Cocora Valley, nestled in the heart of Colombia's Coffee Region, is one of the most breathtaking trekking destinations in South America. Known for its iconic wax palm trees, towering up to 200 feet, the valley offers an unparalleled experience for nature lovers and adventure seekers alike.
As a seasoned traveler with years of exploring Colombian landscapes, I’m here to share essential trekking tips to ensure you make the most of your visit to this stunning UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Cocora Valley trek is not for the faint of heart, but its rewards are worth every step. Whether you're navigating the lush, cloud forests or enjoying panoramic views of the valley’s rolling hills, preparation is key. In this guide, I’ll walk you through what to expect, from the best trekking routes to packing tips for the unpredictable Colombian weather. Understanding the local terrain and having a solid plan can turn a challenging trek into an unforgettable adventure.
From choosing the right footwear for muddy trails to selecting local guides who are experts in Cocora Valley's biodiversity, every detail matters. This region is not just a visual feast but also a place where cultural heritage and natural beauty collide. So, let’s dive into the trekking tips you need to experience Cocora Valley like a pro, ensuring you leave with memories of Colombia’s coffee culture and natural wonders that will last a lifetime.
1. Basic information about trekking in the Cocora Valley
These are the main facts of this walk:
- Type: circular, with departure and arrival in Cocora
- Distance: 12 km approx.
- Time: 4 to 6 hours, depending on the level
- Level: moderate
- Minimum altitude: 2,387 meters
- Maximum altitude: 2,942
- Elevation difference in ascent/descent: 879 meters
- Price: 15,000 pesos (two ticket offices of 2,000 and 3,000 pesos) + entrance to the Acaime estate (20,000 pers.)
2. How to get to Cocora
The trail starts in Cocora , which is nothing more than a group of restaurants and businesses dedicated to tourists.
It is located about 10 km from Salento , a charming little town in the department of Quindío (one of the three that make up the Coffee Region). We recommend staying a few nights here (or at least the night before the trek) and leaving early for Cocora. If you have a rented car, there is no mystery, the road is in good condition, although with some curves.
Once there, you will be offered parking on both sides of the road , especially at restaurants. Normally, if you consume, parking is included. We, following the excellent recommendations of the owner of our accommodation, left it at the Juan B restaurant , and on the way back we had a feast! If you just want to park, the price here is 2,000 pesos per hour, or 12,000 pesos for the whole day until 6:00 p.m.
If you need transportation, the typical jeeps called “Willys” leave from the main square in Salento and act as urban buses. The price for this service is 3,600 pesos per person. They will leave you right in front of the restaurant, and it is here that you will have to come to take the bus back to Salento. Be careful because we understand that the last one is at 5:00 p.m., but ask.
3. How to trek through the Cocora Valley
The trek has two (actually more) different parts : the valley along the Quindío River and the route through the mountains at a higher altitude.
But the big question is choosing the direction. As it is a circular trek, you have the option of doing it in either of the two directions. Again, based on the recommendations of the owner of the accommodation and coinciding with other blogs such as Tragaviajes, the ideal is to follow the direction counterclockwise. And so we did. These are, broadly speaking, the sections and the indications:
When you leave the car or arrive with the Willys, you will have to continue up the street until you reach a gate with blue metal bars on the right. It is also indicated that the detour leads to the “Truchas Cocora” fish farm. This is where the route through the valley begins; if you continued straight ahead you would start the route in reverse.
The first part of this route goes through an incredibly beautiful valley, going up the Quindío River and surrounded by green meadows. You will have to cross the river on several wooden hanging bridges (we lost count, but apparently there are 7) and others that are simply two or three logs and a little rope to support you. Although the first ones are quite wobbly and the second ones do not offer any confidence, you will not have any major problems crossing them.
Water Park Resorts
Best All Inclusive Family Resorts with Water Park Cancun | Best All Inclusive Resorts with Water Park Mexico | Best All-inclusive Family Resorts with Waterpark Mexico | Best Lazy River All-inclusive Resorts Europe
Shortly after starting there is a ticket office where you can pay to enter the El Portón estate for 2,000 pesos per person. They will give you a bracelet and you can hit the road.
This entire section, about two-thirds of the stretch that runs along the river, runs along paths in good condition, on a stable dirt floor and almost always follows a fence made of bamboo trunks. It does not have steep slopes, although it tends to go up all the time.
There comes a time when you will enter the pure jungle . Those beautiful little paths become paths of rocks and sometimes mud, which go up and down without sense! Without being dangerous, you will see how the walking pace slows down a little, but nothing compared to what is to come… By the way, pay attention to the sound of the river because at one point it starts to roar powerfully, a sign of a waterfall . You can go down to see it just after passing a sign in English saying do not litter.
You will continue crossing bridges in the purest Indiana Jones style until you reach the most important crossroads: on the left is the climb to the La Montaña estate, and in front, 1 km away, is the Acaime estate (La Casa de los Colibríes) . Hmmmm, if you are a bit tired and you are not sure whether to go straight, sit down, rest and keep going! The reward will be immense!
As we said, it is a fairly steep 1km climb. Up to this point it will be the steepest stretch you will find. But little by little you will end up arriving at this wonderful place. To gain access you have to make a donation of 5,000 pesos, which includes a drink (a good opportunity to try panela water, one of the national drinks, with a piece of cheese included. Although you can also have coffee or carbonated drinks). The truly interesting thing is to see the countless hummingbirds fluttering around freely.
And we haven't mentioned it yet, but the Cocora Valley National Park is a place with a huge diversity of both flora and fauna . Some of the little animals that live here are in danger of extinction and you probably won't see them (and better yet, who wants to cross paths with a puma in the middle of the road? hehe). Also, if you like nature or are an observer, you'll be amazed by the amount of plants there are, including some very appetizing-looking mushrooms. Just kidding, don't eat them.
Once you have replenished your energy and your morale has risen, partly because of the sugar, and partly because for the first time you are going to do a downhill section, you will have to return to the previous junction, and now, tie your shoes or boots tightly, because what lies ahead is a real challenge!
The climb to La Montaña is hard, mainly because it is steep as hell. The trail itself is not dangerous, but if you are not in good shape, you will have to stop a few times like we did. We have read somewhere that the Cocora Valley trek is easy, just a couple of 100-meter ramps… Bah, why do you bastards want to fool us?! We already know that it is not the climb to the Himalayas, but let's be sensible, an easy trek for me is taking the dog out to poop… This is NOT an easy trek.
US All Inclusive Resorts
Best All Inclusive Resorts Oregon | Best All Inclusive Resorts North Carolina | Best Luxury Resorts Florida Keys West | Best All Inclusive Resorts Brands | Best All Inclusive Resorts Maine | Best All Inclusive Resorts Colorado
That said, there is no need to panic. We always say that if we could do it (okay, in more than 6 hours), almost anyone can do it. The damn climb took us about 40 minutes, but when we saw that the jungle ended and in the background we could see the little houses, cows, horses, flowers, more hummingbirds... we saw the light! We reached the beautiful La Montaña farm, the highest point of the trek, at almost 3,000 meters high, now it's time to go down!
And without thinking twice we quicken our pace, get into our best aerodynamic positions, and head downhill. Now it's no longer a winding path of stones and water, but a wide dirt track. Yas!
When you are about a third of the way down, you will find the second ticket office , where you pay 3,000 pesos and where they will give you another bracelet. Not far from here are the viewing points to the famous Bosques de las Palmas , with those peculiar wax palm trees, the tallest in the world and the national tree of Colombia.
In fact, there are beautiful views over the valley to the left throughout the entire descent, although the viewing points are simply amazing!!!
It can get foggy, we found it a bit at the top, but the viewing points are lower down and it is usually clearer there. To enter the viewing points there is a small wooden door, behind which an almost unreal world opens up to you. Green rounded meadows dotted with huge vertical stems crowned by the hair of the supporting actor Bob. The first viewing point (which is actually Viewpoint 2 ) is possibly more impressive, but both are incredible.
When you reach the second viewing point ( Viewpoint 1) , you will see that there are several small meadows and they go down. The question will be: if I go down, do I then have to go up to exit the way I came in? The good news is that it is not necessary, you can go down through the fields, towards the village, leaving a memorable image behind you. This way you will save yourself a bit of the walk, which at this point is not a bad idea.
Swim-up Room All Inclusive Resorts
Best Swim-up Room All Inclusive Resorts Punta Cana | Best Swim-up Room All Inclusive Resorts Jamaica | Best Swim-up Room All Inclusive Resorts Mexico | Best Swim-up Room All Inclusive Resorts St Lucia | Best Swim-up Room All Inclusive Resorts Caribbean | Best Swim-up Room All Inclusive Resorts Cancun
It joins the main trail at a farm with horses, and from there to the village of Cocora it takes just a few minutes.
Now, with your camera full of photos and the vision of another planet in your head, there is no better idea than to finish the day with a good trout in garlic sauce and a steak weighing almost half a kilo at the Juan B restaurant and then home (for vegetarians we have the option of natural shakes, well, maybe there is something else but we went straight for what our bodies were asking for :-p).
For us, trekking through the Cocora Valley is one of the must-sees in the Coffee Region that you cannot miss .
5. Hiking tour through the Cocora Valley
If you want to visit the Cocora Valley on a tour, we recommend the following, which usually include transportation, a specialized guide, and food and drink:
- Hiking through the Cocora Valley from Salento
- Excursion to Filandia, Salento and Cocora Valley from Armenia
- Tour to Salento and Cocora Valley from Armenia
- Excursion to Filandia, Salento and Cocora Valley from Pereira
- Tour to Salento and Cocora Valley from Pereira
6. Tips for trekking in the Cocora Valley
It is very important that you read these tips carefully, as they can get you out of any unwanted trouble:
– Obviously bring water ! We recommend at least 1 litre per person, if it is more, much better. There are no fountains along the entire route, although at the Acaime farm (Casa de los Colibríes) you will get a drink included with the entrance, and more if you want to buy them. If you don’t bring anything at all, in Cocora before the blue gate there is a small shop that sells 600 ml bottles for 2,000 pesos and 1.5 litre bottles for 5,000 pesos.
– It is also a good idea to bring some snacks: bananas, peanuts, chocolates, etc. to replenish energy during the trek.
– It is an area where there is usually a lot of fog , but it can also be brightly sunny in many parts. So wear a cap/hat and sunscreen .
– Don’t lose perspective that you are in the jungle, with lots of bugs. Put on plenty of mosquito repellent . Poor Lety must have gotten bitten by something during the trek and we spent the next few days in Medellin in hospitals 🙁
– It is best to get up early and arrive early. It usually rains in the afternoon and we don’t want to be caught halfway. In any case, if you want to bring a raincoat , it’s not a bad idea.
– If you don’t want to do the whole trek and just want to enjoy the main course (the Palm Forest ), you can start the trek in the opposite direction to how we did and after visiting the palm tree viewing points, retrace your steps. Personally, we think that the whole trek is worth it, but if you don’t have the desire (or time) this is a valid option.
– Doing the trek in reverse may be a bit less physically tiring, especially because the 40-minute climb to Finca la Montaña is quite demanding. Buuuut, we recommend doing it like we did: reaching the end of the route and having the reward of the Palm Forest is priceless (plus, this way you will have the valley in front of you when you start the trek and you won’t leave it behind you).
– And yes, at the end of the tour, treat yourself to lunch at the Juan B Restaurant , for us it was one of the best lunches in all of Colombia!
– And finally, remember to read these articles, where we tell you more about this beautiful and special area of Colombia:
- Travel guide to the Coffee Region
- Top 5 places to visit in the Coffee Region
- Where to stay in the Coffee Region
- 5 restaurants where you can eat in the Coffee Region
- Car route through the Coffee Region
We hope that this post about the trekking experience in the Cocora Valley and this travel guide can be helpful to you and encourage you to discover this wonderful Colombian corner in the Coffee Region. It was, without a doubt, one of the best things we did in the country!
Foodie Resorts
Best All Inclusive Resorts for Foodies Cancun | Best All Inclusive Resorts for Foodies Caribbean | Best All Inclusive Resorts for Foodies Punta Cana | Best All Inclusive Resorts for Foodies Jamaica | Best All Inclusive Resorts for Foodies Mexico | Best All-inclusive Resorts for Foodie Cabo
Couples & Adult Only Resorts
Best Adult Only All Inclusive Resorts Cabo | Best Adult All Inclusive Resorts Mexico | Best Adults All Inclusive Resorts Europe | Best Place to Visit for Couples Colombia | Best Couple All-inclusive Resorts Maldives
