jwnd
Since 22 Oct 2014
16 Posts
Bellingham
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 Wed Jul 12, 23 2:53 pm Colombia |
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Learned to kite on Lago Calima about an hour NNW of Santiago de Cali (aka Cali). Deep reservoir along mountain pass to coast that gets wind most days of the year. 8-10m conditions there with fairly flat water near the dam to west then weaker and more choppy as you head to town of Darrien. Access to the lake is mostly privately owned so you may have to connect with local school or hotel to get access. Topography of lake allows access to water more on north side vs south but there may be kiteable access on the south side. First visit there I went with a school about 4-5km east of the dam, second one was maybe 2km from the dam. Water is cold considering how hot temps can be in Cauca Valley, plan on 3mm suit although might get away with a shorty.
Several years later I took an extended trip to Cartagena including a tour to La Guajira site called Cabo de la Vela near Venezuelan border. Some kite closer to city but most access and better wind is few Km to the east. Bus or taxis are easy way to get around. Would typically take city bus east of airport to La Boquilla. There are mid range hotels and condos there with shanty like communities along the beach itself. Wind is typically east to west and varies from 9-12m most days. There are small to medium waves but on the choppy side. If you are just going to Cartagena on your trip then this is a good place with few schools around La Boquilla that will host your gear so you can commute from city and not have to haul everything each day. Many offer tours to Cabo de la Vela.
Went to sites Puerto Colombia and Puerto Valero, the latter providing flat water (off shore winds) close in with few rustic restaurants having palapas to eat your meal along the beach. Puerto Valero wasn't particularly built up with Puerto Colombia more established as a bedroom community to Barranquilla. The latter offered more side-on shore conditions with choppy water.
There is a site called Palomino which is a bit of a resort town for people camping out alongside Tayrona National Park to east of Santa Marta. Beautiful area and tons of Europeans vacationing there. Light winds kept us from kiting and strong rip tide kept many from swimming far from shore.
Riohacha had decent winds along beach just north of town. This is last established town before heading into La Guajira desert zone although you can provision up at Uriba.
Cabo de la Vela is Colombia's flatwater kiting mecca albeit with very limited services. Must haul water as there are few stores or lodges to provide much. We stayed in a place offering hammocks and 2 meals a day. There were a few homes that offered convenience store items in front of their homes but no real grocery stores to speak of. Very arid area with little ground water so locals do with trucked in water. Buying trinkets or offering donations to indigenous Wayuu people are considered good form for visiting tourists as the area is particularly poor..woven bracelets and handbags were popular items. As far as kiting, off-shore SE winds from mid morning or noon until sunset. Locals will keep tabs on visitors in case kites get dropped and people start drifting towards Jamaica. Amazing watching local kids of 10-13yrs old rip along the shoreline, jumping over fishing boats. We drove to Punta Gallina but wind was too gusty and launches more exposed than Cabo de la Vela.
There is another site to the eastern end of La Guajira we did not visit that is even more remote but sounds similarly good for winds. Talked with a Swiss guy who spent a week or two there who liked kiting the remoteness but services are few and far between.
Star gazing in the Guajira desert is amazing considering there is very little light pollution. Transport via private car or can be done via bus. Take collectivo from Riohacha or Uriba to Cabo de la Vela.
San Andres island off coast of Nicaragua may be worth a visit. Planned on side trip here but winds were light and other things came up that grabbed my attention for remainder of trip. Direct flights from Bogota as a popular get away for cosmopolitan Colombians. Launches are on N and NE side of island. Looks like there are some good downwinders possible with a little planning. Would love to return here but good to have a plan B in case winds are light. Beach combing, boating and scuba is very popular there and on Providencia island an hour or two to the north.
Traveling safely - knowing basic Spanish is necessary particularly outside of Cartagena. There are few English speakers out of tourist zone which is tiny compared to Mexico. In general I felt safe aside from a pair of guys hustling me on a beach in the city for money but their hustle included waiving their fish knife around. In La Boquilla the proprietor of the school I connected with for tour had an 8yo kid walk me past the shanty structures to the highway where I could hail a cab or catch a bus. This got me thinking that a gringo walking alone might not fare too well after sunset. Once in the countryside I had no safety concerns that I would not have at home. Found some amazing seafood places during my trip as well as more typical Colombian fare of arepas con queso, sancocho and various cazuelas.
If I were to return I'd like to visit Santa Veronica near Barranquilla as well as San Andres but wouldn't hesitate to return to the above spots. Have a blast if you go. |
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