Salento, a vibrant town in the heart of Colombia’s coffee region

For those visiting both Medellín and Bogotá, a stop-over in Salento, Colombia’s coffee region gem, between them is a must. Deep in Quindío, Salento is a small town that has managed to maintain its misty mountain charm. Two of the most popular (and famous!) things to do in Salento are to hike the Cocora Valley to the world’s tallest wax palm trees, and to take a Salento coffee tour at one of the many working fincas that are scattered all around the pueblo.

These activities attract visitors in from far and wide to get a glimpse into the fascinating valley lifestyle and wonder at the epic landscapes. Much more on these later!

After you’ve read this guide to the things to do in Salento, Colombia, don’t miss out on these helpful posts:

• Which Salento coffee finca tour suits you best? 3 top fincas reviewed
• Filandia: the less-visited little sister of Salento, Colombia
• 11 of Colombia’s most epic hiking trails

Instead of taxis, Salento is run by Jeeps called Willies. They fit 6-8 people sat inside, with 2-3 standing outside holding onto the back. The main square (Plaza de Bolivar) is where you can always pick up a Willy, so try and get accommodation close.

The Willy experience is so distinct that some might even count a ride as one of the key things to do in Salento, Colombia.

We’ve visited Salento three times so far, with the first being in April 2018. The increase in tourism during this time is really noticeable (reports say up to 300% in a year), though it still hasn’t lost its appeal.

This rise in interest in the things to do in Salento has brought with it much better organisation and infrastructure for things like the Cocora Valley hike, but also longer queues for getting willy rides, etc.

There are still plenty of things to do in Salento and its surrounding valleys to keep crowds more or less spread out, though.

Check out the highlights of our second visit here:

How to get to Salento, Quindio

Bogotá to Salento

There is not yet a direct bus from Bogotá to Salento, but you can get a bus to the nearby towns of Armenia or Pereira and change. We recommend travelling from Bogotá to Salento by bus overnight as you don’t want to arrive in Salento too late should there be delays (top tip: there will be).

You can then pick up the 45-minute minibus to Salento from Armenia’s main square for 4,500 pesos (last bus at 8pm) or get a taxi for around 85,000 pesos.

If changing at Pereira, head to the bus terminal and pick up one of the direct 90-minute buses to Salento for 6,500 pesos. Note that while these are hourly until 5:30pm on weekends, on weekdays the direct bus from Periera to Salento only leaves at 6:50am, 1:30pm and 4:30pm.

Medellín to Salento

There are 7-hour direct buses available from Medellín to Salento with Flota Occidental for 47,000 pesos, which leave from the Terminal del Sur a few times a day, but depending on time and availability you may have to get a bus to Armenia or Pereira and change. If that’s the case, follow the instructions in the above Bogotá to Salento section!

Taking a bus to Salento vs. flying

No matter how long the bus companies say a journey will take, expect major delays on the bus routes, mainly because there are so few roads between the regions that it’s likely you’ll end up trawling behind a freight lorry up a mountain for an hour or two… or six.

Bus drivers are notorious on this route for getting peed off at slower vehicles and overtaking them on blind mountain corners. Lozzy’s dad almost soiled himself sitting on the front row of the bus with full view of the drivers’ poor decisions.

Suddenly, hiring a horse and navigating the Andes yourself doesn’t seem like all such a stupid idea!

If this doesn’t sound all too appealing, you can fly into the nearby towns of Pereira or Armenia and get a bus or taxi from there.

You can also arrange private transfers, like this one from Pereira Airport, below. Luckily, flights within Colombia are mega cheap!

When leaving the coffee region, note that bus times are pretty rubbish from Salento, and the bus terminal is only open a few sporadic hours a day, so make sure you arrange outward travel at least the day before.

 

8 unmissable things to do in Salento

1. Sip your way through a Salento coffee farm tour

One of the main things to do in Salento that does a little too well to attract tourists to this area is the coffee farms (fincas). There are many fincas offering tours; we have so far visited three: Finca Momota, Finca Las Acacias and Finca El Ocaso.

To see which one is best suited for you to visit given your time, budget and interests, check out our deep-dive into each of the three Salento coffee tours.

2. Visit the cloud forest of Salento

Just outside of Salento, you can take tours of the cloud forest in the 12 hectare Kasaguadua national reserve. The 2-hour Natural Interpretation & Sustainability tour starts at 9am in English or Spanish, and costs 30,000 pesos per person. You need to reserve your place on the tour the day before.

There is also an ecolodge on the Kasaguadua reserve if you fancy getting fully immersed in the forest.

3. Take a stroll down Carrera 6

Just off Plaza de Bolivar, you’ll see a pretty little street that’s more bustling than most. Carrera 6 is lined with nice restaurants and shops – this is gringo street, but it’s actually not all that bad.

Ironically, if you want a super-local vibe with some of the cheapest beer in Salento, you can find them in the snooker bar on this street. It will be full of old local men, so expect a few stares if you’re not very good at blending in. However, you won’t be unwelcome!

4. Hike the Cocora Valley from Salento

Then, of course, there is the beautiful Valle de Cocora, home to the world’s tallest wax palm trees. You can only see them by taking one of 3 hikes ranging from 1 to 5 hours.

We followed a misleading blog that took us up the wrong trail, adding an extra 4 hours to our hike, so to avoid this make sure you read our post: Cocora Valley: Don’t hike up the wrong mountain!

5. Hike in the Patasola National Reserve

This is a protected forest that only costs 5000 pesos, but does not allow camping. It’s located 10km from Bonquia, a tiny collection of restaurants, hostels and local tourist agencies about 10 minutes drive downhill from Salento.

One of the trails leads to a fairly impressive waterfall; ask the locals at the restaurants near the entrance to the national park in which direction to head. It’s a hotspot for bird-watching in Salento, and a key place for bird conservation.

6. Soak up views from El Mirador de Salento

At the end of Carrera 6 is a series of steps up to a mirador (viewpoint), from which you can see all across the town. Salento gets beautifully misty in the mornings and early evenings, so perhaps plan your climb around those times.

If you don’t fancy the climb, get a taxi up the road around the back to the Mirador. You won’t be disappointed by the view!

7. Explore Los Nevados National Park

Mega hikers can explore the landscapes deeper with hikes into Los Nevados National Park. This is best done as a multi-day trip and isn’t for the beginner hiker.

To make things much easier, we’ve found you a guided 3-day hike through the park, passing Laguna Otún, the Cocora Valley, the Santa Isabel Glacier, and plenty more natural wonders as you trek through the countryside of Colombia’s coffee region.

8. Visit Filandia from Salento

Filandia is a sister pueblo of Salento, only half an hour’s drive down the road. To get from Salento to Filandia, you can either get a Willy from the main square, or you have to get the bus towards Armenia and ask the driver to drop you off at Flores, which is where you need to change buses for one heading to Filandia.

You can also stay in Filandia if you don’t fancy the increasing crowds in Salento.

Read our Filandia, Colombia guide to decide whether to stay in Salento or Filandia.

Where to stay in Salento

As mentioned previously, the best place to be is around Plaza de Bolivar. We stayed at the wonderful Hostal Ciudad de Segorbe, which had a shabby charm to it and super helpful staff (plus free coffee!). It was a block and a half from the main plaza which was perfect for us.

There was a very quiet vibe at Hostal Ciudad de Segorbe; for something more backpacker-esque, El Viajero is a bit further out but well recommended by many.

Bigger parties looking for something uber-peaceful should consider Real House, a private property which comes complete with 6 beds and a porch overlooking the beautiful garden.

Where to eat & drink in Salento

Probably the most well-recommended place by hostels is Rincón de Lucy on Carrera 6. Unfortunately we never actually got to eat here because it is always. so. packed. It seemed pretty impossible to get a table of 4 without hanging around for ages, but we take that as a good sign of the food – which from what we saw looked like hearty Colombian cuisine.

If you don’t get into Rincón, head off down the same side road to Makao, which has both incredible fish and awesome curry. Should you fancy something a little lighter, El Tejadito serves excellent sandwiches – and is a great place to sink a few beers, too.

Recommended length of stay to enjoy all the things to do in Salento: 2-3 days

Now that you’ve read this guide to the things to do in Salento, Colombia, don’t miss out on these helpful posts:

• Which Salento coffee finca tour suits you best? 3 top fincas reviewed
• Filandia: the less-visited little sister of Salento, Colombia
• 11 of Colombia’s most epic hiking trails

 

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Last Updated on 2 November 2022 by Cuppa to Copa Travels