Salento & Hiking Cocora Valley
Wax palm trees and coffee farms — those are the two things that Salento is famous for. The little Colombian town of Salento is nestled in the verdant green Andes mountains and is just a short ride from the Valle de Cocora hiking trail.
Quite possibly one of the most beautiful spots in Colombia, this mountain town is experiencing a boom in tourism. It’s ideal location, on the road between Medellin, Cali and Bogota, has made it a popular holiday spot for both domestic and international tourists. Come here to hike through gorgeous valleys and learn more about how Colombian coffee is grown, harvested and enjoyed.
Things To Do in Salento
Cocora Valley Hike
This stunning valley, famous for the skinny the Quindío wax palms, is an unmissable attraction for anyone who visits Salento. A 12km hiking trail (COP $7,000 entrance) loops around the valley and takes about 4 to 5 hours to complete. It’s an easy to moderate hike with a number of rickety bridges. However, we read stories from other travel bloggers who did the hike during rainy season when it was really muddy and found it tough going.
If you’re not up for a big hike, take the route clockwise to see the most scenic part of the valley first. You can then just go back the way that you came. It’s worth setting off early in the morning as the valley often clouds over by midday. We made the mistake of doing the loop so that the wax palm valley was at the end of our hike. If photos with minimal cloud coverage are important to you, we’d recommend going directly up the gravel path to the valley first and looping round the opposite way.
You can go by horseback through Cocora Valley. We had some friends who took this option and felt the horses were well-treated, and they certainly do look much healthier and stronger than in other destinations in Colombia. However, we’d recommend hiking over horse-riding because we’ve heard the trail can be tough going for the horses and we saw they were hosed down and turned around pretty fast for the tourist rides.
Sunscreen is essential, even if the weather looks dismal, and it might be a good idea to rent some wellington boots from your hostel if you don’t have waterproof hiking boots as there’s a river crossing and it can get muddy.
How To Get to Cocora Valley from Salento:
- Willys (that’s what they call the jeeps here okay) leave from Salento main square from 6:30AM. They supposedly go at half past every hour but in reality they go when the jeep is full and tourists trickle up around the clock.
- The jeep is a bumpy ride and the last passengers will be standing on the back lip of the jeep and hanging on. Whilst we’d rather ride up-front, plenty of boyish backpackers dawdled around so they could be last on the jeep.
- Tickets costs COP $4,000 each way.
- It takes 25 minutes to reach the valley.
- Willys wait at the bottom of the road near the Cocora Valley and it’s easy to get a ride back into town when you finish your hike.
Stop By the Hummingbird Reserve
There’s a hummingbird “reserve” in the Cocora Valley, which is worth a look for anyone interested in birds. In reality, it’s a shack with some bird feeders, but it does attract a good number of hummingbirds. Charlie was dubious about the amount of sugar water available to the hummingbirds, who truth be told looked a bit wired. Entrance is $5,000 and includes a hot drink. Birdwatchers should also look out for condors, which can be seen overhead.
Visit a Coffee Farm
Learn how coffee is produced, from bean to cup, at one of the many coffee farms in Salento. We visited El Ocaso coffee farm and even though this wasn’t our first coffee tour we still learned plenty. The tour was COP $20,000 per person and included a cup of coffee. We also had a fantastic espresso at the on-site coffee house, which has a fantastic view of the surrounding countryside and is worth a visit in its own right, even if you decide to forego the coffee tour.
How To Get to Finca El Ocaso from Salento:
- You can reserve a space on the tour at Coffee Tree Hostel, but you can also turn up or message the finca ahead of time to let them know you’re coming.
- Willys go from Salento’s main square every hour from 8AM. Tell the driver where you’re going!
- Tickets cost COP $3,000 each way.
- You can also hike down the road from Salento town to the finca if you feel like getting your hiking boots on. It’s a gravel road and not the most scenic hike but it’s nice enough.
- The first English tour is at 9AM and takes about an hour.
Best Cafes in Salento
Café Jesús Martín — Hands down the best coffee in Salento. This excellent cafe is a relaxing place to enjoy an espresso or, even better, an espresso with condensed milk. It’s our favourite cafe in a town that’s famous for coffee and it’s just a minute off the main square.
Le K’fée — Le K’fée is a brilliant spot to get a healthy lunch. The talented mama chef serves up Buddha bowls filled with quinoa, chickpeas and veggies as well as fresh fruit juices. It’s more expensive than other options in town, but it’s worth a visit if you’re not on a tight budget.
Cafe de la Esquina — Cafe de la Esquina is a very traditional cafe on the corner of the main square. It stays open late enough for the patrons to swap from coffee to beer. The owner is very friendly and seems on good terms with everyone who comes through the door. Come here for a real local coffee experience.
Where to Eat in Salento
El Chacharrito — El Cacharrito is a burger joint with craft beer and a good number of veggie options. Though decorated like an American diner with a Colombian twist, the menu also touts an incredibly delicious falafel wrap and homemade kombucha and ice tea. I recommend the Sierra Nevada pale ale. Decorations are tasteful and the owners are very attentive. Don’t be put off by the out-of-date Google maps photos — the restaurant has had a total refit and menu change since some of those were posted.
El Punto Vegetal — El Punto Vegetal is a simple vegetarian restaurant with veggie favourites like Thai-style rice, tacos and hummus plates. They also do smoothies with local fruits like lulo.
Cumana Bistro Food — Cumana Bistro Food serves up delicious Venezuelan dishes with plenty of love. We tried the arepas and, sorry Colombia, we liked them a lot more than the Colombian arepas we’d tried elsewhere. The pabellon (rice, beans, plantains and shredded meat or shredded veggies) was also pretty spesh. Note that many of the dishes can be made vegetarian or vegan on request, denoted by a hard-to-spot green leaf symbol next to them on the menu.
Where to Stay in Salento
Agro Hostal La Esperanza (budget) — If you’re on a tight budget, this hostel comes out on top. A single bed room is COP $40,000 (£9) and a twin room just COP $58,000 (£13). The hostel is located outside of town near to the coffee fincas, hence the lower price point.
Coffee Tree Boutique Hostel (mid-range) — Our pick! We decided to splurge in Salento and got a double room in Coffee Tree Boutique Hostel for COP $200,000 per night (+4% charge for paying on card). This feels very expensive for Colombia, but prices for accommodation are a lot higher in Salento. It’s a gorgeous hostel with comfortable beds (not a given in Colombia) and located in a quiet spot. The rooms are spacious and include a balcony with a good view of the surrounding greenery. A breakfast of pancakes or omelette is included.
Hotel Terasu Salento (luxury) — Want to leave the backpacker scene behind and go totally luxury? Opt for Hotel Terasu Salento. It’s about double the price of Coffee Tree Boutique but boasts larger, brighter rooms with great terrace views and a better breakfast.
How To Get To and From Salento
Flights to Salento — It’s possible to fly from Bogota to nearby Pereira and take a shorter bus from there if you want to avoid the long bus journey. Flights don’t go direct from Medellin to Pereira, so if you took this option you’d need to transfer in Bogota. We saw flights for as low as £19 if you book a few weeks in advance. Of course, if you can stomach the windy roads, we’d recommend knocking back a travel sickness tablet and taking the bus because it’s the more sustainable option.
Bogota to Salento — To get to Salento, you must take a bus from Salitre Terminal in Bogota to Armenia. At Armenia, you can change for Salento. Buy your ticket from Bogota to Salento at the Velotax kiosk. The ticket was about COP $40,000. We were told that buses leave every hour from 7:15AM, but our bus didn’t leave until more like 7:30AM. At Armenia, you can change for a smaller bus for about COP $5,000. We were told that the journey would take 7 hours, but in fact it took 11 hours. It’s worth taking an early bus otherwise you might be stuck in Armenia overnight as the last bus to Salento goes at 6PM.
Medellin to Salento — From Medellin’s Flota Occidental bus terminal, you can take a direct bus to Salento for COP $47,000. This is the quickest route and takes 7 hours on a good-run. It’s also possible to take a bus to Armenia and change, but it will take longer and won’t save you many pesos.
Getting Out of Salento — Buses leave from Salento for Armenia every 20 minutes. We flagged our bus from the corner opposite Coffee Tree Boutique Hostel. It costs about $5,000 for a ticket and takes about an hour. You can easily get a bus to other major cities from the Armenia bus station. There’s also a bus station on the edge of Salento where you can find more information.
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