Hiking Cocora Valley in Colombia: The Famous Wax Palms

Visiting Salento has become a backpacker’s right of passage in Colombia. It is a beautiful small town located 20 minutes from the tallest wax palm trees in the world. These famous trees are located in Cocora Valley and the park also has some great hiking trails.

Getting here is a long bus journey from Medellin, or you can fly to Pereira. Salento is set up with modes of transportation from the city center to take you straight to the park!

I’m glad we were able to make it down here and add it to our Colombia itinerary. It’s truly a remarkable landscape to see in person, and I’m already planning my return!

Where is Cocora Valley (Valle de Cocora)?

Cocora Valley is a section of forest located inside the Los Nevados National Natural Park. Here, you will see Colombia’s national tree, the Quindio wax palm. Correctly named as this is the Quindio Department of Colombia.

Certain parts of Cocora Valley are only accessible by foot. This helps the many species of flora located here, as some are also endangered. You will find this area near the top of the Quindio river. This national park sits between 1800 and 2400 meters.

How to Get to Cocora Valley in Colombia

The most popular option for visiting the wax palms is to stay in Salento. This small, quaint town has seen a bump in traffic in recent years. Below are the details on how to get to Salento and also how to get from Salento to this wonderful valley.

Getting to Salento

If you’re coming from Medellin, then the bus is the most popular option. You can catch the bus from the Terminal Transportes del Sur. The bus company is called Flota Occidental and should cost around $54,000 Pesos. This bus route is direct but could fill up quickly.

When missing out on the direct bus, you can get a bus to Armenia and then from there to Salento. Below are some bus times but this can change often!

Medellin to Salento Direct

• 8 am
• 11 am
• 1 pm
• 2 pm

Medellin to Armenia

• 4:30 am
• 6:30 am
• 8:45 am
• 9:45 am
• 11:00 am
• 2:00 pm
• 3:00 pm
• 6:00 pm

Going to the bus station the day before and seeing what they say is always better.

Another popular option if you’re coming from the northern region of Colombia is to fly to the nearby airport and take either the bus or Uber to Salento.

The closest airport to Salento is Pereira (PEI). From here you can go to the bus station and take a 1-hour bus. Our flight got delayed multiple hours, and we ended up having to Uber.

Salento to Cocora Valley

Getting to the Valle de Cocora is extremely easy and quite an adventure! In the center of town, there will be old WWII-looking jeeps that will take you places. All you have to do is go find them and ask for Cocora. There is a good chance that they will already be yelling it out.

These cost $4,000 COP each way, so $8,000 COP total.

Things to Know About Valle de Cocora

There are many different trails you can take while visiting this Cocora Valley. How long you want to hike and what you want to see is completely up to you! ,

I suggest downloading offline maps with mapsme to ensure you’re on the right trail.

Cocora Valley Hike Map

Find out more about the hiking details as well as read reviews at Alltrails.

What to do in Salento and Cocora Valley

Hike Through Los Nevados National Park

Las Nevados National Park is more than just the tall Wax Palms. It offers many beautiful trails, and you can stay at different hostels/cabins along the way!

I loved this area of Colombia and wish I had more time to explore the national park further.

Go on a Coffe Tour

This area of Colombia, including parts near Jardin, is known for its amazing coffee beans. These beans are famous worldwide, and if you’re a coffee lover like me, it’s the perfect activity to do as a rest day during your travels!

I suggest asking your accommodation for suggestions or visiting one of the tour agencies in town.

Spend the day Hiking to Santa Rita

Right outside of Salento is a small waterfall park called Santa Rita. This is a nice activity if you’re itching for more hiking.

The cost to enter the park is around $7,000 COP. We spent a few hours walking around the different attractions and waterfalls.

Santa Rita is also close enough to Salento that you can walk! But if not, there are also many buses running.

Where to Stay in Salento

• Coffee Tree Boutique Hostel: This is where we stayed at. It is a beautiful hostel located perfectly in town. Very quiet and safe. The cleanest hostel I’ve probably ever been in. Highly recommend.
• Viajero Salento Hostel: This is a chain hostel but is also located in a great spot in Salento. They have a bar for those who like to drink and socialize some more.
• Yambolombia Hostel: Located a little bit further outside of town, this hostel has a more traditional feel and is also much cheaper than the other options mentioned.

Other Hikes in Colombia You’d Love:

• La Cueva del Esplendor
• Cascada la Escalera
• Cerro Kennedy Hike
• Pozo Azul in Minca
• Marinka Waterfalls
• Camping in Cabo San Juan
• La Piedra del Penol – Guatape Rock
• 9 Amazing Hikes in Medellin

My Experience Hiking in the Valle de Cocora

When we arrived in Salento, we immediately fell in love with the town. It was so peaceful, and everyone seemed so happy to be there. This was our first stop in the coffee region of Colombia.

The hostel we stayed at captured the vibe of the town extremely well and we didn’t want to leave. Our first full day in Salento was when we decided to visit the national park where the famous wax palms are.

Jeep Willy Experience

The adventure starts the second you leave Salento as you will ride in an old WWII jeep. These jeeps have large areas in the back to sit. If there isn’t enough space you can stand on the back and hang on. I preferred this as it was more of an adventure.

From here they will drop you off and you will g t to decide what you do next. You’ll pass a coffee shop, restaurants, and different trails you can take.

The Different Trails in Los Nevados National Park

When arriving at Cocora Valley, you may only have a day to spend here before returning to Salento. If that’s the case, the trail I linked above is perfect. You can always cut any of the hikes short.

Going further into the park and staying in cabins or camp in a tent is possible. In these photos, you see only one section of the stunning park of Los Nevados. Along the trail above, there will be areas where you can go further into the park.

Along the main trail, you will encounter multiple miradors. This trail costs $10,000 COP, but it is totally worth it.

Mirador 1

We did this trail backward. I’m not sure if this has any benefit to it but we liked it. The first mirador you will come along in around an hour after starting. It is hard to say exactly how much time as we stopped many times for pictures and drone shots.

When you arrive there, there will be a sign. This can also lead straight back down to where you paid. The unfortunate thing about starting backward is that we had to climb back up from Mirador 1 to continue onward.

Mirador 2

Mirador 1 was very crowded compared to Mirador 2. If you’re looking for a great spot to eat lunch, I suggest waiting until Mirador 2. Only 700 meters separate these two areas, and thankfully, it’s not 700 meters of elevation.

Once you arrive, there will be less room to walk around on but a better view in my opinion. This is where we ate our snacks and flew the drone some more.

From this unique viewpoint, seeing Cocora Valley was something out of a fairytale.

Continue on up around and you will cross different streams and beautiful nature along the way.

Final Thoughts

At first, I wasn’t sure if we would visit Salento. More and more people kept telling me how touristy it was but I’m glad I didn’t listen to them. Hiking in this national park is something I highly suggest doing but if you can, come during the week. It is one of the most popular places in all of Colombia and you’ll see why. This whole region of Colombia is amazing and I’m sad that I had to leave so soon.