Distance: 6.7 km one way
Altitude: 2770m
Hiking time: 2h30 one way
Difficulty: easy
Equipment: hiking shoes or good trainers, warm clothes, sleeping bag
The Cocora valley hike will transport you from fields full of cows and wax palm trees (world’s highest ones), to a forest in the mountains in a few hours.
If you have your own car there is no specific difficulty to get to the Cocora village. If you don’t have a car, from Salento you can get in one of the Willy’s for a few pesos, they depart from the city’s main square.
Turn right after the restaurant « Bosque de Cocora », also known as “Donde Juan B” and you will be on the free entrance track.
The walk is easy and you won’t be climbing for the first kilometers, but the path can be very muddy on rainy days. At that point all you have to do is just enjoy the landscape, the palm trees arising from the green valley and the cows peacefully grazing. You might have to share the path with mules transporting milk up and down the mountains.
You will then arrive to the edge of the forest, where a wooden sign indicates the Hummingbirds’ farm path. From there, enter the forest and enjoy a bit of freshness. The path will get steeper, as you follow the river course, that you’ll be crossing on seven occasions, on swinging wooden bridges; Indiana Jones experience guaranteed!
At the next crossing point, a sign indicates the way to the Acaime farm, on the right. From this point, the ascension gets more abrupt.
When arriving in the reserve, you will need to walk another kilometer to arrive at the farm and see the hummingbirds. The entrance fee is 5000 pesos and includes a drink, coffee, hot chocolate or aguapanela (a cane sugar based drink) with a piece of cheese.
You can spend the night at the Acaime farm, and have dinner.
The price for a night for 2 person and 1 dinner (we shared it and it was enough) is 60,000 pesos (17euros)
The food is basic, rice, black beans, eggs and plantain, but filling.
The comfort is really minimal, you will be sleeping in a big dorm (depending on the season it can be more or less crowded but when I went there was no one) , with single bunk beds. Mattresses are hard but blankets are provided. I whatsoever recommend bringing a sleeping bag as it can get really cold during the night.
No electricity and of course no hot water. But that’s not why you came here for, right?
Entrance fee: 5000 COP, approximatively 1,5€
Bed in dormitory for 2 person and 1 dinner: 60,000 COP, approximatively 16€
Restaurant Donde Juan B serves delicious local trout
Meals from 20,000 to 50,000 COP
