Set in the surroundings of gorgeous green mountains, this small town survives on coffee production, trout farming and tourists hoping to hike the Valle de Cocora - which is exactly what we did.
Valle de Cocora - the valley home to wax palm trees that tower over 60m high.
There are 2 different hiking options when visiting the Valle de Cocora. If you just want to see the palm trees and are short on time then you can take the shorter option. We opted for the 'long route' for this hike, completing around 15kms in about 5 or 6 hours. This option takes you through the forest, over wooden suspension bridges and along steep trails, but gives you some of the most stunning view points. It does however, take around 4 hours before you begin to see the palm trees, although feels great to finish the hike with these incredible views!
We had left early in the morning, catching a ride with Willy's Jeeps (yes, that's right...) from the main square. You can't really miss it, there are loads of them waiting to take people to the beginning of the trek. The night before we had picked up a packed lunch from a place called 'Brunch' (also highly recommend, although very busy/popular!), but there were a few stalls open selling fresh fruit and so on. Make sure you have enough food and water because there are very few (if any) options during the hike itself.
The jeep took us to the starting point of the trek, the cloud forest. We met another couple and walked the first few kilometres with them, chatting away. As you enter the jungle, the incline starts to increase until after a few hours you begin to make your way into the valley itself. Make sure to wear decent boots as the trail, especially through the forest can get really muddy and slippy. We worked our way along the path, walking alongside a stream and several waterfalls. Eventually we came across multiple wooden bridges to enable us to cross over - 1 person at a time! They are very rickety!
There is also a hummingbird sanctuary somewhere along the trail, I can't remember why but we decided to not visit (and have since heard mixed reviews) and continued uphill until we reached Finca la Montana.
Check. Those. Views.
We took some time here to enjoy the views, eat our packed lunch (the yummiest peanut butter brownie!!) and take 12407823 photos. Honestly it was stunning and those palms make you feel as tiny as an ant! We continue our way down through the valley, stopping to take more photographs on the way.
To make it back to the town, simply hop on one the Willy Jeeps waiting, once full they will head back to Salento. We were the last to fill the spaces in our jeep and so hung to the back with the wind in our hair! Last jeep leaves at 6pm, don't miss it...
Comments