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THINGS TO DO AT RIOACHA BEACH, GUAJIRA, COLOMBIA

Things to do at Rioacha Beach, Guajira, Colombia

While Riohacha is much less touristy than Barranquilla or Cartagena along the Caribbean coast, a lot of tourists prefer its homey beaches and tranquil way of life. The beach runs along the boulevard and extends past the town to a small harbor pier and is particularly visited by locals and Colombian tourists with a taste for a rural beach experience. There are a couple of older churches, although the don't seem to be fully colonial. There aren't many things to do Rioacha Beach, Guajira, Colombia other than enjoy the quiet beach, or prepare for an exiting expedition deep into the Guajira desert to visit Uribia, Manaure and Cabo de la Vela.

In the 17 hundreds, Riohacha was incorporated to the Viceroyalty of New Granada as part of the province of Santa Marta. The harbor of Riohacha was used by the Spanish fighting for Colombian and Venezuelan independence. Many men from Riohacha however fought in the revolutionary navy, most notably Admiral José Prudencio Padilla. In 1954, Riohacha acquired municipality status, and in 1964 it became the capital of the new La Guajira Department.

As the Spanish conquerors discovered that the Indians fished for pearls the town became frequently raided by pirates as they are called by the hispanics - navies by the British and Dutch. After the original town was destroyed by the so-called pirates it was relocated to the mouth of the Ranchería River, but attacks soon resumed. The next major attack, led by Francis Drake, took place in 1569, when Drake pillaged the city searching for gold and pearls.

Riohacha, owing to the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, has a semi-arid climate, receiving about 550 mm of rainfall per year. However, this rain falls almost exclusively in May and between August and November, and for the rest of the year there are a about a dozen days days of rainfall per year, thus creating rather dry conditions.

THINGS TO DO AT RIOACHA BEACH, GUAJIRA, COLOMBIA