Getting to Salento from Guatapé
Salento is a gorgeous mountain town about 6.5 hours south of Medellín. Since we were starting our journey in Guatapé, we decided to take the direct Flota Occidental minibus versus the indirect bus that goes to Armenia and then onto Salento. We caught the 6:30 am bus back to Medellín, then caught the metro down to the Terminal del Sur in order to catch our direct minibus scheduled for 11:00 am. Much of the drive is along windy mountain roads with amazing views in all directions. It took us about 7 hours to get to Salento from Medellín. We were very happy to get to our hostel and take a long, hot shower after our 12 hours of travel from Guatapé.
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Total Cost of travel per Person – 6,000 COP from Guatape´to Medellín, and 47,000 COP from Medellín to Salento
Where We Stayed
We stayed at Pachamama Hostel for 3 nights, near the Mirador on the outer edge of town. From the bus stop it was a 15 minute walk, and with our big packs it wasn’t that bad. It was located on top of a hill, and each night there were colorful sunsets to gaze at. The hostel provided free breakfast, which included scrambled eggs with ham, toast, and a bowl of coffee. On our last morning we were served hot chocolate instead of coffee with our breakfast.
Go Horseback Riding
Our absolute favorite thing that we did in Salento was our 4 hour horseback riding tour. We chose Cabalgatas San Pablo since it had great reviews on TripAdvisor and was in town. Neither of us had not ridden horses for many, many years, so this took some courage for us do. We rode out-of-town until we got to a trail that leads down to the river that runs below town. The trail was steep in some places and definitely nerve-racking. We were both holding on for dear life as we rode in the river and up and down super steep and muddy trails. Not only were we taking these horses up steep terrain, in the mud, and walking inches away from steep cliffs, the horses even walked knee-deep across rivers. At one point we had to duck underneath a bridge to keep from hitting our heads. It was INSANE! About half way through I started to get a little more comfortable and was able to start really enjoying the experience. You go from a beginner to a professional by the end of the trip. Oscar was an incredible guide, his horses were well-trained, and it wasn’t difficult to build your confidence on his horses. It was definitely a highlight of the trip so far and we highly recommend this adventure!
Cost for 3 hours: 60,000 COP
Learn to Play Tejo
If you love to play Cornhole, then the game of Tejo is right up your alley. It has the same concept of tossing an object to score some points, but the difference is you are tossing a weight onto pieces of paper filled with gunpowder. Basically, with each explosion you are scoring points. We were tossing our weights 15-20 ft from the target, but the locals were tossing theirs the entire length of the building with better accuracy. It was pretty intense inside this building. You have explosions echoing through out the complex, there is a mix of tourists and locals drinking beer, and then you have the locals practicing their toss for tournaments. We watched this game be played on the Amazing Race, and only in person can you really understand it. We highly recommend a game of Tejo on your trip to Salento, Colombia. Besides, who doesn’t like beer, the company of friends, and explosions?
Game of Tejo is 3,000 COP for unlimited play and beers were reasonably priced at 3,500 COP
Tour a Coffee Plantation
We really enjoyed the slow pace of life in Salento. The town is known for being in the center of the Colombian coffee world, so we figured we would take a tour of a local coffee plantation. We chose Finca Don Eduardo, which was an easy walk from town. It was interesting to learn that the coffee beans that float are all for the locals, and the ones that sink (the best quality) are for export only. Since most of the coffee is exported to the rest of the world, Colombia actually imports coffee to meet domestic demand. The highlights of the tour were the information. We enjoyed the tour and especially enjoyed the fresh roasted coffee we sampled at the end. It was a nice way to spend a couple of hours.
Cost for a 3 hour and includes coffee and tea tasting: 60,000 COP
We were contemplating skipping Salento and taking a bus all the way to Ipiales, and sure glad we changed our minds. Salento is packed with adventures that we didn’t have the chance to do. There is bird watching, exploring the Cocora Valley and seeing the Hummingbird House. When it comes to traveling, you can’t do it all, so therefore you must pick and choose your activities carefully. We are satisfied with ours and wanted to share them with you. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did. Please share your stories with us and hope to see you on the road!
