Top 10 Things You Can’t Miss in Salento, Colombia

Colourful Salento, Colombia one of the most beautiful towns that we have come across on our travels, packed full of stories and framed by one of the most mesmerizing landscapes we’ve ever seen: the Cocora Valley home to the world’s tallest palm trees and an absolute must-see on any trip to Colombia.

Any Colombia travel itinerary should include a few days in Salento, soaking up the warm village culture, admiring the rainbow-coloured streets, and drinking freshly brewed coffee in a town that sits in the very heart of the coffee triangle of Colombia’s coffee region. Enjoy all the top things to do in Salento, Colombia!

Is Salento Colombia worth visiting?

Absolutely! It was up there with our favourite spots in Colombia. It’s a perfect mix of nature, colourful cobbled streets, amazing coffee and palm trees. You can easily spend a few days here exploring the town and paying a visit to the world’s tallest palm trees in the nearby Cocora Valley.

Travelling to Colombia? Read our ultimate Colombia Travel Guide here.

1. Pay a visit to the Cocora Valley

No visit to Salento would be complete without a visit to Cocora Valley. The Cocora Valley (Valle del Cocora) is what brings people from all over the world to Salento. It’s an incredibly unique landscape filled with wax trees (the tallest palm trees in the world). The lush green hills of the region are scattered with wax trees, the tallest palm trees in the world that are only native to Colombia and northern Peru. In Colombia, you’ll find the palms located in the Cocora Valley, about a 30-minute drive away from Salento.

If you’re planning a trip to Colombia then chances are you’ll probably have seen these super tall, wax palm trees mentioned in one of the guides or in photos on Instagram. The Cocora is an absolute must-see on any trip to Colombia. 

How to get to the Cocora Valley

To get to Cocora Valley, the easiest way to get here is to hop in a colourful jeep (called a Willy) from the main square, costing 4000 COP each way. This will take you to the entrance of the palm trees.

Hiking Cocora Valley

From here you can either opt to hike the full hike or take a short version straight to the palm trees. The longer hike takes around 5-6 hours and you can opt to do it either clockwise, starting amongst the palm trees or anti-clockwise, ending with them.

2. Take a stroll down Calle Real

Calle Real is the main street through Salento and the most famous one. Visiting here is also one of the top things to do in Salento! The pedestrianized street is lined with two-story white houses that have had their windows, balconies, and doorways painted in beautiful bright colours that make for a great backdrop for a photo.

The town of Salento is one of the most colourful spots we have ever visited. It’s located in the heart of the coffee ‘triangle’ and is filled with colourful buildings, cute shops and incredible local cafes and restaurants. When visiting Salento, Colombia, ensure that you plan enough time to spend at least a day exploring Calle Real.

If you want to get a classic photo with all of the colourful buildings behind you then visit before 9 am. After this, all of the shops open their doors making it now quite as photogenic. Also, be prepared that the town can get very busy on the weekend and can be a little overwhelming. If you can, try and pay a visit to Calle Real, Salento, Colombia during the week.

3. Hike Mirador Alto De La Cruz

A short hike at the end of Calle Real is the Mirador de Salento. Simply follow the signs at the end of the main street and you’ll see a set of stairs, head up these and you’ll be met with a beautiful view over the whole town. The hike itself only takes around 10 minutes, just make sure that you take it slow to adjust to the altitude as you go.

4. Play Tejo, Colombia’s favourite explosive sport

Do as the locals do and join in on a game of Tejo! Get a group together from your hostel, and head to one of the many bars that have a game of Tejo going on! Or, just head to one by yourself (you’ll be sure to meet people there). With a history that spans back more than 500 years and has its roots firmly in indigenous culture, Tejo is not what you’d expect from a national sport. The idea of the Colombian game is to throw a rock at targets that sit among thick clay. Thinking that sounds a bit too tame? The target contains gunpowder and creates a small explosion when it’s hit.

5. Tour a coffee plantation

Salento sits within the coffee triangle in Colombia and the town itself plus, the surrounding nature is a designated UNESCO world heritage site. It forms an essential part of Colombia’s coffee cultural landscape. Because of this, Salento is an incredible spot to enjoy a coffee tour in. Whether you love or hate coffee either way it’s a great way to learn about this trade and popular substance. The coffee plantation of Don Eduardo is highly rated and nearby to the town of Salento.

6. And then enjoy a coffee in town…

As you’ll soon find out, the little town of Salento is filled with amazing coffee shops for you to sit at and watch the world go by. A particularly famous one and one with a beautiful history is Jesus Martin. Credited as being the man who saved Colombian coffee, Jesus Martin is a farmer, pioneer, coffee shop owner and proud Colombian all rolled into one. Jesus Martin can be found on Carrera 6 # 6-14 (you can find it on Google Maps here) and is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.

7. Santa Rita la Cascada

There are tons of waterfalls that can be found around Salento. But, Santa Rita la Cascada really is the most beautiful of them all! Just 5km away from Salento, the waterfall is beautiful and a wonderful spot to visit and relax in for a few hours.

8. Hike to Mirador de Salento

Once you reach the Mirador Alto De La Cruz viewpoint you’ll be met with an incredible view over the town and the rolling hills in the distance. But. if you keep going away from the town to the left you’ll be met with some cafes set into the hills each with a truly incredible view over the whole area. Continue exploring and you’ll be rewarded with uninterrupted views, with greens stretching out as far as you can see. This was actually one of our favouriting things to do whilst in Salento.

9. Day Trip to Filandia

Filandia is a beautiful town just 30 minutes from Salento. The town is filled with the same colourful buildings as Salento. With painted rooftops, doors and houses. However, Filandia is much quieter and a good option for a day trip to escape the crowds of Salento, especially if you’re staying in the town over the weekend.

10. Discover the hidden shops in Salento

We absolutely loved strolling the streets of Calle Real and with this came the discovery of all of the cute independent streets that Salento had. Reanna treated herself to some new, very reasonably priced jewellery in one of the shops and we even picked up a few souvenirs (something we rarely do!). We also found some more hidden shops in extremely photogenic courtyards behind the main street full of hand-made hammock shops and photography museums.

How many days should I spend in Salento Colombia?

At least 2! But, we recommend 3-5 days to truly get a feel for the colourful town. This is especially true if you love coffee, hiking, and being outdoors. We ended up spending 4 days here and could have spent longer. There’s plenty to see in the surrounding areas and it’s a lovely spot to relax in, away from the big cities, for a few days.

How to get to Salento

From Armenia

Minibuses run to and from Armenia every 20 minutes between the hours of 5.20 a.m. and 8 p.m. The bus only takes 45 minutes so this is definitely the shortest journey. This option costs 4500 COP per person. Just note that the bus passes through town, via the plaza before leaving Salento via the Transport Office.

From Medellin

Four express vans leave from Terminal del Sur in Medellin each day with Flota Occidental. The journey costs 47,000 COP and takes 7 hours. The bus departs at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day. The vans leave from Salento Transport Office to Medellin at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. 

From Bogota

There are no direct buses from Bogota to Salento. Instead, you will need to take a bus from Bogota’s Terminal De Transporte Salitre to Armenia, and change. It appears that only one company is operating the Bogota-Armenia route (Boliviariano). The departure times are 8 a.m., 10.30 a.m., 8.45 p.m., 9.15 p.m. and 9.45 p.m. This journey takes around 9 hours and costs 45,000 to 50,000 COP. Then, follow the above directions for onward travel from Armenia to Salento.

Travelling to Colombia? Read our ultimate Colombia Travel Guide here to plan your trip to Colombia.