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The hike to Valle De Cocora is gorgeous, easy going and leads to one of the most beautiful locations I have ever seen with some fun stops along the way. Getting to Salento is a bit tricky as its a bit out of the way into Colombia’s interior but everything is a bit of a distance in Colombia and this stop is definitely worth the journey!
Where to stay:
We stayed at El Viajero Hostel – its clean, comfortable, centrally located and has great views. It also isn’t a party hostel but is friendly – we met some really nice people to hang with there which is important when you are travelling alone or in a couple for a long period of time!
Getting there and away:
Salento is quite out of the way but the closest major town is Armenia and you should be able to catch a bus from many places in Colombia to arrive at the Armenia bus station. We travelled to Armenia from Medellin on an overnight bus (the trip was 10:30pm to 5:30am). You can also get to/from Cali in 4-5 hours by bus (this is where we headed next).
To transfer to Salento once you have reached Armenia, walk inside the bus terminal and up two flights of stairs – continue straight in the same direction until you reach the end of the terminal and walk outside to where the local buses run. Buses to Salento should be waiting here (there is a sign but easy to miss). The transfer costs 4,000 COP approx. and takes around 1 hour (buses start running at 5:20am every 20 mins).
Getting around:
Its easy to get around Salento as you can walk from one end of town to the other in about 20 minutes. It’s not large!
If you want to head out to Valle de Cocora (and who doesn’t???) you can take a ‘Willy’ (pictured below) from the main square.
Food:
Coffee coffee and more coffee! Definitely drink Coffee! Salento is in one of the coffee growing regions in Colombia and is a great place to learn, make, taste and purchase coffee.
Other than that the food wasn’t particularly memorable – there’s lots of places to eat around town.
What to expect on your hike:
Make sure to head into the main square early in case you need to wait as the jeeps do fill up. You pay for a return ride at the beginning so when finishing the hike you can hop on any jeep to get back into town. Willys cost about 8,000 COP return.
Directions to hike Counterclockwise:
Turn right at the blue gate and follow the path down the hill. This track takes you past the trout farm (which is not worth stopping at) and starts off un-inspiring through paddocks.
BUT then you enter the cloud forest and you cross 7 Puentes which is gorgeous. The hummingbird sanctuary Acaime (5,000COP entry) is a long walk off the main route (about 2 hours into the hike) but is definitely worth going to and signs direct you here. Entry includes a hot chocolate. On the way back from Acaime do not take the first right as this is a long hike heading somewhere different. The loop ends with La Montana and the wax palms.
All going well this should be a leisurely 6 hour walk.
What to bring on your hike:
- Some cash for your entry to Acaime (There are a couple of ATMs in Salento)
- A rain jacket (The weather changes fast here and you will be heading up into the mountains)
- Hiking boots – its not a difficult hike but its pretty long
- Comfortable, warm, clothes
- Directions as above – this hike is NOT well signposted
- Food and water – Acaime is really just a stop for the hummingbirds – make sure you stock up with some snacks and water in Salento.
- A camera to photograph the hike, hummingbirds and the incredible trees.
Other activities while you’re in Salento
Salento’s drawcard isn’t only the hike. It’s a great place to chill out for a day or two. The locals and houses are colourful, the town is picturesque and there are a few other cool activities you won’t want to miss.
- Play Tejo – Colombia’s national game which essentially involves throwing targets at gunpowder (Sounds fun right?). Salento is a great place to play as Tejo is very popular here and the nearest local can always direct you to the closest place to play. When we were in Salento a man who we could only deduce was the town Pimp (a short man in a full length fur coat) led us into a dingy basement under a dive bar where we got to play Tejo for free (as long as you are buying beer!). Gunpowder and beer – I would expect nothing less from Colombia’s mountain cowboys. The game is really fun and actually requires a lot of skill.
- Take a coffee tour! I recommend Finca el Ocaso. As I mentioned above Salento is within Colombia’s coffee region – and what great coffee it has. Finca el Ocaso is close to the town and a great spot to learn about how coffee is made, issues of production and sustainability and taste test it! You can get here on a willy for 4,000 COP otherwise its a 1 hour walk from town.
- Explore the town of Salento – Calle Real is a street filled with interesting shops and places to eat and at night is filled with music and dancing. At the end of this long street you can walk up to Mirador Alto de la Cruz via the colourful stairs and check out the view.
Make the time in your itinerary to head out of the way to Salento – you won’t regret it!
Erika xx
THE ONLY ERIKA IN THE VILLAGE 