Salento and the Cocora Valley

Welcome to the Cocora Valley! Ready for a hike through green hills and tall palm trees with thin trunks?
Just at the entrance to the trekking area, you will see the National Park box. You can leave your car there or ask the staff where it is convenient for you to leave your car. There is also parking near the Don Juan B restaurant. You may be charged for parking there.
There are two types of trekking to explore this beautiful place:
✅ The short trek, which is called Sendero de las Palmas de Cera, which is a linear route and can take between 2 and 4 hours depending on how many times you stop to rest and take photos. This part of the trail is where there are more spots to take pictures, such as a swing, a hand, butterfly wings, the letters that say COCORA and some willy (the jeep used in the farms). The short trek is part of the long trek.
✅The long trek, which starts in the same place as the previous one, but takes between 4 and 6 hours to complete. In this case, it is a circular route with some quite steep sections.
Regulate your effort because you should not forget that some areas are 3000 meters above sea level. In addition, it is advisable to carry an offline map of the site and don't forget to bring water and snacks.
Don't forget to have your camera or mobile phone charged because you'll want to take thousands of photos!
As you pass through some private properties, you will need to pay an entrance fee, so bring cash in local currency.

After the effort and the beauty of the Cocora Valley, it is time for a good lunch. You can choose from a few of the restaurants along the road. Some are at the entrance to the trails and others are on the way back to Salento.
One of them is Restaurante Valle del Cocora. You can order trout with patacones. Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday: 08:00 – 18:00

Leave the car at the hotel to end the afternoon with a stroll through the colourful town.

Start your tour of another of the most picturesque towns in the region: Salento.
To do this, I recommend that you first go to the Salento viewpoint, which is only a five-minute walk from the hotel.
Take your camera with you because from there you'll have beautiful views of the Cocora Valley.

Then walk for another 10 minutes to the Alto de la Cruz viewpoint, where you will find other beautiful views and the letters with the name of the village.
You'll have to climb more than 200 steps, but it's worth the effort.

Once you've been dazzled by the viewpoints, walk along Calle Real, the town's most commercial and touristy street, to Salento's main square.
As always in these places, pay attention to the details and traditions of the locals.

On the way, you can stop at this café to buy a bag of coffee as a souvenir and enjoy a coffee on the spot. They have several specialities and are happy to advise you according to your tastes.
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday: 08:00 – 20:00

After the coffee, it's worth taking a stroll around the main square. You can sit on a bench and watch what's going on in this part of town. Vendors, juice stalls, children playing, grandparents chatting.
You can also go to the Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen to see if it is open and to see the inside of the church.

It may be early, but it is a good idea to have dinner here because they sell very good traditional Colombian food and close at 20:00.
Besides, today was a tiring day of trekking, and you might want to go back to the hotel, take a shower and recover your energy for the third day of the trek.
In this restaurant, you will find a very colorful atmosphere and full of details in its decoration. You will also be able to enjoy the typical Colombian food, the bandeja paisa, or other traditional food of the area.
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday: 10:00 – 20:00

After dinner, you can go back to the hotel, take a shower and rest to start the third day of the route.
Have a good night!