A guide to Colombia’s Cocora Valley

Welcome to Encanto land, home to the world’s tallest palm trees. The Quindío wax palm, Colombia’s national tree, can grow up to 200 feet (or 60 m) tall and live up to 200 years. The verdant valley sits tucked away in the Andean foothills, only 11 km away from the touristic town of Salento. People travel from all over the world to see these giant trees in person, and after visiting myself I can see why. I’ve seen my share of palm trees but what I had never seen was palm trees at an elevation of 6,000 feet (1800 m) — and not just two or three, but hundreds of them.

This guide will tell you everything you need to know before going: how to get there, which route to take, how much money to bring, and more.

Getting there

Most tourists who visit the Cocora Valley stay in nearby Salento, just a 20 minute Jeep ride away. Getting to the valley from Salento is very straightforward. The main plaza is always lined with colorful WWII Jeeps — called Willys here — which go to and from Cocora every half hour, every day. The first one from Salento is at 6:30 a.m. and the last one leaves the valley at 6:30 p.m. Just get in line at the little booth in the square where you’ll buy your round trip ticket for $2.50 USD. Almost everyone else will also be going to Cocora. The Willys can fit around 12 people, plus another 3 hanging off the back (the way to go if you want the best views).

The Route

Once you arrive, you’ll have two options: the short route (5 km) which takes you straight to the majestic palm trees in about half an hour or the long route (12 km) which passes babbling streams and rolling hills, lush jungle and rickety bridges. We wanted a hike, so we opted for the long route. I didn’t even bother putting my phone away because I knew I’d be taking it out every two minutes to take more pictures.

Option 1: the short route straight to the valley

If you’re low on time or unlucky with the weather, you might take this route. After the Jeep drops you off, just keep walking straight on the road and in about half an hour you should arrive at the palm trees.

Option 2: the long route

The long route is around 12 km and takes roughly 4-6 hours to complete, depending on your pace. You can do the loop either clockwise or counterclockwise. I would recommend doing it clockwise as I did because this way you’ll end at the impressive palm trees and it’s like a reward for the hike you’ve just finished. To follow this route, turn right at the blue gate where the Jeep drops you off. About ten minutes in, you will come to a little stand where you’ll have to pay $6,000 COP ($1.50 USD). From there, just follow the trail. It’s pretty clear which way to go (we did it without a map) and you’ll be sharing the trail with lots of other visitors. As long as the wooden fence is on your left, you’re going the right way.

The trail just keeps on getting prettier as you pass rolling countryside dotted with horses and cows grazing in the distance. To the left, you’ll see all the palm trees like little toothpicks up in the valley. A little under an hour in, the landscape changes as you enter the forest. You’ll soon come to a big sign marking a waterfall just off the trail down some steps.

I came prepared to swim this time and could hardly wait to get in the water. It was freezing but I went all the way in (the rules are the rules) and felt so refreshed after.

After the waterfall, you’ll cross a series of swaying bridges held together by a few planks of wood and some metal wire. This was one of my favorite parts of the trail because it felt like an obstacle course!

After crossing five or six bridges, you’ll come to a sign pointing to the Acaime hummingbird reserve. You can hike an extra 1 km and pay $20,000 ($5 USD) to see some hummingbirds and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and cheese, a Colombian specialty. We didn’t go because I had the equivalent of $1 USD left on me and we still had to pay the entrance to the valley which would be $5 USD (I didn’t do my research very well but I’m writing this post so you can be better prepared than I was!). So, yes, small dilemma — I didn’t have enough cash with me to enter the valley that we were hiking 12 km to reach. But I mean what were they going to do, turn me away and tell me that after all my blood, sweat, and tears (I’m being dramatic — the hike is totally manageable for the average person), I couldn’t see the palm trees I came all this way for? Well, yes, they could’ve said that. But they didn’t! Turns out they accepted PayPal and I was able to connect to the Wi-Fi at the little entrance booth by the valley. Anyways, back to the hummingbirds. We didn’t go but several other people we met along the way said it wasn’t really worth it.

If you’re skipping the hummingbirds, keep left at the sign and you’ll soon reach the main uphill section of the loop. After a steady ascent of 25-30 minutes, the trail opens out to a vibrant green hill that looks like a scene out of Heidi.

The trail winds up the hill and at the top is an idyllic little house surrounded by flowers and chirping birds.

From here, it’s very straightforward. Just follow the trail another 45 minutes or so until you reach the entrance booth where you will have to pay $20,000 COP ($5 USD) to enter the valley. If you’re unprepared like me and don’t have any cash, they do accept PayPal.

Shortly after you pass this point, you’ll pass a couple of miradors with great views of the palms.

We walked a few minutes further until we reached a big butterfly photo op and a large hand with people on it taking photos. From here we just followed the path down the hill past some enclosed areas with goats, sheep, and alpacas. Apparently there is a slightly longer way to finish the hike, which takes you past more palm trees and cows, but I’m so glad we went straight down because we met these two baby goats that were 100% the highlight of the day. They were so affectionate that we stayed there for almost an hour just playing with them through the fence.

Phoebe (left) and Tranqui (right) — obviously we had to name them.

After saying goodbye to our new Bovidae friends, we exited the valley and walked another 15 minutes or so down the main road until we reached the spot where the Jeep had dropped us in the morning. We met up with some Dutch/American guys we had met at the beginning of the hike and caught the next Willy back to Salento.

What to bring

at least 1L of water
snacks and maybe lunch
hiking shoes (although it can be done in sneakers)
sunscreen (the sun was stronger than I expected)
at least $26,000 COP in cash (unlike me!)
extra layers because it was quite windy at the top

A guide to Colombia’s Cocora Valley

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