Image: Tall wax palm trees of Cocora Valley.
Highlights
– A brief description of what to see and do in the colorful mountain town of Salento, Colombia.
Time of Visit: March 2026
Duration of Visit: Five Nights
Description
Salento is one of the popular tourist destinations in Colombia. It is a mountain town in the heart of the country’s coffee growing region. But drinking fine Colombian coffee is not the only draw here. The scenery is beautiful as well as it being surrounded by verdant mountains. Being higher in elevation means that the temperature is milder and downright comfortable.
Salento is a small town with colorful buildings and houses. It reminds us of Guatapé minus the bas reliefs on the walls. It just feels relaxing to walk its streets. And the locals are very friendly too. It is not unusual for tourists to be greeted with “Bienvenido” or “Buenas”.
Activities
There are plenty of things to do in Salento. We only managed to do a few as we just wanted to relax and slow down.
Carbonera Valley
We did not go to Carbonera Valley because of cost and time. However, we provide some information about it in case you want to include it with your visit. The information presented here is based on what we found in talking to one of the trekking companies.
Carbonera Valley is similar to Cocara Valley minus the crowd. There are sweeping views, verdant mountains and forest and tall wax palm trees. But Carbonera Valley is not reachable by the public Jeeps from Salento. Instead you will have to sign up for a guided trip which includes hiking. This is an all day excursion.
Cocora Valley
Cocora Valley is the premier day trip activity from Salento. The majority of Cocora Valley lies within Parque Natural Y Cultural Bosque de Palmas and a small portion is privately owned.
It is a popular tourist destination for a couple of reasons. First, the Cocora Valley is readily accessible. Just get on one of the Jeeps at Salento’s Plaza de Bolivar and it will drop you off a short walk from the park entrance. The lines for the Jeep ride at Salento can be long and the wait can be over an hour especially between 8AM and 11AM. However, the “rush hour” dies down past noon.
Second, Cocora Valley is simply beautiful. The views of the grassy mountain side and lush forest plus the towering mountains are just pleasing to the eyes.
Hiking Cocora Valley
As for hiking, Cocora Valley offers a big loop trail and a small loop trail (see map).
The big loop is about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles). We were able to complete the big loop in 3.5 hours, including a short stop at Mirador 2 and at the Mountain Farm. It is all a gradual uphill walk to the Mountain Farm (4.5 kms or 2.8 mi). Remember that the main valley floor sits at around 1,900 meters (6,200 feet). If you are not used to elevation, you may allot more time to complete the hike.
From a clockwise direction, the big loop trail begins at the park entrance and exits through private property to finish near the Jeep drop off point which is outside the park. You will have to pay a minimal trail exit fee (or entry fee if you do it in a counter clockwise direction).
The small loop trail follows the same path as the big loop up to 2.3 kms (1.4 mi) to Viewpoint 2. Then you can return to the main entrance and pass by Viewpoint 1.
If you are just there for the views, just stick to doing the small loop trail or even up to the Mountain Farm and come back the same way. Because, after the Mountain Farm, the trail is through the jungle with nothing to see except trees. Plus the trail can be muddy and maybe downright impassable after a rain. However, you will tackle seven rickety and “iffy” suspension bridges in the forest section which gives some sense of excitement.
The Mountain Farm is a popular rest stop. And if you are lucky, you may see a hummingbird or two because there are a few flowering shrubs nearby.
Coffee Tours
There are several coffee tours available in Salento. Just ask at any coffee shop or even at the Jeep kiosk at Plaza de Bolivar where to sign up for one. We passed on this activity as we are not coffee drinkers.
Day Trip To Filandia
Filandia does not get the tourist publicity as Salento but it is well worth spending a day here. Filandia is like Salento with less international tourists. They also have colorful buildings, a beautiful and lively plaza plus coffee houses everywhere. We only managed to spend about an hour and half in Filandia because we did not understand the transportation system (more later).
Besides coffee, colorful buildings and shopping, we were able to see the painted stairs and the Disney movie inspired “Mirador Encanto”. We learned about these attractions from the friendly lady at the tourist information kiosk located between the plaza and the church. Otherwise, we would have missed these places if we had not stopped at the tourist information kiosk.
Transportation Between Salento and Filandia
There are a limited number of Jeeps that make the trip between Salento and Filandia. Usually, it is just one Jeep every hour, not unlike Cocora Valley where it runs frequently because there is higher demand. So our mistake was that we assumed we would just get on a Jeep to go to Filandia when we arrived at the kiosk to buy the tickets. This was a grave mistake as the seats for the earlier scheduled Jeep departures were sold out. So we had to wait for two hours for the next jeep with available seats.
Going back from Filandia to Salento was also the same. As soon as we arrived in Filandia (at around 2:30 PM), we had to purchase the tickets back to Salento. The guy in charge of coordinating the Jeeps said that our only choices were the 4PM and 7PM departures as the 5PM and 6PM departures were already sold out.
So the lesson here is get the tickets early so that you have more time to experience this under the tourist radar, colorful and friendly town.
Hang Around Plaza de Bolivar
If you like people watching while enjoying your favorite food or drink, then hanging at Plaza de Bolivar is the ideal place. There are plenty of restaurants and cafes with outdoor tables and chairs. And the plaza is always buzzing with local and foreign tourists.
Walk Along Carrera 6
Carrera 6 is a pedestrian only street that begins at Plaza de Bolivar and ends at the base of the stairs to the Mirador (viewpoint) Alto de la Cruz. People just leisurely walk up and down this street at all times of the day and evening. The street is lined with shops and restaurants. There are also street benches if you want to take a break.
Hike Up To Miradors Alto de la Cruz and de Salento
The hike to Mirador Alto de la Cruz does involve about 100 stair steps but you will be able to see the entire town from the viewpoint. You will also find the Letras de Salento at the viewpoint. Instead of taking the stairs down, we took the other path down that led us to Mirador de Salento and back to Plaza de Bolivar.
How To Get There
Salento is only an hour or less by bus from the cities of Pereira and Armenia which each has an airport. We flew into Pereira from Cartagena and took an Uber from the airport to the Terminal de Transportes de Pereira (the bus station). At the bus station, we took the Alcala bus that goes straight to Salento.
Where To Stay
Staying near Plaza de Bolivar is best. Plaza de Bolívar sits higher than most of the town so to get there means an uphill walk.
How To Get Around
The town is not very big so it is very walkable if you do not mind walking up or down. There are taxis at the town’s bus terminal if you do not want to lug a big luggage through the narrow streets.
Expected Expenses
Expenses are per person and cash only unless indicated otherwise.
Bus Periera to Salento – 14,000 COP ($3.87 USD).
Taxi Salento Bus Station to AirBnB – 10,000 COP ($2.76 USD).
Jeep Plaza Bolívar to Cocora Valley, round trip – 12,000 COP ($3.32 USD).
Jeep Plaza Bolívar to Filandia, one way – 10,000 COP ($2.76 USD).
Parque Natural Y Cultural Bosque de Palmas (Cocora Valley entry fee – park side) – 40,000 COP ($11.05 USD).
Cocora Valley Entry Fee (private side) – 10,000 COP ($2.76 USD).
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Summary
Salento is one of the top tourist destinations in Colombia because it combines postcard beauty, authentic culture, and easy access to world-class nature. The town itself is famous for brightly painted colonial buildings, artisan shops and a warm small-town atmosphere. It is also located in the heart of the country’s coffee cultural landscape.
Cocora Valley is one of the country’s iconic landscapes. Hiking among the towering wax palms which is the country’s national tree feels almost surreal. The town’s colorful homes are just a delight to look at. And sitting down at one of the coffee shops or restaurants around Plaza de Bolivar while sipping fine Colombian coffee is just downright relaxing. Filandia is an excellent day trip too from Salento. This small mountain town is like a its twin minus the international tourists.
Few destinations offer colorful town life, dramatic scenery, and immersive coffee culture all in one trip. This is why Salento consistently ranks so highly with international visitors.