I drove into Salento after visiting the coffee farm in Chinchina. Salento is a little town in the high hills that receives a large number of tourists. It itself isn’t very attractive and has a bit of a sullen atmosphere, however the surrounding hills and valleys are full of pretty rolling green cow pastures. The main attraction is the Valle De Corcora and the very tall wax palms that dot the far end of the valley. The wax palms are Colombian national symbol and are now a protected species – they were mostly cut down in the past for Palm Sunday celebrations.

Hike start

Heading up the unpaved road that goes through the valley I came to a locked gate that I thought was the start of the recommended hike.  So I left my bike, climbed over the gate and walked up the track.  It wound through pastures, then up into pine forests, and cloud forest all the while give good views of the palms and Corcora valley.  After about 4-5 km’s the trail came to a set of buildings – La Finca La Montaña where I was asked to register my name before following the steep trail down towards a private nature reserve called Acaime. After visiting the reserve and seeing hundreds of hummingbirds I walked through the jungle beside the river, through the pastures, past the trout farm until I found myself at the trailhead that people normally use.

Valle De Corcora Wax Palms

View from near 2900m

After the hike I drove to Cali and spent two nights walking around the center and talking to people on the street until quiet late in the morning. Cali’s got a sleazy and dangerous feel to it after midnight or so with many locals warning it’s completely inadvisable to walk alone at night.

Start of Hike

Salento to Cali and Valle De Corcora Hike, Colombia