Two flights and five buses later (it was supposed to be four but one broke down en route), we finally made it to Salento, the first stop along our Colombian trail. We were lucky enough to overlap with two friends from home, Conor and Kate, who were coming to the end of a 2-week travel stint. We all booked the same accommodation, a beautiful refugio situated on an expansive patch of perfectly (and proudly) manicured land just outside the town.

We spent our first day hiking Valle de Cocora, a spectacular cloud forest framed by sweeping valleys and dotted with towering palm trees. The hike took about 5 hours, with a complimentary hot chocolate and cheese pit-stop in a hummingbird reserve at the top.

The next day we visited a coffee farm and took a tour of the grounds, and learned about the different phases of the coffee-making process, from plant to cup.

Before dinner on one of the nights, we went for a game of tejo, Colombia’s national sport. Tejo involves throwing a metal disc similar to a hockey puck towards a putty covered board that’s been rigged with gunpowder-filled mechas. Hit one of the mechas and it explodes! Pretty thrilling.

A lovely but fleeting two days. Next stop is Cartagena, for a taste of postcard-perfect Colombia.

Ar aghaidh linn 🙂