La Guajira

This department is divided into three subregions: Upper Guajira, characterized by its desert landscapes and considered sacred places by the Wayuu community; Middle Guajira, where you can find a diversity of landscapes such as the flamingo sanctuary, Palomino, and the northern area of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and the most recognized municipalities Maicao, Riohacha, and Dibulla; and finally, Lower Guajira, an area with beautiful landscapes and quite humid due to its location in the eastern part of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía del Perijá.

La Guajira is characterized by being a multicultural and multilingual department since it is home to several indigenous cultures, including the Wayuu culture, a community that represents approximately 38% of the population of the department, known for its ancestral traditions, rituals, and crafts.

It is a department known for the social and economic crisis it is currently experiencing, due to high poverty rates and deficiencies in the provision of services in health, decent housing, formal employment, and education. Additionally, there is a high mortality rate in children due to the scarcity of drinking water.

Currently, the National Government is working on the completion of the Ranchería River dam, which will allow the supply of drinking water to the communities, and they are seeking strategies to promote sustainable development in this region from a social and environmental perspective. Tourism in this region is a fundamental piece for the change and development of the communities.