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When you think of Colombia, you may not have an iconic image in mind, like when you think of France or Peru. That may be due to how new Colombia is as a travel destination. But if I had to pick one image to represent the country, I would choose the view of rolling lush green hills and strangely tall wax palm trees of Salento, for sure.
I have never seen anything like Valle del Cocora (Cocora Valley) throughout my travels, and, as usual, this place is best seen on foot. So, here is a one full-day hiking guide to Valle del Cocora, Salento, and everything you need to know to visit and have the best time there. Let's begin!
- Valle del Cocora, Salento Hiking Map
- One Day Hiking Itinerary for Valle del Cocora, Colombia
- More Salento Activities
- Where to Stay in Salento?
- Colombia Travel Video
- When to Visit Salento?
- What to Pack for Valle del Cocora Hike?
- How to Get to Salento?
- How to Get to Valle del Cocora?
- Which tourist SIM card is best for Colombia?
- Further Reading for Colombia
Valle del Cocora, Salento Hiking Map
| 🌤️ Best time: | December-March and July-August |
| 🚘 Get around: | Bus and hiking |
| 🕓 Time to spend: | 4-5 hours |
| 🚶♂️ Difficulty: | Easy |
| 💰 Cost: | 50000 COL |
One Day Hiking Itinerary for Valle del Cocora, Colombia
Salento to Valle del Cocora (30 minutes)
Start your first day in Salento as early as you can and catch the first jeep (7:30 AM) to go to Valle del Cocora. That way, you will likely have stable weather and the whole place to yourself. You can find a bunch of jeeps waiting around the Plaza de Bolivar Salento Park in the city center. Line up and wait until you get on one, and off you go!
The jeep leaves every hour from 6:10 AM to 5:30 PM, and it will cost you around 3700-4000 COP one-way to get to the Valle de Cocora's parking lot. From the parking lot, you walk east until you see a blue gate where you have the right to start the trail counterclockwise.
By far, the best route to do it is to start by going all the way up to Acaime hummingbird houses (2800m) first when you have the most energy. Then, you can stroll down at your own leisure and enjoy the wax palm trees at the best time of the day.
- Yambolombia Hostel (Budget)
- Casa Borbon (Mid-Range) 👍 Top Pick
- Hotel El Mirador del Cocora (High-End)
- Cocora Valley, Salento and Coffee Farm Day Tour (8 hours)
- Cocora valley and coffee farms tour (8 hours)
- 3 Days Private Tour Crossing the Andes Mountains (3 days)
Valle del Cocora Entrance to Acaime (2 hours)
Once you turn right at the entrance, you will see a directional sign that points to Acaime. That's where you will be going first. You will be walking down a hill along a river (stick to the right), crossing multiple suspension bridges for about an hour and a half until you arrive at an intersection.
Remember this intersection, as you will have to backtrack your way back to this T-junction after visiting Acaime Hummingbird House. For now, stick to the right (follow the red arrow sign) and go up the steep hill. Again, stick to your right whenever possible.
For approximately 30 minutes, you will arrive at the Acaime Hummingbird House, where you can relax and enjoy the sight of the magical hummingbirds flapping their wings swiftly. You can also enjoy a nice Colombian coffee served with a stick of cheese (delicious!). The entrance fee is 5,000 COP, with drinks included.
Acaime to La Montana (1 hour)
After resting at the Hummingbird House, backtrack your way down to the intersection I previously mentioned, and turn right (when coming down from Acaime). You will be hiking up a hill for about an hour before you arrive at La Montaña, a beautiful resting point with a sweeping view of the landscape surrounding it.
Here, you can relax, enjoy the view, and have some snacks before you continue on to the last part, which is the part you are most looking forward to: the wax palm trees area.
La Montana through the Wax Palm Trees Area Back to the Entrance (2 - 3 hours)
From La Montaña, it's all downhill from here, so you can stroll down at your own leisure. You will start to see the iconic, tall wax palm trees protruding from thick bushes along the trail.
The most photogenic part of the hike is when you arrive at an opening where you can see the tall wax palm trees scattered all over the hill, reaching all the way up to the foot of the mountain. It's quite a sight to behold.
You can either follow the trail to enjoy the wax palm trees from afar or simply take the shortcut through the field so that you can stare up and truly see how tall these palm trees really are.
From La Montaña, it will take you around 2-3 hours to loop your way back to the entrance where you will be able to have lunch at a restaurant by the gate or take a jeep back to Salento.
Bonus: Eat at La Fonda de los Arrieros Restaurant
La Fonda de los Arrieros is a nice local restaurant located on the corner of Plaza de Bolívar Park in Salento that serves one of the best trucha dishes (trout, a local delicacy) in town. There's no better way to reward yourself after a hike in Valle del Cocora than by enjoying a nice fried trucha at La Fonda de los Arrieros.
More Salento Activities
If you are looking for more activities to do here, be sure to check out some of the available tours and day trips:
Where to Stay in Salento?
When to Visit Salento?
The best months are December to March and July to August, which are the driest periods out of all. However, keep in mind that Salento and the Valle del Cocora are notorious for their unpredictable weather. I experienced all three types of weather in one day when I was there: rainy in the morning, cold when I was at La Montana, and sunny when I was making my way back. So, prepare accordingly.
What to Pack for Valle del Cocora Hike?
- Rain & Warm Jackets: The weather in Valle del Cocora is as unpredictable as a cockroach flight path (seriously), so be sure to bring warm jackets for when you go above 2000m, as well as a rain jacket in case it pours on you. Here are the jackets I recommend you get for the trip: fleece jacket and the beautiful orange Columbia outer-shell jacket.
- Food, Snacks, and Water: There is a restaurant at the entrance and a cafe at Acaime, but it's not cheap. So, if you want to save some money, bring a few hiking snacks and a bottle of water with you, or better yet, bring your own lunch. I always carry my 2-liter hydration pack, which I recommend so you don't have to stop to stay hydrated.
- Good Sturdy Shoes: The trail can get really muddy when it rains, so take good sturdy shoes, preferably waterproof ones. These Timberland Shoes are my go-to hiking boots in most situations.
- Get Maps.Me: Maps.me is the best app you can have on your phone, especially when hiking. The app is available on both Android and iOS. With its offline capabilities and comprehensive list of available hiking trails, you will never get lost here.
How to Get to Salento?
The fastest and cheapest way to get to Salento and eventually to Valle del Cocora is to fly to Medellin instead of Bogota. Medellin is a 6.5-hour bus ride away. To go to Medellin, you can fly via Avianca, AeroMexico, or American Airlines or get yourself to Bogota and fly domestically to Medellin. Be sure to check out the prices on Skyscanner and Expedia for the best possible deal for your trip.
To get to Salento from Medellin, you can take a direct bus operated by Flota Occidental which departs from Centro Comercial Terminal Del Sur four times a day. The cost should be around 45,000 - 50,000 COL, and the trip should take approximately 6.5 hours.
How to Get to Valle del Cocora?
From Salento, you have to take the local jeep to the Valle del Cocora entrance. You can find the jeep at the Plaza de Bolivar Salento Park, and it leaves every hour from 6:10 AM to 5:00 PM. The same goes for the opposite direction, where you can find a jeep back from the entrance. The jeep should cost you around 3700-4000 COP one way.
Which tourist SIM card is best for Colombia?
Update: If your phone supports eSIM, I highly recommend checking out Airalo, a global eSIM marketplace. It allows you to stay connected affordably while traveling in Salento, Colombia without having to switch out your physical SIM card.
Gone are the days when you needed to scramble to find a local SIM card at an airport upon arrival. You can purchase an eSIM before your arrival, and you'll be good to go. If your phone doesn't support eSIM, here is how you can get a local SIM card in Salento, Colombia:
Salento is quite remote, so Internet access will be hard to come by outside of the town center, even with a local SIM card. I bought a SIM card with a 2GB 30-day plan from Claro for 46,000 COP, and it worked well in Salento town and at the entrance of Valle del Cocora.
For more information: Colombia Data SIM Card Wiki.
Tips: To stay connected with people at home, be sure that you have a VPN, such as ProtonVPN, installed before traveling. It's FREE, and you can gain access to services that may be blocked in certain countries.
Now that we have all the information we need, it's time to start planning your trip! Here are some resources to help you get going:
Are you planning to travel independently? Be sure to check out my guide on How To Plan A Backpacking Trip here.
Further Reading for Colombia
I hope you found this Colombia travel guide helpful. If you are looking for something to read to further assist in planning your Colombia trip, be sure to check out the articles below:
- Looking for a complete travel guide for Colombia? Here's a one-month backpacking itinerary for Colombia.
- Looking for a complete backpacking guide to the entire South America continent? Here is the ultimate 6-Month Backpacking Itinerary for South America..
- First time in South America? Check out the 20 Best Places to Visit in South America.
- Packing for a trip to visit South America can be extremely daunting. Here's a packing guide to help you: What to Pack for South America
- Bogota is an awesome capital city to start your Colombia journey if you know where to go. Here’s an 11 Unique Things to Do Bogota, Colombia.
- Medellin is also another fun city to visit, full of great food, salsa dancing workshops, and more. Here’s a complete travel guide on things to do in Medellin.
- Looking for something less wordy to inspire you to visit Colombia? Check out 23 photos that will inspire you to visit Colombia.
- You can also watch my Colombia travel video here: Colombia is Dangerous? Travel Video.
- To see all articles about Colombia, visit Colombia Travel Guide page.
- Not sure where to go next? How about visiting Ecuador and experiencing all its wildlife in the Amazon or the Galapagos? Check out my Ecuador Travel Guide page for more information about traveling in Ecuador.
- Looking for more travel guides for South America? You can find more on my South America Travel Guide page.
- For more of my travel guides, visit my Destinations page.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
2 Comments
Hello Pete,
This page is amazing and informative. I am planning to visit in a few weeks. I did have a question though. The first jeep leaves the square at 6:10 am, what time does the park open??
Thank You!
Hey Patrick,
The park opens at 8 AM so if you want to be there right when it opens, I recommend you get the 7:30 AM jeep. Otherwise, you will have to wait at the entrance until it opens.