Just for those planning to go to Riohacha:

There is NO cheap accommodation. I stayed in Confort Hotel, the cheapest I could find, and it was 40,000 for a tiny room.

Also when you leave you have to pay 3,600 and there's no bank at the airport, meaning if you don't take your money with you you'll have to leave and go to the centre again to come back and pay it. Pain in the ass.

Not the best city in Colombia by a long stretch, but kind of necessary to get to the stunning La Guajira.

There's another place called castillo del Mar, located 15 min away from the center of town. It's not great but it's the cheapest in town at around 25k. If you are on low budget that will do. And you can get some info on tours to Alta Guajira. The staff is not that nice but if you get to meet the old German owner of the place, he'll tell you some interesting stories.

I heard of Castillo del Mar on the internet but no-one in town seemed to know where it was. That's another thing about Rioacha: No-one knows where anything is, despite the place being so small.

Still, in its defense the people are friendly and you might enjoy the relaxed vibe. Don't want to be too hard on it...

I thought Castilla del Mar was pretty cool, I mean compared to what awaits you in Punta Gallinas or Cabo de la Vela, of course it's incomparable, but it's a great basecamp to organise your trip.

I thought this hotel (and Riohacha in general) would have a tremendous potential to become a holiday resort if it was cleaned up a little bit. Maybe in a few years when investors discover it?