Where We Be
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| The Valle de Cocora hike is one of the classic hikes in Colombia, combining gorgeous scenery with the tallest palm trees in the world |
| Cocora Valley, Colombia |
| Sign showing one-way distances at the start of the hike |
| We got started on a beautiful sunny morning -- but the weather was expected to turn cloudy later |
| We paid another 5,000 pesos (~$1.50) per person entry fee. This is the view just beyond the entry gate. (Note: You'll pay another 4,000 peso fee near the end of the hike because it's over private land.) |
| One benefit of heading clockwise: you get a better chance of seeing the wax palms while the sun is still shining |
| These are some seriously tall trees! |
| Both the hillsides and the valleys are dotted with them |
| It wasn't long before the sun was replaced with mist -- the more typical weather here -- but the scenery was still spectacular |
| We passed through jungly surrounds, saw some unusual birds, and kept on trucking uphill, pausing at two different miradors to enjoy the views |
| This is the high point of the hike -- Finca La Montaña |
| It's a gorgeous spot with mountain views and flowers galore |
| We stopped for lunch here -- along with a lot of other hikers |
| If there's one place you'll want to hang out for awhile on this hike, Finca la Montaña is it |
| From here it's a steep downhill hike into the jungle. After about 20 minutes we reached the bottom of the steepest stretch and came to a turn for Acaime los Colibres (colibres = hummingbirds). |
| It's a steep uphill slog to get to the hummingbirds, and closer to a 2 km detour than the 1 km claimed |
| We loved these rickety bridges over rushing jungle streams on the way back |
| The more rickety the better -- very Indiana Jones! |
| Near the endpoint of the hike the scenery opened up again |
| The wax palms reappeared -- but now they were all misty and water-colored |
| Phew! Back to the jeep! Riding home with the wind in our hair! |
| What better way to finish than with a warm brownie with chocolate and caramel syrup and ice cream on top! (At Brunch de Salento in case you're interested.) |
| Here's where your journey begins -- at the main plaza, where you can catch a shared jeep leaving every half hour or so in the morning. The cost is only 8,000 pesos (~$2.40) per person round trip. |
Wax palms are the tallest palms in the world,
and seeing them in their natural setting is the
main reason for doing this hike. You get a little
bit of everything with this loop hike -- mountain
scenery, rickety bridge crossings over jungle
streams, bird and hummingbird sightings, a fun
half-hour jeep ride there and back, exotic
flowers at the hike's summit, lunch with a view,
and of course those Seuss-like palm trees.
It was certainly one of our most active days in
Colombia. We caught a jeep from the main plaza
around 7:30 am, started hiking by 8:15 am, and
finished hiking 5 hours later at 1:15 pm. We
covered about 8½ miles on the loop hike --
including taking a spur trail to see the Acaime
hummingbird spot -- and gained about 3,000
feet of elevation. It was a steady uphill climb
and not as bad as we were expecting. Locals
recommended making the loop in a clockwise
direction and we would agree -- that way the
climb is less steep and there's less chance of
going astray off the main trail. Plus you see the
wax palms first, near the start of your hike
when there is a better chance of good weather.
and seeing them in their natural setting is the
main reason for doing this hike. You get a little
bit of everything with this loop hike -- mountain
scenery, rickety bridge crossings over jungle
streams, bird and hummingbird sightings, a fun
half-hour jeep ride there and back, exotic
flowers at the hike's summit, lunch with a view,
and of course those Seuss-like palm trees.
It was certainly one of our most active days in
Colombia. We caught a jeep from the main plaza
around 7:30 am, started hiking by 8:15 am, and
finished hiking 5 hours later at 1:15 pm. We
covered about 8½ miles on the loop hike --
including taking a spur trail to see the Acaime
hummingbird spot -- and gained about 3,000
feet of elevation. It was a steady uphill climb
and not as bad as we were expecting. Locals
recommended making the loop in a clockwise
direction and we would agree -- that way the
climb is less steep and there's less chance of
going astray off the main trail. Plus you see the
wax palms first, near the start of your hike
when there is a better chance of good weather.
| Super-tall wax palm |
| Useful hiking map -- except we went clockwise |
