Valle del Cocora

Located about 11km from Salento, Colombia, Valle del Cocora is a cloud forest that borders Los Nevados national park. This area is not unique because of the cloud forest (and the change of the weather as the day progresses), but it is also home to the famous Wax Palms, and offers some great hiking opportunities for those wanting to get away from the crowds and fully embrace all that this area has to offer.

Here is a how to complete the Valle Del Cocora hike, starting backwards. This 6-hr hike is quite easy, in the sense that there is not much altitude gain, though if you are not paying much attention you can find yourself wandering around and could end up on another trail, though usually where the path separates there are signs directing you in the right direction, and since some of the hike is on private property (and there are booths for you to pay entrance fees) if you get too lost, someone is there help direct you.

I recommend starting as early as possible, as first, it is a very popular spot for even locals to head to and visit for the day, so parking can become difficult as the day goes on, and second being a cloud forest, the clouds set in as the day progresses, so the views wont be as great as if you start early.

When we arrived to the area, we parked back near the trailhead that leads to a waterfall. After a few minutes of hiking we quickly descended to visit a pretty waterfall spot. It is marked with a small plaque that directs you to the direction of the waterfall.

After a bit of chilling we proceeded forward. As we walked through the countryside, passing a pay booth as we entered onto private land, we passed back and forth over some swinging bridges. As we continued, we headed towards Acaime, the house of the hummingbirds, where we made a stop for some hot sugar water and queso.

After spending sometime there and enjoying watching the hummingbirds swirl around us, we headed back down the path and continued on towards the Wax Palm area. This part of the trip involved a bit of back tracking, and having to read the plaques once we got to a split in the path, as one headed towards the valle del cocora and the other to the los nevados national park.

Once we oriented ourselves, we headed up the mountain. At the top we came out to a small finca and a incredible view of the area, as we watched the clouds setting in. After taking in the beauty, we headed down on the other side. This lead us through some pine trees, and dropped us off at the last entrance booth. We made a stop to drink some aguardiente, and then continued to the last bit of our journey. Checking out the massive wax palms. It was quite interesting to check out this area by the time we reached there, as the clouds had just set in, and we were enjoying watching the clouds cover up the land.

After stopping a few times to admire the palm trees and snap a few pics, we decided it was time to head back to Salento and grab some dinner before ending our day. Even traveling a mere 11km from the valley to the city, the weather changed from cloudy and rainy, to sunny again.

The whole area is quite a breathtaking and must-visit if you are in the area or looking for something unique to do while in Colombia. Especially if you are an avid hiker/bird watcher/nature lover as this area offers some incredible spots just to sit and be in nature.