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Latest Salento hotel reviews
richiecdisc Says: While Salento is quite stunning in its own right, most who venture to the small town are here to visit the justifiably famous Valle de Cocora. This nature reserve is home to Colombia's national tree, the wax palm, which just happens to be the tallest palm in the world at...
richiecdisc Says: While staying at The Plantation House we got our second view of the Motmot on our first morning there. It is indeed a colorful bird, with a near electric blue crown and equally stunning long tail. The large bird can reach 50 centimeters and is found in highland forests from...
richiecdisc Says: Calle Real (Carerra 6) is the main drag of town and runs from Plaza Bolivar up to a hilltop lookout. Though primarily lined with artisan shops selling local wares, it retains an authentic enough flair with the town's hallmark colorful paisa architecture. Though Salento is a...
richiecdisc Says: One of the highlights of visiting Salento is certainly doing a coffee plantation tour. There are many to choose from and most are obviously in Spanish. We had done an impromptu one with the owner of Reserva Natural Sacha Mama. Though it was not at his plantation, we got the...
richiecdisc Says: At the far end of Calle Real is a set of stairs leading to Alto de la Cruz, a hill with the ubiquitous cross well worth climbing. From the top, you get grand views of the town itself and surrounding verdant hills. It is said that on a clear day snow capped volcanoes can be...
La Mojiteria: Amazing Little Restaurant in Salento
JuneJensen Says: This little restaurant located off of the main street (about 50 feet) at calle 4, Numero 5 - 54, was recommended by our hostel. We tried it once and ended up eating dinner there 3 times during our 4 night stay. After 2 weeks of plato-typico we were craving something a little...
La Mojiteria: Restaurant in Salento
JuneJensen Says: This little restaurant located off of the main street (about 50 feet) at calle 4, Numero 5 - 54, was recommended by our hostel. We tried it once and ended up eating dinner there 3 times during our 4 night stay. After 2 weeks of plato-typico we were craving something a little...
Jesús Martín: Arty Café with a Nice Homey Atmosphere
mircaskirca Says: In the morning I visited coffee finca of Don Elias. I wanted to buy organic coffee from his farm to take with me. Unfortunately he did not sell it but he recommended a good place where I could get it. He explained me where the place was. I expected a family home or a shop,...
Rincon del Lucy: the place for locals & backpackers
richiecdisc Says: It's very likely Rincon del Lucy would have escaped my eye without its high recommendation in our guidebook but it was highly touted at our hostel as well. Of course, all this adds to just about every gringo in town going there but that's okay, there's only about twenty of...
Ensalata de Frutas: hold the cheese, please
richiecdisc Says: Salento certainly has its fair share of eateries for such a small town but then again it is a tourist destination, especially for Colombians. We didn't sample so many as we found one place we liked quite and bit and with so few days in town, we generally stuck to it. The one...
arepas lady: look for the arepas ladies
richiecdisc Says: It seems Salento is one of the best places to get freshly made arepas. There are a few women on the street that sell them close to The Plantation House on the main street coming into town. They are generally only out there early in the morning or evening. Locals probably...
richiecdisc Says: Just to show that Calle Real is still real and not just a conglomeration of smart shops peddling handicrafts and upscale coffee, there are two real bars that cater to Salento's version of the blue collar worker: the farmer. We walked by these places every day and no matter...
flying to save time can make sense sometimes
richiecdisc Says: For such a small town, Salento is well connected at least to the surrounding towns of the Zona Cafetera of which it is one of the area's true gems. We were coming from the Caribbean Coast of Colombia so flew from Santa Marta to Armenia on Avianca. After shopping around, we...
mircaskirca Says: To get from Salento to Cali you take a minibus to Armenia first. Buses depart from the main square. They also stop by the fire station at the end of the town if you find this more convenient. The journey takes about 50 minutes and you buy the ticket in the bus. In Armenia I...
a bean by other name would be just a bean
richiecdisc Says: We learned quite a bit about coffee while in Salento. We had been relatively disappointed with the coffee scene in Colombia before coming here. Even though we managed to find some decent java prior, it always took a lot of effort and it was only at more upscale places that...
mircaskirca Says: Along Calle Real there are a couple of Billiard halls and bars with Bar Quindío being the most popular among them. It has a couple of pool tables and lots of billiard tables. These places look like something out of a western movie, and they were often full of drunk Colombian...
D is great for a romantic getaway like Salento
richiecdisc Says: Though this is still primarily a Colombia getaway, it has all the makings of a gringo backpacker paradise. It also has some real backpacking possibilities in the vicinity so bringing that big bag might not be all show and tell. Hiking boots are a must for Valle de Cocora...
mircaskirca Says: Termales de Santa Rosa de Cabal is a charming and unspoiled place in the department of Risaralda where you can enjoy medicinal hot springs surrounded by ecological paths and 170m waterfall. They were not really on my way. But since I was somehow in the area I tried to...
richiecdisc Says: Later, on waking her for breakfast, she was a bit peeved that I had not woken her to see the magical birdbut knew deep down she knew I was probably right for letting her sleep in with an early wake-up call the next morning. That night, lying in bed in the dark looking at...
richiecdisc Says: As small as Salento was, it seemed to have it all. Nice architecture, interesting food, and nature-oriented excursions close at hand. Most of all, it was a great place to relax since everything was close at hand and not overwhelming. Staying at hostels can be overbearing if...
Plan a Salento vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Salento locals
While you are in the coffee growing region of Salento you can visit a number of coffee fincas (coffee farms) outside of town. They can vary in size and the...
1 member lives in Salento
Q: I'm going to Pereira, Colombia for a couple of weeks with my boyfriend and am dying to go out and hike or see some ruins. Should...
A: What did you end up doing?
Read 2 Replies
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The Zona Cafetera is the place most travelers to Colombia envision when they think of the country whether the know it or not just as Juan Valdez is the mustachioed image of its inhabitants. Cocaine......
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Salento is a cute tiny town in Zona Cafetera, the oldest of the department of Quindío (with only 10.000 residents), founded in 1850. Salento is less than an hour from Armenia, but it feels a hundred...
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I've got some interesting experiences in Salento. I'd love to share with you the 14 tips I've written, the 99 photos uploaded, and 6 travelogues I've created.
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Salento is located near Manizales in the area of the Cocora Valley. It is a fantastic place to explore the Cocora Valley, Coffee fincas, and a few theme parks not too far away. The town is clean,...
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Salento is a small little town, about 1hr to the north of Armentia, which is famous for it's proximity to the Cocora Valley as well as for its pink trout. The trout is served in most all restaurants...
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