Our Experience Hiking the Cocora Valley

If there is one thing not to miss in Salento, it is hiking the Cocora Valley. Simply taking in the view of an abundance of wax palms stretching their skinny frames 60m towards to the sky is a sight in itself. You’ll feel as though you’ve been transported to a postcard where you will gaze for minutes without seeing the same thing twice.

How to Get There:

From the Salento town square, you can catch a Willy (a shared jeep). The trip takes about 25 minutes and there is no need to book in advance. Trips depart as soon as a Willy is full (usually ten passengers) and cost COP$4,000 per person, per direction. (August, 2018) You can buy return tickets at the little stall in the Salento town square.

If you are feeling adventurous, you can stand on the bumper while holding on to the roof instead of sitting inside. It provides a fun experience, a much better view of the drive and is not as dangerous as it appears to be.

Hiking Route:

Upon arriving, there are two options for the hike. You can walk straight ahead (the clockwise route) or you can turn right through a blue gate (counterclockwise route) . We opted for the latter, as this direction of the hike rewards you with the best view (the tall wax palms) at the end of the trek. Furthermore, you have a more challenging incline during the first half of the hike (when you have more energy) and an easier decline for the second half. If you are short on time and want to see the tall wax palms, you can take the clockwise route, go see the amazing sights and then turn back.

The Counterclockwise Long Hike:

Beginning the hike through the blue gate on the right, the entire hike trek us about 3.5 hours to complete, walking at a moderate to slow pace in the rain. During the trek, much of it was in a forested area, which also has 5-6 shaky suspension bridges to cross. It is incredibly easy to follow the path. You won’t get lost.

At one point, you will reach a point where you have the option to turn left or to turn right. You will see a big red arrow pointing right. That is the path to visit the Acaima Hummingbird Sanctuary, which you can visit and then loop back to that same spot. We decided to skip the hummingbirds and continue on the hike by heading left.

After the forest, there are some fairly steep inclines which eventually take you to Finca la Montaña, which is a small house offering a place to relax and get a bite to eat. We had some candy that we had packed, and with a bit of a sugar rush, continued the hike.

From this point on, the dirt path is wide and was a very easy moderate decline downhill. Along the way, there are many panoramic viewpoints of the mountains and tall wax palms. We took our time and enjoyed taking some pictures as we descended.

You will eventually come upon the tall wax palms, which provide the best sights of the entire hike. After spending time grazing on the lush pastures and staring at these beautiful trees, you’ll loop back around to the exact same place you began, and can hop on a Willy back to Salento.

TIPS:

1) Bring some money. You are required to pay COP$2,000 and COP$6,000 at two points during the hike and if you choose to visit the hummingbird sanctuary, there is also an entrance fee. Also, there are some bathrooms at the beginning/end of the hike, which cost COP$1,000.

2) Bring some snacks (or a full meal if you need). Some places in town provide box lunches that you can take on your hike.

3) Bring plenty of water. We brought approximately 2.5 litres of water.

4) Use bug repellent. We bought some at the supermarket in Salento and found it to be very effective.

5) Wear hiking shoes. The trek can become quite muddy and it rained during our hike, which made some of the pathways slippery. Our Palladium boots were perfect!

6) Take your time and enjoy the views. This was one of the most beautiful areas we have experienced in Colombia!