If you haven’t heard of Salento, you will now. I went as a solo female traveler and made amazing friends and loved my experience. It’s a beautiful town in the coffee triangle in Colombia and very close to Cocora Valley where the world’s tallest palm trees are. It is also the place that the Disney movie, Encanto, is based on. I stayed in Salento for 3 days mainly to visit Cocora Valley and do the hike which is takes around 6 hours but I also did a coffee tour which was super informative. This is the perfect itinerary for 4 days and 3 nights.
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Day 1: Arrive in Salento
I took a 9 hour bus from Medellin but you can also fly into Pereira and it’s only a 1 hour car ride from there.
Where to stay: Coffee Tree Boutique Hostel for $14 a night for dorms and they also have very nice private rooms 
This hostel is on the edge of town with a beautiful view and lots of space to do yoga, meditate, have bonfires, and play with their adorable st. bernards. I arrived to Salento at around 10pm so I was exhausted and went straight to bed so I could have an early morning.
If you still have some energy, I would recommend wandering to Plaza de Bolivar which is the main square and there are a ton of food stands and bars open there.
Day 2: Hike Cocora Valley
This is what most people come to Salento to do. If it’s raining, I would recommend switching days 2 and 3 and do the coffee tour instead because the hike can be very slippery in the rain. It’s not dangerous but this is what the bridges look like and can be a little scary wet and there’s about 4 of them to cross. 
First have breakfast at the hostel. Everyone recommends waking up very early to get to the valley to start the hike since it takes 5-7 hours depending on your pace. When I did the hike, we went at around 9:30 and it was perfectly fine. If you meet in the square at 9:30, you will have enough time.
Even if you go as a solo traveler, it’s super easy to meet people to do the hike with! I met a German girl on the bus and we met 2 other people and hiked the 4 of us. This is us at the summit. 
At the square, you find where the jeeps are and buy a ticket to Cocora Valley. Each ticket should be 5000 pesos or $1.25 and the ride takes about 30 minutes to get to the valley. 
Once you’re there, you can head to the entrance and tickets are 16,000 pesos or $4. They also have so many cool photo opportunities and horses to ride so there are a bunch of activities if you’re not interested in hiking too. 
A little more than halfway into the hike, there is a hummingbird house where you can relax and get a coffee or hot chocolate and watch hummingbirds.
After the hike and resting up a little bit, I would recommend dinner at Cumana Bistro which is an amazing Venezuelan restaurant. Their food is super homemade and comforting. 
And after dinner, head across the street to Cancha de Tejo for a local Colombian game called Tejo. You basically throw rocks into clay but there are little packets of gunpowder that you are trying to explode. It’s a little scary at first but can be a very fun drinking game. 
Day 3: Coffee Tour
Start the day with breakfast and coffee at Cafe Jesus Martin which is the most famous coffee shop in Salento and recommended by everyone.
And then head out on a coffee tour at Las Acacias. 
You can go to the main square and get another Jeep that will take you straight there. The coffee tour is 1.5 – 2 hours and they have tours every hour. If you’re early, you can relax and enjoy a complimentary coffee. They have bird feeders with beautiful birds that are quite captivating.
During the tour, you learn so much about the whole process from growing the plants, to picking it, to drying it, etc. And the farm itself is beautiful with various plants and flowers and dogs too. 
After the tour, you can some more delicious coffee and they also offer cakes that are so moist. 
After the coffee tour, I would head back into town and get bandeja paisa for lunch which is a very traditional Colombian meal and it’s offered at the majority of Colombian restaurants. 
After a late lunch, I would go back to the hostel and relax and maybe do some yoga or sign up for horseback riding which were excursions the hostel offered when I was there.
And then I’d recommend Serendipia which is a delicious vegetarian restaurant for dinner.
And after dinner, head to Mojiteria Resto for some mojitos and get your salsa on. One of the most fun places I’ve been to dance salsa!
Day 4: Leave Salento
Since Salento isn’t super on the way for most travelers, you will probably have to take a bus or flight to get to your next destination. I would recommend getting breakfast at Brunch de Salento which has so many options and highly rated.
And pack your things and head on the road.
Thanks for reading and I hope this helped plan your journey to Salento!
