(Finally) A Sunny Day Hiking Valle de Cocora in Salento!

I must confess that I came to Colombia during the rainy season. Did I know that ahead of time? Ummmm, perhaps I skimmed over that minor detail during my preparations. And I almost didn’t pack a rain jacket! (Wow, what a dumb move that would’ve been.)

But ask anyone in the country and they’ll tell you:  there’s really no summer or winter in Colombia due to its latitude, just the wet and dry seasons. And damn if there ain’t rain in the wet season! So when I arrived in the iconic coffee triangle town of Salento for the must-do day of hiking Valle de Cocora, I prayed I wouldn’t have to do it in the rain and the mud. I mean, how would I take pictures?! And as we’ve discussed, I’m not the world’s greatest hiker in the best of conditions.

For the most part, the rain hasn’t been an issue or a fun inhibitor in Colombia at all. It rained for maybe an hour in the afternoons in Cartagena and Santa Marta, but everyone was grateful that it cooled things down a bit. And though it normally it rains almost every day in Bogotá year round, I had shockingly good weather while I visited. (Also, the Weather App on your iPhone is totally useless in Colombia. Tiny lightning bolts every day of the week? Thanks, that’s really helpful. I don’t believe you.)

But we arrived to rain in Salento of it. Buckets. Overnight. And everybody at the hostel said it had been like this for days.

The trail (on the left) through Valle de Cocora begins like this

My plan for the next day? Wake up early, look at the sky, and then decide whether to attempt the famous five hour hike… or just do one of the many coffee farm tours and try my luck another day.

The verdict? Sun!

I quickly had breakfast, prepared my daypack, and put on my best “I’m so outdoorsy and I totally hike all the time” gear. After interviewing a few people at the hostel about the hike, its difficulty, and the absolute potential for getting lost if you act like a complete idiot, I’d heard only replies of, “It’s not bad – yeah, you can totally do it yourself.” And I thought that’s what I’d do. Solo travel, y’all!

Luckily, fate intervened and I was joined by three hilarious German guys who were much more athletic than me and a fun British couple as we all piled in the same 4×4 en route to the Valle de Cocora.

We loaded up on snacks from the grocery store in the main square of Salento and set off with our relatively accurate photocopied map of the trail provided by our hostel.

You can totally opt to just walk through the tall wax palms that the Valle is known for. It costs 3,000 COP, takes an hour, and you get all the fab photos that you’re trying to achieve with the hike. But that’s not all we came for, right?!

Nah, we came for some adventure and exercise! (I was actually really needing exercise at this point. Two big cities in a row on the itinerary does not do wonders for your midsection.)

You can forgo all the guides and men with horses, and do the five to six hour hike by yourself. I’d say most people I talked to did this. Once you get a little ways into the trek, there is the option to add on an extra kilometer (both ways – so really two kilometers, whatever they are) of hiking to Acaime (a house of hummingbirds!) which we absolutely did. And there’s also the option to head an extra two hours up God-knows-how-many meters in altitude to Estrella de Agua (near Los Nevados National Park where hardcore hikers camp), which we absolutely did not do. I think one of the German guys really wanted to, but the rest of us vetoed that terrible, vomit-inducing idea.

The hummingbirds were worth it though!

Oh and there were chickens!

A hummingbird nest!

Salento is – without being too cheesy here – one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in my life. We were SO lucky to have a day of full sun during our hike, which is rare during the wet season in Salento apparently. And yes, it did rain every other day I was in town.

But Valle de Cocora, in its full lush and sunny glory or in rainy and misty spookiness, is incredible. Those folks who went when it was stormy got spectacularly different photos from me. Either way, you get to see the huge, green, grassy mountains, boulder-filled streams, and super tall wax palms – the national tree of Colombia, by the way – that make the area famous. Really trying not the use the word “verdant.”

But thankfully for me and my legs and everyone hiking around me, I didn’t have to brave the Valle de Cocora in the mud. I’m certain I would have bitched fourfold…

There were no pictures taken during the truly difficult part of the hike. I promise it wasn’t all prancing around the wilderness and taking photos of flowers. Unrelated:  perhaps coffee and chocolate were not the most appropriate mid-hike snacks.

At this point, the hardest part is over.

Is this horse for real?! 

Our hike lasted from about 10 AM to 4:00 PM with ample stops for snacks, photos, and hummingbirds. Everyone I’d asked told me that the hike wasn’t very difficult, but I’m starting to think I must’ve been directing my questions at a bunch of physically fit, avid outdoorsmen. Because, uh yeah, six hours of hiking for me is a solid day of exercise. Complete with a couple slips in the mud, lots of uphill scrambling, and capturing wildlife in motion, you can just call me Bear Grylls now.

OMG I hope I don’t die in Cusco.

The trail is a loop, and depending on which way you do it (um, you should do it the way we did it) you will either start or end with the beautiful iconic sights of wax palms alongside you. I like to think of them as a reward for all the shitty uphill challenging parts of the hike. Otherwise you’ll end your hike under the cover of the forest, which isn’t nearly as fun.

Oooh, we’re getting to the good part…

Note to self: Don’t wear hot pink in the next uber photogenic destination. I’m not loving that look at all.

Okay, I’m sorry, do all these photos look the same to you?

Bet this one doesn’t! Boom! Baby cows!

It’s not hard to see why Salento is becoming a top tourist destination in Colombia. Its beauty borders on the magical (oh, I’m such a sap). According to one of the business owners I met, this tiny town is now second to Cartagena in terms of popularity with visitors, not that I’ve verified that fact with statistics. And because of a recent drought, it’s usually even greener if you can believe it! But despite with the daily rain showers, mud, washed-out roads requiring 4x4s for transportation, and the fact that no bar in town stays open past 11 PM, I still loved this place.

I can only imagine that Salento’s popularity will grow, as everywhere you look, the result is thoughts of “oooh, ahhhh, is this for real?” I have way too many pictures and I apologize for bombarding you with them, but stick around for a second post on the non-hiking, less cuss-word-inducing activities I did in Salento.

So call me a typical tourist, but like Cartagena, I could’ve stayed in Salento a long, long time. Hey, I like pretty things – sue me.

A Jeep to Valle de Cocora from the main plaza will cost you about 3,400 COP per person if you fill it up. It’s the same coming back. They leave for the valley at 7:30 AM and 9:30 AM. We took the 9:30 AM ride and felt like the timing was great. Buy some snacks at the supermarket in the plaza. Acaime (the hummingbird place) is an optional 5,000 COP entrance fee, but includes a drink (coke, hot chocolate, coffee, panela). A very economical day for the town’s most famous attraction!