www.adrenalineaddicts.

co
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+57 311 364 2134 (Santa Marta)

La Guajira by Motorcycle
Information for rentals

1. Background Information
2. How to get there/Navigation
3. What to see and do
4. Where to sleep
5. Where to eat
6. Safety tips
7. Where to get help
Background Information
Cabo de la Vela the entry point for almost all tourists and travellers visiting the desert of
la Guajira. The first foreigners to land in the area and attempt to settle were actually
lead by a German, Nikolaus Federmann in the 1530´s while out searching for the
legendary lost city of El Dorado, but he was quickly made to leave by the local
indigenous people called Arawaks (ancestors of the current indigenous population, the
Wayuu), and moved his settlement down to Riohacha.

How to get there from Riohacha

There are 2 ways to head north once you leave Riohacha. You can take the coastal
route, which is a mix of single track, off road trails and gravel roads that will take you up
along the coast past Mayapo beach, through Manaure, then inland to Uribia (2.5 hours),
or you can follow the main highway south-east, then take the north-east highway from
Cuatro Vias to Uribia (1.5 hours).

From Uribia, you will continue for approximately 1-hour on a gravel road, until you see
the turnoff for Cabo de la Vela. The turnoff has a sign, and a new asphalt road that runs
for around 2 kilometres before it ends and you start riding through desert sands. There
is no signage once you are in the desert, but if you are arriving in the early-mid
afternoon there will be cars and trucks coming back from Cabo de la Vela to Uribia
which you can use to highlight the direction you should ride to reach the town.

If in the rare case that there are no vehicles around, keep the ocean in sight on the left
hand side, drive north along the trail that looks most used, and it will be very obvious
when you find your destination. The drive from the turnoff from the gravel road to Cabo
de la Vela should take around 1-hour with no stops.

We recommend leaving Riohacha before 10 am and taking the coastal route north. It
takes a little longer, but the ride is much more interesting, and you get to pass through
Manaure, where you can find a local guide to show you around the nearby indigenous
salt flats (10.000 COP per moto).

The highway route can be a little boring, but it is very straightforward to navigate if you
are worried about getting lost, and much quicker if you are running short on time.

How to navigate
Download the app maps.me, or another offline maps program on your phone, and
combined with the map above, you should have more than enough information to make
your way to Cabo.
Ask locals too. They will probably regard you with curiosity, especially in Manaure or
another town rarely visited by tourists, but they will happily point you in the right
direction.

What to See and Do

Riohacha and surrounds
Camarones: Small fishing village approximately 15km south of Riohacha. Pay a local
guide 20.000 pesos for a 2-3 hour trip through the nature reserve containing 100’s of
pink flamingos.

Mayapo beach
On the coast approximately 30 minutes north of Riohacha. Busy on weekends, almost
empty weekdays. Seafood lunches and drinks available. Agree on a price before
ordering (fresh fish with salad, rice, patacones approx. 20.000 COP)

Manaure
On the coast, 1.5 hours north of Riohacha. Explore the Indigenous salt flats just south of
the town with a local guide. 10.000 COP per bike, includes entry and a 1-hour tour of
the area. Entry is not “officially” allowed without a guide. Flamingos are often found at
the south-western end of the salt pools. Menu del dia available at restaurants on the
main road in town, approximately 8.000 COP.

4 Vías
4 way intersection between the Riohacha-Maicao highway and the northern road to
Uribia. A lot of street food (try the goat), and a place to buy cheap fuel.

Uribia
Indigenous capital of La Guajira. Last stop for normal priced water, snacks, food and
gas before entering the desert. Restaurante Donde Alvaro in the Plaza de Colombia is a
good place for a decent menu del dia meal. Prices a little higher than normal, but still
reasonable. Menu available in English.

Cabo de la Vela
El Faro lighthouse: 4km along the coast from El Cabo town. Beautiful sunset spot, fun
riding tracks around the area.
Pilon de Azucar: Picturesque beach with sand dunes. Climb the hill for a great view of
the area.
El Arcoiris: Just past Pilon de Azucar where the surging waves blow mist up through the
rocks, creating a striking rainbow in the right conditions.
El ojo de agua: Rocky beach and with a freshwater pool next to the ocean. Connects
with the sea at certain times of the year.

Punta Gallinas
A 4-hour ride from Cabo de la Vela in the dry season, and up to 6-hours in the wet
season due to the need to use a different road. This journey to the northernmost point of
South America should not be attempted without an indigenous guide, and we have
listed the names and contact phone numbers of our 3 trusted guys in the “safety”
section of this handout.
Check out the Dunas de Taroa, Puerto Bolivar and Bahía Hondita. Spend the night in an
indigenous hammock (chinchorro). They’re super comfortable. Hospedaje Luzmila is the
number 1 place to stay in Punta Gallinas. Hammocks and private rooms are both
available at a reasonable price.

Nazareth and Parque Nacional Natural de Macuira

Only for experienced adventure riders that want to get way off the beaten track. If you
are going to attempt the trek across the desert, please use a local guide. Although this
area is less dangerous than it used to be, it is still VERY strongly recommended that
foreigners do not try and travel in this region without the aid of a local, indigenous guide.
Those that do make the trek however, will be rewarded with some of the most
spectacular landscape in Colombia, and arguably the world. The park is a lush, green
oasis in the middle of the desert, with a very large, orange sand dune splitting it down
the centre. Those who make it here can claim to be one of the few people outside the
area ever to visit.

What to see/do off the bike

Kitesurfing: Check out our friends at Kite Addicts, the longest running and best reputed
company in Cabo de la Vela. They also have an office in Riohacha.
Jetski: Rent off of the beach for around 100.000 COP per 30 minutes.
Buy Indigenous handcrafts: Mochila: Small for 15-20.000 COP, large from 40.000 to
100.000 COP depending on quality/intricacy.
Bracelet: 1.000 COP.
Chinchorro Hammock: 500.000 to 1.500.000 depending on quality/intricacy.

Where to stay
Rancheria Utta: One of the nicest places to stay in Cabo de la Vela. Located
approximately 5 minutes ride past the end of Cabo de la Vela town, on the beach.
Private rooms for 80.000 COP, hammocks for 25.000 and have running water as well as
electricity for a longer period of time than most other places in Cabo.

Jepira Inn: At the northern end of Cabo de la Vela. One of the last buildings on the right.
Manager’s name is Jose, and will help you with just about anything you need in Cabo.
Super friendly. Great lobster for a good price, but ask in advance. Indigenous style
hammocks for 20-25.000 COP, or privates for 120.000 COP per room (3 beds).
Fluctuates a little depending on the time of year.

What to eat/drink
Lobster/Langosta: Start at 25.000 for a small one and go up to 50.000 for a large
(seriously, LARGE, like, serves 2 people).
Polarcítas: Beer “imported” from Venezuela. Only 250ml, but only 2.000 COP per beer.
Great to sit and drink a few on the beach while watching the kitesurfers do their thing in
the evenings.
Fish empanadas: Freely available at most carts on the main road. 1-1.500 COP each.

Safety
Heading to Punta Gallinas or Nazareth?
Hire a guide. The desert routes between Cabo de la Vela, Punta Gallinas and Nazareth
are very difficult to navigate without knowledge of the area, and there is still a real
danger of running into the wrong people. You don’t need to do a guided/4-wheel drive
tour unless you want to, however we strongly recommend contacting one of our 3
guides and arranging an escort across the desert the evening before you depart. They
ride their own bikes while showing you the safest/quickest route and keeping you out of
harm's way. Price will be 125.000COP one way, and doesn’t matter how many people
are making the trip, so team up with others to keep costs down.

● Luis: +57 313 774 9867 (The man the middle. Use him if possible)
● Alexander & Jonnifer: 2 brothers, 1 number +57 312 607 4937
● If all the guides are busy or unavailable, contact us and we’ll find you another.

Don’t ride after dark. Ever.

Make sure you plan to arrive in Cabo de la Vela well before sunset (4:30 pm at the
latest), which means passing through Uribia no later than 3pm. The road is dotted with
potholes and rubbish, and the complete lack of street lights in the surrounding areas
makes it damn near impossible to see. The main road in Cabo is reasonably safe to
walk around for several hours after sunset, but when the electricity shuts off (around
10:30 pm), most people will head back to their accommodation.

Rope kids.
On the way to Cabo de la Vela, you will encounter groups of children (and sometimes
adults) holding ropes across the road as makeshift toll points. The idea is to stop you
and get money. You can often ride around these people and their ropes, or just be
persistent and insist they lower it. If you see no other option, a bag of water, a snack, or
a donation of 500 COP is enough to get them to lower it. You may see 1 or 2 or you may
see 30 or 40 of these roadblocks, it just depends on the time of year. Approach with
caution and don’t try and drive through the rope, as some of them are not rope, but
metal chains. If you do need to stop, keep an eye out for children sneaking behind you
on the bike to “inspect” your luggage. Make sure your bags are locked and everything is
packed away.

Park Smart
Always park the bike in a safe and secure area, with the steering lock engaged. Our
recommended accommodations both have a secure parking area for you, but if you
choose to stay elsewhere, make sure there is a secure place to leave the bike. Very
rarely does anything happen to people using the right amount of brains and caution.

Where to get help with the bike

Flat tires. In the centre of Cabo de la Vela town there is a large tire repair place
(llanteria). You will see 4-wheel drives, cars and motorcycles lined up to use their
service. If the tire just needs to be patched, it will cost you maximum 7.000 COP. If you
need a new tube, there is a hardware store (ferreteria) about 100m south of the tire
repair place. Rear tubes are 17 inch, and front tubes are 19 inches. 18 inch will work in
emergency cases if you cannot find a 19 inch tube. The size is written on the packet,
and they should cost around 20.000 COP.
Gas
If you run out of gas, the bikes have a reserve tank that will get you another 30-40km.
The dial is a metal switch on the left side of the bike, underneath the gas tank. Point it
down to access the reserve fuel.
Chain
If your chain comes off and doesn’t appear to be damaged in any way, place the chain
on the rear sprocket (pointy disc on the back wheel), and roll the bike backwards. It
should click back into place. Tighten the chain as soon as possible, or ask somebody to
tighten it for you if you don’t know how.
Clutch cable
If your clutch cable (the wire that keeps tension on the left lever for changing gears)
snaps, replace it with the one we provided you with. If you already used it, another cable
should cost around 1.000 COP from a hardware store, or a little more if somebody
needs to bring it to you. If you don’t know how to replace it yourself, wave down a
passing moto and tip them for the service. Almost all locals will know how to do it.

For other problems with the bike, the guys at the Cabo llantería are the first place to
ask. They may be able to help, and they can definitely send people to Uribia to get you
parts if it is not something we have provided with the rental. If it is something more
specific, they always know somebody who will be able to help you.
Outside of Cabo de la Vela, Uribia has licenced Honda mechanics that will be able to
help, or if in the unfortunate case of you getting stuck roadside, passing locals (tour
trucks are the best) are usually very friendly to stranded foreigners.

IMPORTANT NOTES ON BREAKDOWNS

In the extremely rare case that you damage your bike to the point where you cannot ride
it, or in the even rarer case of mechanical failure that results in you being unable to
operate the bike, you are still responsible for bringing the bike back safely to us. DO
NOT leave it unattended in the desert. Get in contact with us as soon as possible as we
have the contact information for trusted people and mechanics in the desert.
If there was a mechanical problem with the bike, and it comes to the point where we
need to truck the bike back, call us and we will organise the tow at no expense to you,
and refund you any missed rental days once both you and the bike have safely returned
to Riohacha.