Colombia is a country with so many fantastic destinations to visit and Salento is right near the top of the list.
Salento, Colombia is one of those destinations that seems like it was created for tourism, but thankfully, retains its charm and beauty. It’s a colorful town with plenty of cafes and restaurants surrounded by lush green hills and mountains.
It is not the easiest place to visit as the roads to get here are winding and slow. However, once you arrive, you will discover the journey was well worth your time and effort.
Salento is one of the most colourful towns in Colombia, rivalling Guatape for the title if you ask me. It has a surprisingly vibrant nightlife for such a small place and is the gateway to the amazing Cocora Valley.
There are a few fantastic things to do in Salento that are not to be missed.
Where is Salento, Colombia?
Salento, Colombia is a small town in the Quindio department in Central Colombia. It is 1,985 metres above sea level close to the Central Colombian Andes Mountain range.
Salento is within the Colombian Coffee Triangle, the region famous for producing the majority of Colombian coffee, one of the country’s largest exports.
It’s about 300 km west of the Capital Bogota but can take over 8 hours to drive there due to the mountainous terrain and condition of the roads.
The closest airports to Salento are Pereira and Armenia, both can be travelled to from Bogota as an alternative to driving.
What is the weather in Salento, Colombia
As a result of its altitude, Salento has a temperate climate. Throughout the year the temperature remains between 14c and 24c. It is often clear and sunny in the mornings and cloudy in the afternoon.
It rains often with peaks in April and November. The best chance of dry weather is from December to March and July and August.
When you are planning what to do in Salento, prepare for all types of weather and plan to do outdoor activities in the mornings when the weather is generally best.
Things to do in Salento, Colombia
Salento, Colombia is one of those destinations that has a bit of everything and is a dream place for travellers and backpackers. Although small, it punches above its weight in terms of things to do.
Here are some of the best things to do in Salento, Colombia
Visit Cocora Valley in Salento (Valle de Cocora)
The number one thing to do in Salento, Colombia and probably the main reason you are interested to visit Salento is to visit Cocora Valley (Valle de Cocora in Spanish). Hiking Cocora Valley was one of the highlights within all of Colombia, let alone Salento.
Cocora Valley Salento is famous for the giant Wax Palm Trees that dominate the landscape. Wax Palm Trees are actually the national tree of Colombia and can grow as tall as 200 feet (60 metres).
It’s so beautiful to see them disappearing in the clouds against the lush green mountains and clear blue skies in the background.
Did you know Cocora Valley is the inspiration for the landscape in the new Disney movie Encanto (check out the wax palm trees in the movie).
Hiking Cocora Valley
Hiking Cocora Valley is the best way to see the landscape and there is a couple of different options you have. There is a shorter hike that takes a couple of hours and this focuses mainly on the seeing the Wax Palm trees. There is a larger hiking loop that takes about 6 hours.
The longer Cocora Valley hike takes you through farmland and across rivers and waterfalls. I did the full hike and loved it and recommend it. After the first stage you don’t come across anymore wax palm trees until right at the end so if this is all you are interested in opt for the shorter hike only.
A little piece of advice when hiking Cocora Valley. It gets muddy there, so if you have wellies, or can hire some, it will be a great idea. I think I must have walked past the place hiring them (unfortunately) so wore my trainers.
It’s almost impossible to avoid getting ankle deep in mud in some places. I tried walking slowly and carefully but it’s just not possible. Those in wellies were able to walk uch faster without a care in the world!
Visit the Acaime Hummingbird House in Cocora Valley
If you take the longer route you also have the opportunity to visit the Acaime Hummingbird House which is a real highlight. Get up close to these amazing little birds, they’re not scared to get close. I’ve never seen so many hummingbirds this close before and I really enjoyed it.
How to get to Cocora Valley (Valle de Cocora)
Getting to Cocora Valley from Salento is very easy and part of the fun too. You need to go to the main square in town, Plaza de Bolivar, and you will see a line of Jeeps waiting to go to Cocora.
These old vintage jeeps, known as Willy Jeeps are waiting to transport you to Cocora Valley. As soon as they are full they will leave and the journey takes about 30 minutes. Purchase your ticket at the little kiosk, the cost is 8,000 COP and this is a return ticket so keep it with you for the return.
There is an entry fee to Cocora Valley of 10,000 COP and if you do the longer hike there is an additional 5,000 COP to pay to one of the local landowners.
When you are ready to return to Salento return to the same place you get dropped off and await the next Will Jeep departure.
Before you leave I would recommend visiting the little place where the large ‘Cocora’ signs are. Is a bit touisty, yes, but who cares! It was quite fun, and you can get a picture with the big hand sculpture and get some more nice views so why not.
Horseback Riding Tour in Salento Cocora Valley
An alternative thing to do in Salento rather than hike on foot is to go horse riding. As you exit the Willy Jeep at Cocora Valley you will see a quite a few horses available to ride. It seems quite a popular activity and an alternative to hiking the trail. I guess this is one way to avoid the muddy path!
I didn’t do this so but if you want to, try asking a couple of different people the prices to ensure you get the best deal.
Enjoy a Coffee Tour in Salento
Salento is in the heart of the Colombian Coffee Triange so what better place to visit a Coffee Farm and find out a little more about how coffee is grown and farmed.
This is another must-do activity in Salento and there are quite a few Coffee Tours available and open to tourists and I suggest asking your hostel or hotel for recommendations.
I visited Las Acacias Coffee Farm which took me about 1 hour to walk there from my hostel. You get taken around the farm, have the opportunity to pick some coffee beans and see how they dry and roast them. You also have a free coffee to try the produce for yourself.
The cost of my tour was 20,000 COP and it was an interesting experience. I delayed doing a coffee tour in Guatemala so I thought I must do one whilst in Colombia.
If you go to Plaza de Bolivar to the same hut where you but jeep tickets to Cocora Valley you can find out more information about visiting diffrerent Coffee Farms (Fincas).
Explore Calle Real
Another of the best things to do in Salento, Colombia is to enjoy the town itself. If you’ve been to Guatape (near to Medellin) this town is a rival when it comes to colorful poainted buildings. All the buildings in the centre are painted in bright colours.
It’s a joy just to wander around town, and explore some of the local shops selling all sorts of souvenirs and take a break in one of Salento’s many cafés or bars.
Plaza de Bolivar is the main square and from there is Calle Real. This street has many shops, and cute cafes. Try to visit early in the morning before the crowds arrive and while the shop doors are still closed. This allows you to see the painted buildings in their full glory.
Walk to the viewpoint in Salento, Colombia
If you walk to the northen end of Calle Real you will notice a lot of steps going up a hill. This takes you to an excellent viewpoint (mirador) overlooking the valley and hills on one side and the town of Salento on the other.
When you get to the top of the steps turn left and walk a few more minutes until you see a wooden structure. This is the main viewpoint. There are a couple of café’s up there and vendors selling snacks.
Play Tejo at Los Amigos
I was surprised by how lively the nightlife was in Salento as it’s a small place, but the bars and restaurants were always full.
One favourite past time here is to play the local game called Tejo. You can play at a place called Los Amigos on Carrera 4. The game involves throwing iron weights at targets full of gunpowder. Beer seems like a must do when playing too, so what could go wrong!
The game involves throwing weighted discs (like a hockey puck) at a metal ring loaded with little packets of gunpowder on top. You know if you hit the target as theres a not so little explosion.
It’s a fun and cheap game to play with some friends from your hostel. I paid 5,000 COP entry to the bar and we played for an hour or so while drinking plenty of beers. Don’t miss this activity while in Salento.
Play Pool or French Billiards
If beer and gunpowder isn’t your thing, how about Pool or Billiards with beer? Even more popular than Tejo is seems, the locals pack out the pool halls every night, and each game involves an exchange of money.
How long to spend in Salento, Colombia
As you can see from above I’m a huge fan of Salento and could easily just chill in this place for a week or so. As it can be time-consuming to get here I would plan to spend 3 nights as a minimum. This will be enough time to enjoy all the activities without rushing.
Is Salento, Colombia Safe for Tourists?
Colombia has a bit of a bad reputation when it comes to safety and it was the country I was most concerned about before arriving. In large cities like Medellin and Bogota, you definitely have to take care and be aware of your surroundings.
In small places like Salento, there is no safety concern at all. I walked around late at night, by myself, and never felt unsafe.
Of course, you must take normal precautions but it’s safer to walk around Salento than a lot of cities in Europe and the US for example.
Is Salento, Colombia Worth Visiting?
I hope this question has already been answered, but just in case, Salento is 100% worth visiting. If you are backpacking Colombia or just visiting on a short holiday I would strongly advise you to come to this magical destination. I hope you now have an idea what to do in Salento.
How to get to Salento
Salento is inbetween Medellin and Bogota, slightly closer to Bogota but due its proximity to the Andes mountains travel times can be long.
Bus Medellin to Salento (Medellin -Salento or Salento – Medellin)
I travelled from Medellin to Salento and the bus journey took 8.5 hours. The bus from Medellin to Salento leaves from the Centro Terminal Del Sur. You need to book your ticket with Flota Occidental and the cost is 70,000 COP (2022). You canbook online, I used redbus.co or you can book when you arrive at the bus station.
The bus stop in Salento is quite central, about 10 minutes walk to the centre of town.
Bus Bogota to Salento (Bogota – Salento or Salento – Bogota)
If you are travelling from Bogota to Salento you can take a bus via Armenia or Pereira. In Bogota, head to the Terminal de Autobus Sur (in the South). The journey time can be between 8 and 10 hours. Leave early so you can catch the next and final bus to Salento.
Buses from Armenia to Salento are more frequent than Pereira and run later in the day, so Armenia is probably the best option. The cost is 80,000 COP
This website has more details on exact schedules: https://www.geckoroutes.com/Colombia/bogota-to-salento/
You could fly from Bogota to Armenia or Pereira and then take a bus for the last part of the journey. This option will obviously be more expensive than buses but if you are time limited it may be a better option.
Bus Salento to Tatacoa Desert
You may be thinking to visit Tatacoa Desert after Salento as I did, and I highly recommend you do. Tatacoa desert is another amazing and unique destination when backpacking Colombia.
To get to the Tatacoa desert you need to take a bus from Salento to Armenia. This bus costs 5,500 COP and takes an hour.
Secondly you need to take a bus from Armenia to Neiva. This costs 57,600 and my bus took a whopping 10 hours, although there was loads of traffic and my driver was possibly the slowest driver in the world. Just as we entered Neiva he then decided to drive past the bus station and refuel, then go back to the station. This added 30 minutes, and I was quite frustrated by this time.
From Neiva you will need to take a taxi to your accommodation. I was actually staying in the desert at a place called Campo los Cactus. Luckily I was travelling with 2 friends at this point and the taxi cost 130,000 COP for the three of us.
An alternative to staying in the desert is spending at least one night in Neiva, this negates the worry about getting a taxi late at night.
Where to stay in Salento, Colombia
Salento isn’t a big town so wherever you stay you will likely be able to walk around everywhere.
I spent one night in Walkers Hostel, just south of town but still easily walkable. It’s a small little place and I had a 2-bed dorm to myself. The host was really friendly and offered some advice about tours (in Spanish).
I also stayed in Hostal Vistaguila as I wanted a private room and they have very affordable rooms. The place is a little further away from the centre of Salento but still not that far. When I was there I barely saw another person so it’s not the place to come if you want to meet people, however, it was very clean and comfortable.
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Where to next after Salento?
If you have time I would recommend visiting Tatacoa Desert after Salento although it is still a long journey to get there.
As mentioned above, its easy to trave from Salento to Medellin or Salento to Bogota.
Another option could be Cali, the home of Salsa, although I never made it there.
Nice article but i dont understand the obsession at seeing Palms in areas cleared for Cattle ? These Palms will all sadly die in the future. There is a way better alternative to Cocora Valley in Bolivia called El Palmar Protected Area. Has endemic Palms, Amazing condor watching and one of the best places to see Andean Bears in Bolivia.