​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.

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?

1. Wear bright, but warm clothes
2. Have shoes that can get wet (but preferably keep your feet dry)
3. If you have time, do the three day tour ( Salt Flats are definitley the highlight, but there are amazing things on the second and third days!)
4. When you take your photos, make sure you get the silhouette as well as the main subject
5. Go in the rainy season (January to April - though late December is likely fine) for the epic photos
I have reflected on on our experiences here, and also provide tour info about the group we went with if you click read more...

​You should be prepared for cold weather, and we had been told to expect to freeze near to death on the second night, but we chose a great tour company, who had a very warm private hostel, and we were all very snug and warm throughout the whole trip.    

,After visiting the Pyramids at Giza, Machu Picchu moved to number #1 on the ole’ travelling bucket list. On the day of the summer solstice, (winter for the northern hemisphere) I am proud to announce, it has come down! Ultimately, I would have loved to have done the Inca Trail as well, but in this context we are travelling with a 4, 7, 10 and 71 year old, some of whom had a hard enough time doing the regular tour. I am not sure what I can add about this place that hasn’t already been said, but I will reflect on our family experiences, and provide some travel insight nonetheless.