Los Flamencos Fauna and Flora Sanctuary is an important reserve with marshes, lagoons, and an important fragment of tropical dry forest created to protect a large population of American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber). This reserve is also the habitat of 185 other bird species, 80% of which are migratory.
This Sanctuary is located in the town of Camarones, very close to the city of Riohacha in La Guajira. It is part of the Northern Caribbean Birding Trail of Colombia.
Los Flamencos has shallow lagoons that fill up when the rains come and evaporate during the dry season. When the water evaporates, the marine salt concentrates, facilitating the growth of brine shrimp (Artemia sp.), which attracts American flamingos!
The local community consists mainly of Wayuu Indians. They are known for their colorful bags (mochilas), and handicrafts.
Discovering Los Flamencos Fauna and Flora Sanctuary
Los Flamencos Fauna and Flora Sanctuary is formed by four coastal swamps, with an area of 768. 2 square kilometers. It was declared Colombia’s National and Cultural Patrimony in 1992, being one of the smallest protected areas in the country, but one of the richest in a variety of resident and migratory birds. Moreover, it is home to algae, mollusks, crustaceans, and fish.
Temperature varies from 26 to 33 degrees celsius at its highest point.
Los Flamencos Sanctuary offers diverse cultural and gastronomic options, especially, from local Wayuu. Worth noticing is the ancestral dances and “make-up” worn by Wayuu people from the nearby rancherias tribes.
In the case of Los Flamencos Flamingo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary, they offer a year of work to a representative of each of the tribes present in the sector. There are 7 tribes and two of them are selected annually to provide information and orientation to the sanctuary’s visitors with the support of a representative from the national natural parks in the city of Bogota.
Food delicacies available include different types of fish, seafood, and goat meat, prepared with the region’s ancestral recipes.
The American Flamingo
These beautiful birds with pink feathers, long legs, and slender long- curved necks, are by far the most interesting attraction in this place. In fact, the park is named after these birds.
Flamingos are monogamous birds that lay only one egg per year. Their nests are mud mounds with a height of approximately 30 to 55 cm. Its hatchlings are born with white or grey feathers and they must wait 3 years for their feathers to turn pink.
Note that flamencos are easier to watch during the rainy season.
Flamingo Ecology
The Greater Flamingos at Los Flamencos Sanctuary filter-feed in the shallow, hypersaline lagoon waters, using specialized bills to strain brine shrimp, algae, and small crustaceans. Their iconic pink coloration comes from carotenoid pigments in their food — flamingos in areas with richer food sources display deeper pink hues.
The sanctuary’s lagoon system — primarily Laguna Navio Quebrado and Laguna Grande — fluctuates dramatically between wet and dry seasons. During the dry season (December-April), evaporation concentrates nutrients and food organisms, drawing flamingos in their largest numbers. The wet season dilutes the lagoons and disperses the birds across a wider area.
Beyond Flamingos
While flamingos are the flagship species, the sanctuary supports over 180 bird species. Roseate Spoonbills, American White Pelicans, various heron species, and migratory shorebirds from North America create a waterbird spectacle particularly impressive during the northern hemisphere winter (October-March).
The surrounding Wayúu indigenous territory adds cultural depth to the visit. The Wayúu people — Colombia’s largest indigenous group — have inhabited the Guajira Peninsula for centuries, maintaining traditions, language, and a deep relationship with the desert landscape that few visitors expect to find in the Caribbean.
Visiting Los Flamencos
The sanctuary is located near the town of Camarones, accessible by road from Riohacha (approximately 30 minutes). Wayúu guides lead boat trips through the lagoon channels and walking tours along the shoreline. The best flamingo viewing occurs during the dry season mornings when birds are actively feeding in calm water with good light for photography. Combine with visits to Cabo de la Vela and the broader Caribbean Region for a comprehensive Guajira experience.
2026 update: SFF Los Flamencos La Guajira = Colombia’s most accessible flamingo site + Ramsar wetland + Wayúu community-managed access + January-April dry-season peak
The 2026 anchor for the SFF Los Flamencos site. The Santuario de Fauna y Flora Los Flamencos in La Guajira — near Riohacha — is Colombia’s most accessible site for Caribbean flamingo populations and one of the country’s most-visited coastal Ramsar wetlands. The sanctuary combines Ramsar-designated coastal lagoon ecosystems with tropical dry forest mosaic, protecting the flamingo concentration alongside a rich avifauna typical of Colombia’s Caribbean dry corridor. Colombia has 13 Ramsar-designated wetlands nationally, totalling over 1.4 million hectares, and Los Flamencos remains one of the network’s most accessible tourism-facing sites. Access is via Aeropuerto Almirante Padilla (RCH) in Riohacha then short road transfer to the sanctuary — a straightforward addition to a wider La Guajira Wayúu-territory itinerary.
The 2026 practical planning + cultural framework. Best months for flamingo observation are the January-April dry season, when water levels concentrate the population into observable clusters at the sanctuary’s central lagoons. Visitor operations are largely Wayúu community-managed — a critical cultural framework worth respecting: engage with the Wayúu guides, ask before photographing people, buy directly from artisans (the mochilas Wayúu are the region’s cultural signature and legal-livelihood anchor), and follow the community’s tourism protocol rather than treating the sanctuary as a generic wildlife destination. Combine Los Flamencos with the Wayúu community-managed Cabo de la Vela + Punta Gallinas corridor (northernmost point of the South American mainland at 12°27’N per Sula’s Cabo de la Vela dedicated guide) and the Policía Nacional “Turismo Seguro” 2026 La Guajira strategy for a full 5-7 day Alta Guajira itinerary. The 4×4 tracks north of Uribia are firmest in the December-March dry window.
Sara Colmenares holds a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in Ecology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and a Master’s degree in Botany from the same institution. Her doctoral research focused on palm ecology in the Atlantic Forest, supported by the Rufford Foundation conservation grant.
A published researcher in the Brazilian Journal of Plant Physiology and a member of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC), Sara has presented her work at international conferences across Latin America and beyond. She was awarded the COLCIENCIAS “Virginia Gutiérrez de Pineda” fellowship, one of Colombia’s most competitive academic distinctions for young researchers.
Sara founded the Sula nature tourism brand in 2018, applying her scientific expertise to develop birding and wildlife experiences across Colombia’s six natural regions. Her fieldwork took her from the cloud forests of the Andes to the Amazon basin, the Pacific coast, and the plains of the Orinoquía. She combined deep ecological knowledge with firsthand experience to create content that is both scientifically accurate and practically useful for nature travelers.
She holds a B.Sc. in Biology from the National University of Colombia, where she also taught plant ecophysiology. She speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and English.