Guilty Tourism in La Guajira, Colombia

Photo Credit to our tour guide Jon.

​Colombia, compared to Canada is a poor country, but life in a Colombian city like Medellin, is not really all that different from life in a Canadian city. The levels of poverty are higher, but the levels of Paisas (a person from Antioquia, but more specifically Medellin) living in relative comfort are also significantly higher than in more rural regions in Colombia. Then, you visit La Guajira, the northern most desert department of Colombia, and poverty takes on new meaning.

A Land of Little

I think La Guajira is a place every traveller to Colombia should go, especially if your typical vacation idea is an all-inclusive Caribbean resort. I also think it is a place all Colombians should visit, just like I feel the Canadian North is a place all Canadians should visit (and by this I mean the TRUE north, not Northern Ontario cottage country, or anything north of Edmonton). This place has stunning desert meets ocean landscapes on one hand, and gut-wrenching poverty and desperation on the other. Have I sold you yet?

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