Sweet Salento — Someday Sherpa

Jan 16

Jan 16 Sweet Salento

Salento is so cute you'll want to pinch its chubby cheeks. It's a quiet town with brightly painted houses flowing from the main square - a place to sit and take it all in.

Salento is part of Colombia's coffee triangle, an 8 hour bus ride west from Bogota. We cheated and took a plane #noregrets

Apart from a quiet coffee-picking lifestyle the big draw card of Salento is Valle de Cocora (Valley of Wax Palms), a 30min jeep ride away to be explored by foot. It is beyond breathtaking.

Behold the tallest palm trees in the world standing to attention at up to 60m. They can survive in mountain ranges up to 3,200m - another record for the epic wax palm species! So impressive are these palms, they've been declared the national tree of Colombia.

From every angle, the palms are quite captivating. Dotted throughout the v-shaped valley, they look majestic, almost as if each and every one of them has been positioned quite deliberately.

The wax palms are not the only inhabitants of this lush valley. We walked over suspension bridges, stumbled across a hummingbird farm, gawked at mushrooms that belong in an episode of Smurfs, ate wild strawberries and saw flowers galore.

Mud played a starring role. After six hours trekking, I was ready to kick my gumboots to the kerb. They do played a vital role keeping the tootsies dry so I highly recommend them.

You can bike or horse ride some areas of the valley but I'm glad we walked it. We were able to get into every nook and cranny.

Jumping for joy after finding Valle de Corcora

Seems to like the idea of a human burger!

What is it with these cows, this one decided to chase down Sherpa.

Glad 6hrs in gumboots (Wellington boots) is over

DO:

Hike throughout the Valle de Cocora (free). Gumboots are highly recommended.
Tour a coffee farm at Ocaso Coffee Finca. Our guide was laughably bad but hey, when in Salento....! COP$10,000 (AU$5)
Watch daily life go on around the town square
Wander the streets boasting an array of houses in all shades of the rainbow.

DRINK & EAT:

Drinks and wicked brownies at Kafe del Alma
The main square has a delicious food market every day serving up the local fare - try the trouta (local fish) or Bandeja Paisa 'THE' Colombian specialty - heart attack on a plate!

SLEEP:

Tralala Hostel has a nice vibe and great location. Four pairs of my undies got misplaced in their laundry service which is so creepy I don't even know where to start. They hire out good quality gumboots which is a bonus
Hotel Salento Plaza is the top pick if you have a few more pesos. A beautiful courtyard, big beds, huge breakfasts and a stellar location. The family running it are just the sweetest.