Guachaca is a village on the intersection of the Highway 90 and the river Río Guachaca in the Colombian department Magdalena.

Understand

The village is divided into 1 the smaller center. And in the east there is the 2 the bigger center. 

Get in

In Guachaca there are no ATMs, so may want to bring cash.

The white regional bus between Palomino and Santa Marta goes via Guachaca. It goes every 15min until around 18:00 from both directions. From Santa Marta it's COP$7,000 (Sept 2021). You can enter and exit the bus anywhere. If you want to enter it in Santa Marta en route, it goes from the Plaza de Mercado on Calle 11, then Carrera 16 and then along the Avenida del Libertador.

Get around

The village can be easily explored on foot. There are mototaxi drivers who take you to places nearby.

Taking a mototaxi for within the village is COP$2,000 (Oct 2021). At night mototaxi prices are way higher. Mototaxi drivers are in the small and in the big center. If you want to be picked up from somewhere else inside or outside Guachaca, you need to ask some drivers for their phone/whatsapp numbers beforehand.

Do

At the river in Guachaca near the main bridge there is a 3 a small beach. Further east there is another 4 small beach. In the south-west there is 5 a bigger beach. 

You can head to the Caribbean Sea and there to an 6 unspoiled beach.  It's 30–50 min walking to there or you can take a mototaxi. The road is in the east of the Guachaca river. As of Oct 2021 only OpenStreetMap (used by apps like OsmAnd, Mapy.cz, MapQuest or this travel guide) show the way correctly, while Google Maps shows it wrong. At the Caribbean Sea take care of the strong rip tides.

From May to November the river Guachaca has enough water to float on it to the Caribbean Sea. On this part of the river there no rapids. From the mouth of the river you go on the beach 400 meters to the east. There is a road to Guachaca. Somebody there can call you a mototaxi back. There are said to be rentals for swim rings around the intersection of the Highway 90 bridge and the main Guachaca river. Otherwise there is a 7 store for water toys. It sells sufficiently big inflatable swimming rings for COP$18,000 (Oct 2021) and is on the Highway 90 near the Puerto Caribe Hostal.

You can also float from further upstream to the village. There is a road on the right and left side of the river. You can walk or take a mototaxi. A mototaxi can take you to a 8 beach at the river. This part of the river has some rather small rapids. On both trips it's advisable to take a repellent with you. A good time to do it is the earlier morning and the later afternoon, so you don't risk a sun burn from the midday sun and additionally from the water reflections.

9 Laguna Encantada. It's an idyllic place inside the river Mendihuaca. Take the bus or mototaxi to the Moon Wind Tayrona hostel and hike from there around 3km. 

10 Quebrada Valencia. It's a beautiful ravine. Just take a bus or mototaxi to the Hostel Valencia. From there you can hike around 2km. On the way you gonna pass 11 Arbol Frondoso. It's a tree with vertical falling branches. 

On the road to Gotsezhi is a 12 tollbooth. You need to pay COP$30,000-90,000 in order to pass it, even as a pedestrian.

Buy

There are some minimarkets. In the eastern part of the village at the Highway 90 are somewhat bigger supermarkets and a 1 bakery. It has many tasty baked goods for COP$700 (Oct 2021).

As of Sept 2021 there are no ATMs on 100km between Santa Marta and Mingueo. In Guachaca you can get cash from your credit card for a 10% fee.

Eat

Street Food

In the evening you find some street food in the eastern part of the village along the Highway 90.

Budget

In the big center there are several local simple restaurants. You get a main dish plus soup and drink from COP$8,000-12,000.

• 1 Restaurant El Mono. Good tasting local simple restaurant. A main dish with grilled chicken, drink and soup is for COP$8,000 (Oct 2021). To get a dish with grilled chicken, order 'almuerzo con pollo asado'. Other dishes are for COP$8-9,000 (Oct 2021). In the evening it has street food and fast food, like:hot dogs for COP$2,000 (Oct 2021)a juice for COP$1,000 (Oct 2021)empanadas for COP$1,000 (Oct 2021) with chicken or carne that taste somewhat better than elsewherehamburger for COP$7,000 (Oct 2021), with fries COP$10,000 (Oct 2021)salchipapa for COP$7,000 (Oct 2021)ranchipapa for COP$10,000 (Oct 2021)mazorca for COP$10,000 (Oct 2021)pizzafour arrepas rellenas for COP$10,000 (Oct 2021) 

Sleep

Budget

• 1 La Playita. It lies directly at the river. The bunk beds have a mosquito net. 5min walking away from both centers of the village. Breakfast is for COP$7,000 (Oct 2021), lunch COP$12,000 (Oct 2021). Dorms are for COP$25,500 (Oct 2021), double rooms from COP$80,000 (March 2023). 
• 2 Puerto Caribe Hostel. Dorms are for COP$35,000 (Oct 2021) 

As of Oct 2021 the Ohana Hostel is bookable on Hostelworld, but gonna be closed until November 2021.

Go next

All of these places have both hostels and private rooms:

in the east

• Buritaca – 7 km
• Riohacha – 120 km
• Palomino – 30 km

in the west

• Los Naranjos – 9 km
• Tayrona National Park – 11 km
• Calabazo – 22 km
• Santa Marta