert is not an easy place to reach, sitting out on arugged peninsular horizon in the northernmost part of the country. It looks out into the blue Caribbean Sea where dozens of tugboats move coal from Cerrejón, the nation’s largest coal mine, to behemoth cargo ships awaiting delivery in distant floating ports.

This harsh desert ecosystem was one of the first sites that Spanish explorers encountered upon arriving in the Americas. Today, its spectacular scenery and relative isolation tend to attract only the more adventurous road trippers in search of a unique experience quite unlike that found anywhere else in the country.

While rich in coal, natural gas and salt reserves, there’s very little tourism infrastructure to be found in the La Guajira department. “Accomodation” often means a hammock to go along with your plate of rice, beans, and roasted goat, and spotty electricity means refrigerators, fans, and other appliances regularly come and go. Once the sun dips down, it’s a dark landscape set to the sound of waves whooshing in from the sea. For many of course, this is its main appeal.

About fourty-five percent of La Guajira’s population is indigenous, with members of the Arhuaco, Koguis, Wiwa and Wayuu nations currently inhabiting ten reservations across the department. The Wayuu, pictured here, live on the edge of two worlds: one driven by mining and progress, the other by roots and clan.