Punta Gallinas, Colombia 🇨🇴

We are not surprised to be up with first light, in time to observe a beautiful sunrise over the tranquil bay. We are all ready for breakfast by 6.30am and are on the road soon after. The road is even more desert like and sandy, making it a slower road to Punta Gallinas. We stop briefly to see flamingos in a reservoir before we keep going through area bordering Bahia Honda and Bahía Hondita. 

Along the way each community or family puts a little barrier up across the road, and our ‘toll’ is water, biscuits or sweets. We must have stopped at at least 20, mainly manned by cute children smiling as they got their payment. 

The Taroa dunes were epic, there was a forceful wind blowing sand at us as we climbed over a dune. You then skidd down the fine sand to this side empty beach that has the most mighty waves. We didn’t swim there, just paddling and you could feel the power of the sea. It’s a beautiful place but after an hour in the sun we scaled the huge dune once more to get back to the jeep, driving on to reach Punta Gallinas by midday. I have a moment at the Northern most point of South America, thinking of the distance I have travelled over the last nine months, feels like a good finishing point to have on this chapter.  

We viewed the panoramic Mirador Castillas before arriving at our Ranchería. We eat a massive freshly fried fish for lunch, which was amazingly before getting ready for a swim this afternoon. Clambering into a boat we headed across the channel to a calm swimming beach, only we didn’t realise that first we were going to see flamingos. This involved heading out to sea, headlong into the big waves which became a bit scary, Polly was worried about sinking and how she would protect her camera! After about 30minutes we found a huge flock of flamingos, they were amazing and really vivid orangery/ pink colour. It was worth the trip but once the guy cut his anchor to release us we were pleased to be heading back. We stopped at our nice tranquil beach, Playa Boquito, for a swim and the sunset before making him take us back before it got dark.

We join another group for cards, beers and dinner before heading to tonight’s hammocks. These are bigger and I can cocoon myself right into it, which is good as the fierce wind looks like it will make it a rocky night.