2 Nights In Salento: Our Itinerary

The coffee region in Colombia hosts some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country and is a must see during any trip to the country.

LENGTH OF TIME NEEDED

2-3 nights in Salento should suffice for most travelers.

HOW TO GET THERE FROM MEDELLIN

Travelling from Medellin, you can take a direct bus through Flora Occidental, which takes approximately 6.5 hours and runs 4 times per day. There is also an option to take the bus to Salento via Armenia or Pereira from Bogota or Medellin (7-9 hours). Through conversations with other travelers, we heard that the buses were very comfortable with ample leg room and wifi, though there are no toilets on board (there is one stop along the way). However, the trip contains many twists and turns, which can be troublesome to those prone to becoming car sick. To save money on accommodations, there are also overnight bus options as well.    

For the benefit of time savings and the avoidance of twisting and turning on a bus for 6 hours, we opted to opted to fly from the Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellin on EasyFly. If flying out of Olaya Herrera Airport, you should arrive to the airport no more than an hour before your flight. Security is very fast and the waiting room contains nothing more than chairs and a small counter to buy snacks or drinks. 

Our flight to Armenia was delayed, so as a gesture of goodwill, EasyFly employees provided all passengers with a complimentary pastry filled with chicken, along with a juicebox (they also handed us another juicebox on the way off the plane as well). The flight is approximately 1 hour in duration.

From the El Edén airport in Armenia, we took a taxi to the bus terminal (approx. 20 minutes, COP$28,000), followed by a bus to Salento (approx. 1 hour, COP $4,500 each). Buses depart every 20 minutes. When you arrive at the bus terminal, walk all the way to the end of the terminal, which takes you outside. Look for the signs for Salento and wait there or hop on the bus. Fares are paid on board. The bus dropped us off directly in front of our hostel (El Viajero).

WHERE WE STAYED

Salento is packed with hostels and guesthouses and the entire city is walkable, so anywhere within the main town would be an adequate location for exploring the town.

We stayed two nights at El Viajero Hostel, which was a short five minute walk to the main square. Because of previous bookings, we needed to change rooms after one night, so we experienced two different private rooms. Both were clean and had ensuite bathrooms. The best part of the hostel was the breathtaking view from the bar. It was a wonderful way to start the day eating breakfast with that view.

On our final morning, the town of Salento had a problem with their water supply, so there was no running water. Because of the inconvenience, El Viajero provided us with a nominal refund (10%) when we checked out.

DAY 1

Dined at Café Bernabé Gourmet

We arrived in Salento in the early afternoon. Once we checked into the hostel, we explored this gorgeous, colourful colonial town on foot, stopping for lunch at Café Bernabé Gourmet. This cute restaurant has a beautiful, spacious patio and friendly staff. We enjoyed garlic-lemon Octopus on bread along with a refreshing lemonade.

Took in the view at the Alto de La Cruz Mirador (Top of the Cross Viewpoint)

Following our meal, we walked down the main street (Calle Real or Carrera 6) towards the 200+ stairs that lead to the Alto de La Cruz viewpoint. The climb is worth the effort, as we were able to look over the entire city from above. There were a few vendors selling homemade goods, as well as some others selling treats. There is also a path that leads to the other lookout (El Mirador), but we decided to visit that another day.

Explored the shops on Calle Real

We trudged back down the large staircase and took some time to explore the many shops on Calle Real (Carrera 6), the town’s main street. There are many small shops selling local homemade crafts, perfect for someone looking for a souvenir to take home.

Coffee Roasting Experience at The Plantation House

We strolled down to The Plantation House Hostel to roast our own coffee with Don Eduardo. He offers this experience Monday to Saturday at 5:00pm. Don Eduardo showed us some coffee trees, while providing us some interesting background knowledge of how coffee beans are grown, harvested, and roasted. 

Following his introduction, we learned the basics of how to roast coffee in a very fundamental fashion, using only a copper wok and a wooden spoon. The entire experience took approximately two hours and we both walked away with our own bag of coffee that we roasted ourselves!

Trout In the Main Square

After coffee roasting, we made our way back to the main square to enjoy a delicious meal on the patio at Restaurante la Casona. As trout is an iconic food in Salento, it is a certainly not to miss out on! A traditional meal in Salento includes trout with a giant patacon, a large fried plantain that is served with hogao (tomato and onion dressing) or other sauces.

DAY 2

Hiking Valle de Cocora (Cocora Valley)

We woke up early, had breakfast at the hostel (which was included at El Viajero!) and headed to the main square to catch the Willy (a small passenger jeep) to Cocora Valley for a beautiful hike. The cost of the Willys at this time (August, 2018) is COP $4,000 per person, per way. See our post “Our Experience Hiking the Cocora Valley” for more information.

Lunch in Salento Main Square

To refill our bellies after the long hike, we sat out at one of the many food stalls in the main square and feasted on more delicious trout and patacones with mushrooms and cheese.

Coffee at Café Jesús Martín

We stopped in for an afternoon pick me up at Café Jesús Martín, a quaint and charming café, which serves some of the best coffee in town. We both chose a latté and were not disappointed. If you wanted to take home a bag of their coffee, there are multiple blends for sale as well.

Sunset from El Mirador lookout point

El Mirador is a great place to take in the evening sunset. We enjoyed relaxing and taking in the beautiful sights, as the colours and shadows transformed over the city and surrounding mountains. El Mirador is also connected to Alto de La Cruz lookout point by a short walking path.

Dinner at Rincon de Lucy

Perhaps one of the best meals we’ve had in Colombia for the best value was at Rincon de Lucy. This small eatery was full of patrons enjoying one of their “menu del dia” options, which included a soup, juice, and meal. I dined on a chorizo plate, while Shaleen opted for the trout. Our large meals cost a mere COP$8,000 each (approx. $3.50 CAD).

DAY 3

Because we had a morning flight back to Medellin, we caught the bus at 8:20am outside of our hostel to make our way back to Armenia, and then a taxi back to El Edén airport.

Salento is a beautiful town with many things to do. If you opt to stay longer than two nights, there are many other opportunities to explore such as coffee tours, treks into Los Navados National Park, exploring the area on horseback or on mountain bikes, bird watching, the Kasaguadua Nature Reserve and more.