Cascada Oido del Mundo Hike (Ear of the World)

Located halfway between the town of Minca and the Marinka waterfalls is a lesser-known waterfall to explore. Cascada Oido del Mundo (Ear of the World) is a great place to get away from the crowds in Minca and cool off.

What this waterfall lacks in size, it delivers in peacefulness. You can add this to your hike towards Marinka waterfalls like we did or come here instead of the famous Pozo Azul. We visited here on the weekend and only saw two other people.

It can be hard to find but that’s what I’m here to help you with. It is located only 1 mile from Minca, making it an easy trip if you’re short on time. Below, I will give you everything you need to know when planning your Cascada Oido del Mundo trip.

How to Get to Minca

Minca is located 45 minutes south of Santa Marta in a beautiful mountainous region. This is a very popular area amongst travelers and local Colombian tourists alike. It is suggested to book your accommodation ahead of time.

Here are a few ways of getting to Minca:

• Colectivo: This costs only $9,000 COP and runs multiple times a day. Head to the Mercado Publico and ask for Minca.
• Taxi: The going rate to get a ride to Minca is $60,000 COP. We were able to get it down to $55,000 COP but that was it.
• Moto Taxi: This will be cheaper than a taxi but may be difficult with your luggage.

Popular Activities to do in Minca

Minca is a special place. Easily one of my favorites in Colombia. There are even more things you can do here besides seeing some amazing waterfalls. The region has amazing coffee as well as one of the most famous hikes in all of Colombia, The Lost City Trek.

How to Get to Cascada Oido del Mundo (Ear of the World)

It is fairly simple to find your way towards Ear of the World if you’re looking in the right place. It is about a 22-minute walk and the trailhead will be on your right. The trail down to the waterfall is only a couple of minutes.

Below I will make the exact location of Cascada Oido del Mundo.

My Suggested Hiking Gear

Below is a list of some of my favorite hiking/travel gear I bring everywhere. Everything below is something I currently use and never leave my house without.

• KEEN Durand II Mid Waterproof Hiking Boots: I finally upgraded my hiking boots in 2022 and these are fantastic. They have top-notch ankle support and are super durable.
• Petzl Tikka Headlamp: A headlamp for hiking is a must if you’re like me and love sunrise hikes. This is a great price for a quality headlamp and also has a good red light to not disturb others in the morning.
• Darn Tough Hiker Micro Crew Cushion Socks: I originally got these as a present but I had to buy more because these are the most comfortable hiking socks I’ve ever tried on.
• Grayl GeoPress Water Filter Bottle: You will never have to rebuy plastic water bottles. This is the best water filtering device on the market. It is excellent for hikers and travelers alike.

My Experience of Cascada Oido del Mundo

We first arrived in Minca after finishing our overnight trip to Tayrona National Park. We slept on Cabo San Juan beach and I highly recommend you add this to your itinerary. With that being said, we were already pretty tired. We didn’t want to do too big of a hike.

So we set off for Marinka waterfalls but we also heard about another waterfall halfway up. We decided to check it out and it was just what we needed. Quiet and easy to get to.

It took us roughly 30 minutes to get here because we stopped and took some photos along the way. There aren’t many signs pointing you toward the trail but we saw some bikes and also kept checking our maps.

When you see the signs located in the picture above then you are at the trailhead! The hike up is a mix between dirt roads and some small slabs of concrete. There may also be some parked motorcycles if you’re having trouble finding it.

Once there we hiked down for maybe a minute or two and we were there! It was a great place to cool off and there was no one else there to compete for photos.

Cascada Oido del Mundo might be smaller than most other waterfalls around Minca but that’s what its charm is. You can hang out here all day and be satisfied. The stream flows calmly through the forest and isn’t an area you shouldn’t be scared to be walking around.

There are two areas you can swim in. The water is shallow but both are great for what it is. You can climb up the side of the first fall and up to the second. If you are short on time or only wanted to cool off for a bit, then you can stop here.

Ear of the world is great if you’re arriving on the weekend and want to avoid the crowds. It is free and is the closest waterfall to the center of town. If you’re not feeling like hiking at all then you can take a moto-taxi from town for around $10,000 COP.

We felt good after relaxing here for a bit and decided to keep hiking toward the Marinka waterfalls. For all hikes around Colombia, I suggest you download maps.me, or another form of offline map. Google maps are good too because you can download any region you want. This helped us to make sure we didn’t miss the trailhead.

My Final Thoughts on Cascada Oido del Mundo (Ear of the World)

Cascada Oido del Mundo is great because of its proximity to Minca and as well as other hikes around the surrounding area. You can continue on to Marinka waterfalls, then to Los Pinos viewpoint, and even to the famous Cerro Kennedy. It is also very possible to turn around and head to Pozo Azul if you wanted to do that.

Overall this is a great area to come for a couple of hours and enjoy lunch. The soothing sounds of the river and nature around you make it clear why this is called the ear of the world. I highly suggest you stop by and check it out for yourself!

Thank you for reading my guide on Cascada Oido del Mundo in Minca! There is so much to see in this amazing town and I hope this has helped you with planning your itinerary.