Salento, Colombia: Best Things to Do
Salento in Zona Cafetera is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Colombia. Explore with our travel guide the best things to do in Salento, including a visit to a coffee farm, exploring its colorful streets, or hiking in Cocora Valley, famous for its tall wax palms. What to do in Salento, what are the top attractions, where to stay, or how to get there, it's all here.
Salento was the first place in Colombia, where we met quite many international tourists together with Colombians on vacation. In fact, until that time, we were thinking about where are the others?
Sure, we met some tourists in big cities such as Bogota, Cartagena, or Medellin, but those numbers did not correspond with information we could read in guidebooks, that Colombia has been quickly becoming one of the most popular travel destinations in South America.
It changed in Salento, though. And although it was not insanely crowded, we could feel the difference.
On the other hand, despite the town's popularity, walking its colorful streets still has its charm.
Yes, there are souvenir shops on every corner, streets lined with restaurants and coffee shops, but the number of best things to do easily outweighed this touristy side of Salento.
The square and the popular main street Calle Real was lively for the whole time of our visit, and we could enjoy the real South American vibe.
Salento, nestled high in the Andes, is surrounded by sloping green hills promising excellent hiking or horseback riding conditions, but even those of you who prefer sitting in a coffee shop and watching people go by will have a blast here.
This travel guide aims to provide you with information on the best things to do in Salento to get the most of the town and the incredible landscape around.
We also share with you tips on where to stay, how to get, or when is the best time to visit this town in the famous Zona Cafetera.
BEST THINGS TO DO IN SALENTO
Here's our list of the top activities to do in Salento, Colombia. We did not plan it, but as we based ourselves here before a multi-day hike in Los Nevados National Park, in the end, we spent in Salento in total over a week.
To scratch the surface, plan at least two days in the town, so you can enjoy the atmosphere and get the most of your time here.
Salento is one of the most visited places in the country for a reason, and it definitely deserves your attention.
What we liked the most about Salento was the possibility to leave the cobblestone streets anytime and change it for a lush green scenery.
VALLE DE COCORA
The reason why so many travelers arrive in Salento actually lies outside the town's limit. We are pretty confident that you've seen that iconic photo of tall wax palms, which happen to be the national tree of Colombia.
These wax palms can be found in the nearby Cocora Valley, which is approximately 30 minutes drive from Salento.
You have several options on how to visit the valley.
From the parking lot, where you get by the traditional frequent jeep Willys, it is possible to walk directly to the valley, and the whole trip will take you about an hour.
Or there's another alternative that includes a five-hour-long Cocora Valley hike that will take you across the farmland, through the jungle, until you finally arrive at a viewpoint overlooking the valley dotted with wax palms.
Unfortunately, farming and tourism in Cocora Valley are not sustainable at the moment, and we can only hope things will change soon.
We have opted for the latter alternative, and this day-hike was one of the best things we had on our Colombia itinerary.
Hiking in Cocora Valley is not entirely free, it costs 7 000 COP, but it is money well spent.
Even though the valley is easy to visit independently, in case you prefer a Cocora Valley guided tour that includes transport, it is good to know this option exists as well.
Cocora Valley is best to be explored on foot, but many travelers like to enjoy the views from a horse saddle.
We did the horseback riding in San Agustin, but you can book horseback riding tour in Cocora Valley as well.
EXPLORE THE TOWN
Salento is one of those Colombia's colonial towns that will steal your heart. During the two months we spent in this country, we visited a large number of colonial towns such as Guatape, Barichara, or Villa de Leyva.
Even though we usually do not like comparing our experiences, Salento is, in such competition, on the top of our list.
One of the most photogenic streets is Calle Real, thanks to its colorful door and whitewashed walls, and we never got tired of looking for details we could capture.
The truth is that most of the buildings on Calle Real, if not most of them, are shops designed for tourists, but vendors were not pushy at all, and we could walk around without feeling distressed.
It would be a shame to get stuck only on Calle Real, though.
Salento is one of those places where you can wander around without any top attraction in mind - some of the most wonderful houses we saw were a few blocks from the main promenade.
No Colombian city would be complete without the main square. In Salento, it is Plaza de Bolivar Salento, with a decent church Our Lady of Carmen - it is another place you should not miss.
CLIMB UP TO THE MIRADOR
Apart from hanging around Salento's central square and walking the promenade Calle Real lined with shops and restaurants, there is actually not much to do in the town, with one exception.
Continue to the far end of Calle Real, and you'll see many colorful steps leading up to the hill.
Climb up, and in the end, you'll emerge on the top of the viewpoint alias mirador overlooking both Salento on one side and mountains and countryside on the other side.
To get even better, undisturbed views, walk further off to the left.
Salento is generally a very safe destination, but try to get down from Mirador before it gets dark because of the increased number of robberies attracted by the number of tourists waiting at the viewpoint for the sunset.
You can also read our article How to Stay Safe in South America.
VISIT A COFFEE FARM IN SALENTO
Salento is located right in Colombia's Zona Cafetera, so where else should you visit a coffee farm than here?
There are several farms near Salento offering different programs for coffee lovers and overall for those who are interested in seeing the whole journey of coffee, from seed to the aromatic cup.
Every farm in Salento's surroundings is different - from big touristy ones, where owners use machines, to really small ones.
Those small farms have a more personal approach, limited capacity of visitors, and most of their job is done by hand. Every method is surely interesting to experience, it is only up to you what farm you will choose for your visit.
One of the most popular coffee tours is the one that shows you around Ocaso Farm, but in the end, we decided to visit Finca Momota, a coffee farm situated only 10 minutes walk from Salento.
The owner, Mrs. Carla showed us her plantation where she grows not only coffee trees but also many fruit trees that provide the much-needed shade and protection for coffee plants.
We were pretty astonished by how everything here was sustainable and in harmony.
After the tour around the plantation, we could taste the coffee and learn more about the theory, which we could tell, was for many the highlight of the tour.
The tour took 3 hours, cost 30 000 COP, and we cannot recommend it enough.
ot only we learned a lot, enjoyed the walk around the well-taken care of the garden, but we were also happy we could contribute a little to this organic farm.
EAT TROUT
Trout is the traditional food in Salento, and you can get it literally in every restaurant in the town and almost in every modification you can think of.
If you are on a budget, go to the well-known restaurant Rincon de Lucy, where they serve a daily menu, including trout, for only 8 000 COP. If you don't eat fish, they serve a chicken version as well.
We must say, that we never became fans of Colombian cuisine. We were even quite tired of the food by the time we arrived in Medellin.
But Salento, and the restaurant Rincon de Lucy, was one of the few places where we not only survived the food, but we quite looked forward to it.
Don't know why, but most of the restaurants in Salento serve menu del dia for 8 000 COP, so even budget-travelers like us had plenty of options to choose from.
HIKE IN LOS NEVADOS NATIONAL PARK
Salento can be your starting point if you plan a hike in Los Nevados National Park, which is one of the most beautiful national parks in Colombia.
To reach the park, you can either base yourself in Salento (this is what we did), or in Manizales, which is a large city on the other side of the mountains.
Los Nevados National Park is well-known for mountains, abandoned farms, glaciers, lakes, but also for the unique paramo ecosystem.
We did a 4-day Los Nevados National Park trek through the paramo that also included the climb to Nevado Santa Isabel, over a 5000 meters high peak, where we used crampons and ice ax for the first time on a glacier.
It still is one of our best travel memories in South America.
For exploring this park, we recommend hiring a knowledgeable guide who knows the area well.
Trails are not very well-signposted, and clouds and mist often roll over the hills, and it is quite easy to get lost.
Even though it is possible to visit Los Nevados National Park for a day in case you are short on time, in case you can spend some time in the area, based on our experience, we can only recommend you any multi-day option.
BE ADVENTUROUS - SALENTO TOURS
The region around Salento is famous not only for coffee and wax palms but also for the landscape that invites travelers to be active and adventurous.
Except for hiking, another popular activity is biking, which will give you the chance to cover more ground in only a few hours.
To enjoy the views from above, consider paragliding.
Trekking in Los Nevados National Park is a must-do, though it requires at least three or four days. Fortunately, there are some shorter hikes in the area.
If you like exploring Colombia's countryside and your hobby are chasing waterfalls, Santa Rita waterfall is worth mentioning as this activity combines hiking and the possibility to see fairly pretty falls.
In case you plan on traveling to San Gil, our tip is to skip this hike and visit Juan Curi waterfall instead, which is much more impressive.
The area is also known among bird-watchers, and your chance to spot different species including lovely hummingbirds is high.
One of the most popular places for hummingbirds watching is Acaime reserve, which is a short detour on the Cocora Valley loop.
We've already mentioned it in a paragraph dedicated to Cocora Valley, but horseback riding is an activity you can book even here in Salento.
Travel Insurance
We never leave home without travel insurance that was designed to cover our expenses if something goes wrong during the trip.
Travel insurance protects against theft, flight delays, injury, illness, cancellations, and much more.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
HOW TO GET TO SALENTO
Getting to Salento is fairly easy. It is good to know that the town is small, therefore, in order to get there, it is often necessary to switch buses in one of the transportation hubs in the area.
Most of the visitors arrive in Salento from Colombia's capital, Bogota.
If this is your plan as well, you just need to take a bus to Armenia first and there switch to a frequent bus in the direction to Salento.
We arrived in Salento from Manizales, where we stored our stuff before hiking in Los Nevados National Park.
Because there is no direct bus, we had to go to Pereira first (the bus from Manizales to Pereira goes approximately from 5 AM to 8 PM every 15 minutes and cost 11 500 COP), and here we switched to bus to Salento for 7 500 COP.
This bus doesn't depart that often (on weekdays at 06:40, 08:40, 9:45, 11:40, 13:40, 16:40, and 18:40, and on weekends every hour from 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM).
HOTELS IN SALENTO
Salento is no more a quiet colonial town. The destination is booming, and it offers perfect accommodation options for every type of traveler.
You can find a room in one of the colonial buildings in the very center of Salento, but if you are longing for a quiet place to stay, surrounded by greenery, it is possible to choose a finca that is a bit away from the touristy streets.
We've handpicked the three best hotels in Salento for every budget category, feel free to get inspired.
Budget | Hospedaje Vista Hermosa Salento - Budget, yet nice and newly renovated family-run hostel is a good choice for all travelers looking for an affordable place to stay.
Mid-range | Casa de las Dos Palmas - This hotel has an authentic feel and is well-kept. It has a jacuzzi which you will surely enjoy after a long day out.
Luxury | Hotel Terasu Salento - Amazing views, private garden, modernly furnished rooms, all of that for a very reasonable price - surely the top pick in Salento.
Alternatively, search for your accommodation via Hostelworld.
WHEN TO VISIT
The weather in Salento can be very changeable due to the nearby mountains. It can get very hot during the day, but colder at night.
It also rains quite often, which causes the famous pictures of wax palms in the morning mist and fog in the Cocora Valley.
In general, the best time to visit Salento is between December and February, followed by July to September, which is the dry season.
As we've already mentioned, do not forget to pack a rain poncho or rain jacket all year round, especially if you plan on hitting the hiking trails.
Hiking boots and a proper daypack is also a must.
Visiting Salento offseason is not at all a bad idea as it will give you the chance to avoid crowds.
Trails can be muddy, but in case you are a long-term traveler, you can simply wait for the better weather.
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
