Other Things to Do in Salento: Coffee, Trout, and Scaring Yourself

I’ll admit that I had to have a drink before I signed up. And yeah, it’s a good thing I did since the sign-up form asked for your blood type and an emergency contact.

Okay, okay it was just paragliding. But I’d never done it before! I’m not much for crazy heights or running and jumping from high places (mainly the latter that gets me, actually). But I’d already talked to my new German friends about doing it, called the tour company office, gotten a discount, and now that they weren’t able to go with me, I still had to do it right?

Yes. The answer is yes. You can’t be a little bitch while traveling.

Your mode of transportation to pretty much anywhere in Salento.

Aside from hiking the Valle de Cocora, there are several other things to do in the small Colombian town of Salento. Though it’s also fun to just do nothing, drink coffee, and wander around in all the nature.

You can go horseback riding, do some way tougher hikes, play tejo, and go mountain biking. But since the weather was a bit iffy during the several days I was in Salento, I opted for the following activities…

Eating! Duh.

Trout?

I didn’t know it ahead of time – though I quickly learned after checking the menu at several Salento restaurants (spoiler alert, they’re all EXTREMELY similar) – but trout is a local specialty in the area. You can get it cooked many different ways. Like endless different ways. I chose trout cooked in garlic and cream, and it was delicious. I loved the sauciness. Mind you, I was basically eating it as a snack after our Valle de Cocora hike (because I deserved it!). If you’re interested in other options, a local Salento guy said he liked his trout cooked in marinera sauce.

Our group did commit the mortal travel sin of eating directly next to the main tourist plaza, but I couldn’t complain. Their choice of “barbecue pork ribs,” however, left a little something to be desired. (They tasted like hotdogs that had been shaped to resemble ribs, much like a Colombian McRib without all the advertisement hype.) Another lesson in ordering what the restaurant does best.

Giant Patacones

As you can see above, my main dish was served with one of the giant patacones (smashed and fried plantains) that are ever-present in Salento. I’d gotten used to the small thick ones around the Caribbean coast of Colombia, but these big, thin, crunchy ones are apparently the main option in this town. And like the trout, they come in many, many forms with different toppings.

At night, many restaurants pop open in the main square, complete with tents and tables, and they serve an array of trout and patacones. Arriving late on our first night in Salento, a new friend and I decided to have dinner at one of these joints since our hostel was a bit out in the country… and we didn’t want to risk being hungry all through the night obviously.

We weren’t disappointed with our patacones de pollo, which included the thin crispy fried plantain, a layer of salsa, shredded chicken, and cheese. We also had a side of soup-y beans and, of course, Club Colombia beers to reward ourselves for making it through the nausea-inducing six hour minibus ride from Medellín.

In the daytime, the restaurants are all closed shut, but still very colorful.

Aforementioned trout restaurant // A cafe Salento with brandy and an alfajor at Cafe Jesus Martin

Drink Coffee!

You’re in the coffee region, duh. Drink coffee at the most talked about café in the tiny city. Café Jesús Martín is located just off the main square, and it’s a touch overpriced, but the coffee is of wonderful quality and the place itself is just terribly cute and hip with all its old furniture and decor. I just love sitting on an velvet couch while I drink… coffee. The sweets are solid as well and I just HAD to get an alfajor… kind of like how I had to get a little liquor in my coffee.

Because if you’re not going to drink a little in the middle of the day then why did you even quit your job?

Tour a Coffee Farm and Factory!

There are multiple options for coffee tours in Salento, but I’m guessing I chose the smallest. Don Elias is a family-owned, tiny, artisanal coffee farm where they pick the berries by hand and only sell the coffee locally. If you want to see a bigger production, check out El Ocaso. If I had more time, I probably would have done both.

We were given a pretty informal but interesting tour of the farm for 10,000 COP (a little over $3 USD and it’s even cheaper for the shorter version) by a member of the Don Elias family – a young Colombian dude who spends half of his time in New Jersey and half in Salento. We learned about coffee production, from picking the berry to roasting and grinding it, and let’s just say I have no idea how anybody EVER figured out how to make the coffee we drink, because there are SO many steps in the process!

We also got a tour of the rest of the farm, which included plantain trees, pineapple plants, banana trees, bamboo, and even a waterfall.

Each one of those little sprouting things turns into a banana. Who knew?!

The view from the road if you walk to the coffee farm

The machine that peels the coffee berry // the greenhouse where the beans dry

And after it dries, you have to peel it again, gah…

Prepared in the kitchen just like this by the lady of the house.

I’ve never really been “into” coffee – I just drank it every weekday morning for the energy, not the taste. I do not care about your overpriced, hipster coffee joints, how organic your beans are, or any fancy coffee drinks. I hate Starbucks and I hate Keurig machines. And I just learned the difference between a cappuccino and a latte. (PS why does anybody drink lattes – they’re like all milk!) I drink drip coffee, dammit.

BUT IN COLOMBIA, I’ve tried to expand my horizons. And guess what? Their coffee is awesome. And something I can appreciate.

Served in a tiny little cup, strong and not watery, I could drink this stuff every day… and I pretty much have.

Stay at La Serrana

Man this place was like a home away from home. Comfortable beds with extra soft blankets, an expensive lodge-like atmosphere, free healthy breakfasts, and family dinners every night for $5 USD – what more could you want? This hostel came recommended to me by fellow travelers I met in Cartagena, and they couldn’t have been more right about the place.

About twenty minutes from the main plaza of Salento, this eco-farm and hostel combination was like an old rich person’s ranch, and the rooms were decorated as such.  Leather, wood, and traces of big game animals everywhere.

I could’ve stayed here a few more days just to fully appreciate this place. The sunsets were amazing, the views all around it spectacular, and they even offer the option of staying in these fantastic giant tents on platforms outside – a couple I met said they were awesome.

Yeah, I’d retire here.

#nofilter

And when you’ve exhausted this scenery (not likely), you can head into civilization.

Wander Around and Take Pics

The town of Salento itself is colorful and charming. Unfortunately, it was raining most of the time I had my camera at the ready, but I still made an attempt. Have some snacks, go play tejo at Los Amigos and drink some beers, and wander the main plaza until the restaurants and street food folks open up. There’s also a place called Brunch, run by an American, with burgers and an infamous peanut butter brownie, which I never got around to trying and that makes me sad. Seriously, people rave about it.

The main town itself isn’t much, but it’s pretty.

And if you walk too far, the shops and homes will start becoming fewer and farther between, and you’ll just end up with more magnificent views. What’s the worst that could happen?

This terrible selfie is how much I love you guys. That’s not my thumb, just FYI.

Go Paragliding!

So, as I was leading up to in my introduction before I got led astray with of all the other stuff there is to do in Salento, I went paragliding during my time in this gorgeous place as well. Because really, what better place to die?

I’m so kidding! After much build-up and discussion with new friends, I decided I had to try it. The surrounding mountains and greenery are just too lovely not to soar over attached to a parachute with a Colombian guy you don’t know, right?

But seriously, the guys at Beta Town who arranged the paragliding were great. Super professional, great English, and very reassuring. They explained everything to me and acknowledged that the guys who’d be piloting us were ranked in the top 20 in the world for paragliding. Much like my diving experience, I felt pretty confident with this outfit. The owners are brothers who have spent many years living in Texas.

After negotiating a discount for the three of us (me and the two German guys that I hiked with on the previous day), it turned out that only two pilots were available for our final day in Salento. That meant we wouldn’t be able to do it together. Which made me nervous. Which made me kind of want to back out. But the owner was kind enough to let me keep the discount, drive the guys out to paraglide in the morning, and then return to Salento and drive me separately later that day. The paragliding was done in nearby Armenia, so he even dropped me off at the bus station there afterwards, saving me the trip.

The view from the air when the clouds finally cleared

I didn’t get nervous until we got there and they started laying out the parachute on the edge of a very steep hill. Honestly, the ride up the curvy, wet mountain road was nerve-racking enough. By the time we got to the top we were in the clouds. As in, it was so foggy, you could barely see anything.

But then I realized I was going to have to just run, run, run, into the abyss, without stopping, god don’t stop running, just go where the guy points, do not jump, do not pause, just run, and hope you don’t need a wider Spanish vocabulary to follow instructions and survive!

I even brought my DSLR with me… with its strap, it seemed less riskier than the iPhone.

So I followed blindly and everything went great! We jumped and (thank God) glided into nothing but solid, blinding white clouds for almost a minute. I started to panic as I thought, man, how does this guy know where we’re going? What if we hit the side of the mountain? Oh man, these are thick clouds.

But die we did not. And afterwards when I asked him how he knew where we were going, he pulled out of compass and laughed. Yeah, fucking right. Then he pointed to the digital GPS at his side. Ahhh…

We eventually popped out of the clouds and the neighboring mountains, farms, and towns became visible, slowly but surely. He asked if I wanted to do some twists and turns and once again, I affirmatively answered yes to a question that I in no way understood. And the action that followed created the biggest roller-coaster drop feeling in my stomach ever. But we finally settled down and had a smooth landing, on our feet no less!

And on that note, my time in Salento came to a close. I headed to the bus station with a lot of adrenaline left in my body and ready to buy a bus ticket to a destination I hadn’t even decided on until the two hours prior. Salento, however, still ranks as one of my favorite destinations thus far.

 

How to Arrive:  You can now take a direct minibus from Medellín to Salento for 41,000 COP with Flota Occidental at 9 AM and 12 PM. Buy some Mareol at the bus station, because it is a very windy ride. Lots of people on my bus looked rather pale. There’s a stop for snacks/bathroom break and we arrived on time.

Where I Stayed: La Serrana for 28,000 COP/night. Just do it. A beautiful spot worth the 20 minute walk to town. Great family dinners. Make sure to make reservations ahead of time because they’re nearly always full.

Have you guys been paragliding? Are you pretentious about coffee? Do you enjoy trout? Let me know!