How To Get To Salento and What Should You Do
Salento is a lovely town in Colombia's state of Quindio. The town is known for its colorful buildings, delicious coffee, the Cocora Valley, and hiking access to Los Nevados National Park. Here is a short and easy guide to getting to Salento.
This town is frequently regarded as an ideal stopover for those traveling between Bogota and Medellin. Most people's trip lists include the famed Eje Cafetero / coffee zone, where there is a tremendous amount of things to see and do. YouTube videos relating to this.
Someone Got Kicked off The Bus at Cali's Bus Station
First time in Salento, Quindio, Colombia
First Morning in Salento, Quindio, Colombia
Arriving to Ocaso Coffee Farm | Llegando a la finca de café Ocaso
Ocaso Coffee Tour | Salento, Quindio, Colombia
Becoming a Coffee Expert in Colombia part 1
Becoming a Coffee Expert in Colombia part 2
Leaving Salento Going To Armenia
How To Get There
Bogota – Armenia
This is the location of the Bogota Transportation Terminal. There are many bus companies with buses (of varying comfort levels) essentially leaving every hour from 6 am-11 pm. Below are a couple of bus companies with better reputations. Buses leave every hour from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., according to a number of bus operators. A few bus companies with a better reputation are listed below.
Company - Bolivariano | Velotax
Route - Direct | Direct
Price - 41,000 COP – 69,000 COP | 66,000COP
Hours - 8.00 am, 8.30 pm and 9.30 pm | 10 pm
Cali – Armenia
This is the location of the Cali Transportation Terminal. Traveling from Cali to Armenia should take about 3 hours and 15 minutes. This is what Nate is most familiar with. Here’s the YouTube video of the journey from Cali Colombia to Armenia in Quindio
Company - Coomotor | Expreso Trejos | Tax Belalcazar
Route - Direct | Multicity | N/A
Price - 34,000 COP – 41,000 COP | 40,000 COP, 39,000 | 40,000 COP
Hours - 12.30 pm - 8 pm (Every 3 hrs)| Every 3 hrs, 7.30 am | 10.00 am (Every hour)
Armenia – Salento
Armenia's bus station is simple and straightforward. If you get lost, just ask someone working in the main building, and they'll send you in the correct direction.
You must climb up the stairs/ramp into the bus station once you have disembarked from your Bogota bus.
Continue continuing up the next flight of stairs/ramp until you reach the end of the main terminal area and pass through the open doors in the far right corner.
Outside the main terminal building, go down the sidewalk until you reach the Salento sign.
This bus runs every 20 minutes, and there is no need to purchase tickets ahead of time. Typically, there are always open spots. Here’s a video of traveling from Armenia Terminal to Salento
Route - Direct
Price - 2,300 COP - 4,700 COP
Hours - Every 20 mins
This travel takes roughly 1–1.30 hours (approximately).
Upon landing in Salento, the bus route changes based on the day of the week. Many roads in town are closed on weekends, but if you just ask your driver where the best place to get off for the main square/el parque principal, they are polite and helpful.
Medellin – Salento
This is a far less difficult path. Three times a day, Flota Occidental runs a direct service from Medellin Bus Terminal to Salento Bus Terminal:
Company - Flota Occidental
Route - Direct (via Pereira)
Price - 49,000 COP
Hours - 9.00 am, 11.00 am and 2.00 pm
Book this bus in advance, since they frequently sell out during peak season. There is a significant fluctuation in trip times owing to roadworks once again. The trip might take anything from 6 to 10 hours.
What To Do in Salento
Finca El Ocaso Salento - A very special place in Salento for true coffee lovers, where you can enjoy a beautiful landscape to the taste of a delicious cup of coffee. This Coffee Farm is also a hotel and there are many ways to get there. The Information on how to get there and their tour packages can be found on their website. Video on the tour can be found in this playlist. In that playlist, you’ll get information on how to get there and the whole coffee tour
Valle del Cocora - Cocora valley must be on the list to every trip to Colombia. Tall palm trees are Colombia national trees. Trails are well marked and not difficult. Very beautiful and peaceful place. Well worth to take a longer horse ride and see the views from the peaks. Remember to bring cash!
Santa Rita Salento Quindio - Santa Rita was for years a coffee farm and seeing the ecotourism potential and the conditions of the coffee market, the transition to a low-impact system began to promote the conservation and ecotourism management of this wonderful place that represents the natural habitat of an important number of species of mammals, birds, amphibians among others and that it has a large water reserve.
Walk Up to the Mirador - Colored steps rising up and out of town may be seen from Salento's main square. From the viewpoint or mirador, Alto de la Cruz, you may get a good view of the city and its surrounding hills and lush fields. As you go along the trail, there are several stores providing handicrafts, souvenirs, and refreshments. Take the route to the left once you've reached the peak for spectacular views from the neighboring shelter. Continue down the hill to see the river, local farmers, and cows grazing in lush meadows if you wish to keep going.
Make Sure To Eat Trout - Fresh trout, or trucha, is the town's specialty, and you'll find it on practically every menu in Salento.
Stroll the Plaza Bolívar and Calle Real - Visit Salento's vibrant center for some walking, photo-taking, people-watching, or just relaxing and sipping beer. Check out the church, Nuestra Seora del Carmen, in Plaza Bolvar's main plaza, where you'll also find all the bright 4x4 jeeps used for valley treks. Restaurants, a small grocery, tourist stores, and a few pubs with outdoor seating are all available. Then take a stroll along Calle Real, which runs beside the plaza and is largely pedestrian. More restaurants, bars, hostels, touristic souvenir stores, and lively afternoon or nighttime hangout locations are paved with brightly colored structures.
