SALENTO, COLOMBIA

Salento is a quaint, Andean town in the Colombian countryside famous for its coffee. For being such a tourist haven, I was very pleasantly surprised by the lack of heckling here. Locals are happy to give you your space and I found walking around the colorful, quiet streets of Salento quite enjoyable. The natural beauty here is something that I hope you get a chance to experience for yourself. It’s a town where memories are waiting to be made!

Attractions:

Valle de Cocora: This valley is home to the tallest palm trees in the world and is super easy to get to! Take a walk into town square and you will see a bunch of jeeps (or willys) lined up going to various locations. It is not hard to navigate which ones are going to Valle de Cocora. The 30 minute ride costs 8,000 COP round-trip. There are plenty of walking trails to follow; I spent 4-5 hours walking around this place - it’s so picturesque!
Play Tejo: At night, the most popular spot in town is Los Amigos. Head there after dinner and have some drinks (try some aguardiente!) while playing a super fun local game that I would compare to explosive horseshoes. Don’t worry, it’s totally safe!
Tour a Coffee Plantation: There are plenty to choose from. You can go into town square and there are jeeps that will take you to each of them (most of the plantations are 40 minutes away by jeep). La Finca de Don Elias costs 16,000 COP and includes an hour long tour. Tip: Buy bags of coffee here that serve as nice souvenirs!
Other things to do include: Mirador Alto de la Cruz, Calle Real, Mirador de Salento, and Our Lady of Carmen.

Accommodation:

Viajero Salento Hostel: This hostel is amazing! It has a super great vibe, gorgeous terrace, and lovely landscape overlooking the beautiful mountains. Plus, it’s super clean and breakfast is included - I highly recommend!

Transportation:

Medellín is 6.5 hours by bus from Salento and costs 54,000 COP. The road is very windy; if you get carsick easily, prepare yourself! There is no airport in Salento. If you want to fly, you must first take a taxi to the airport in either Pereira or Armenia and then fly to Medellín from there. Flight plus taxi from Salento to Medellín is 2 hours of travel time.
- Via Pereira: Non-stop flights from Pereira to Medellín are only available via EasyFly. The flights are 45 minutes and cost 350,000-800,000 COP. A taxi from Salento to the Pereira airport is 1 hour and costs 145,000 COP.
- Via Armenia: Non-stop flights from Armenia to Medellín are only available via EasyFly. The flights are 45 minutes and cost 550,000-950,000 COP. A taxi from Salento to the Armenia airport is 1 hour and costs 115,000 COP.
Bogotá is 8-11 hours by bus from Salento. Flying (and taking a taxi) from Salento to Bogotá is 2 hours. Since there is no direct route between Salento and Bogotá, you will either need to travel via Armenia or Pereira.
- Bogotá via Armenia:
  - By Bus (8 hours) - The bus ride from Salento to Armenia is 45 minutes and costs 4,200 COP. Minibuses run every 20-30 minutes (from 5:30am-8:00pm). The bus ride from Armenia to Bogotá is 7 hours and costs 65,000 COP.
  - By Flight (2 hours) - A taxi from Salento to the Armenia airport is 1 hour and costs 85,000 COP. The flight from Armenia to Bogotá is 1 hour and costs between 210,000-350,000 COP.
- Bogotá via Pereira:
  - By Bus (11 hours) - The bus ride from Salento to Pereira is 1.5 hours and costs 6,500 COP. On weekdays, the bus runs at 7:50am, 1:00pm, 2:50pm, and 5:50pm. On weekends, it runs hourly after 7:50am until 7:00pm. The bus ride from Pereira to Bogotá is 9.5 hours and costs 75,000 COP.
  - By Flight (2 hours) - A taxi from Salento to the Pereira airport is 1 hour and costs 145,000 COP. The flight from Pereira to Bogotá is 1 hour and costs between 110,000-210,000 COP.

The above photos of me were taken by a lovely couple I met from Vancouver; thank you, Becky & Clark!