Pereira Colombia + Salento Colombia…my FAVORITE city

“Talk about my stomach in my throat and my adrenaline running sky high.”

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Pereira Colombia especially Salento Colombia were BREATHTAKING!
I enjoyed Salento more than Bogota and Medellin combined.

Pereira Colombia + Salento Colombia highlights |

Met a lovely Danish couple
Experienced a new way to dine
Encountered massive data issues
Connected with other digital nomads
Got my hike on and adrenaline on
Almost got a Willie stuck in a rut
And, survived a wicked thunderstorm

Honestly, I’d come back here in a heartbeat, and spend time exploring surrounding cities.

Risaralda | Pereira colombia

Transportation
- I flew from Bogota to Pereira to get to Salento on Avianca.
- I arrived in Pereira too late to take a bus directly to Salento the same day, so I had to stay the night.
- If you can arrive in Pereira early enough just go straight to Salento.
- In Pereira, I’d recommend staying in Circunvalar [near Parque La Rebeca] vs. the west side where I stayed.
- There’s an option to take a 13 hour bus from Bogota to Salento vs. flying.
- The bus ride from Pereira to Salento is ~40 minutes.
Hostel | Casa Brisa de Montana
- I booked this hostel on the Hostelworld app.
- A Danish gentleman and his Colombian girlfriend own it.
- They were very friendly and accommodating.
Restaurant | Spaghetti House Pereira
- A cute lil Italian restaurant in the main square area.
- The outside courtyard was super charming.
- You place your order on their website/app, and the servers bring it out. Same when requesting the check. I’ve never used anything like it before. I was impressed. The only annoying part was hearing all the chimes going off in the background when orders came through.
Data Issues
- Unfortunately, I experienced massive WiFi and Data issues here. Claro is a WiFi and Telco provider. So, when Claro is down all data options are unavailable. Not ideal when I need Google Translate [download the language you need to your phone in the app] to communicate with someone who doesn’t speak English, I need her to call a cab ASAP because the bus schedules changed due to COVID, I need to catch a bus in a massive bus terminal, and try to recharge my prepaid SIM card. I got through it, but it was 100 times harder than it needed to be.

Quindio | Salento Colombia

I loved every part of Salento!
Hostel | Viajero Hostel Salento
- I booked it on the Hostelworld app.
- Finally, I connected with a cool group of nomads.
- The free breakfasts were fantastic, the view was ridiculous, all receptionists were friendly, and they actually had hot water when showering.
Hike | Cocora Valley
- You have to pay someone to take you in a “Willie” [jeep] from the main square, Plaza de Bolivar Salento.
  - The price was pretty cheap per person.
- We hiked both sides. Each side has its own cost + wristband.
- Travel Tip | Ask to go up the opposite direction. Basically, go up the jungle/river side and come down the palm tree side. It wouldn’t be fun coming down the jungle/river side since the mud is slick in areas. I found the jungle/river side more adventurous.
- Travel Tip | Definitely go to the hummingbird exhibition. It’s at the very top of the jungle/river trail, off to the side. We saw signs but didn’t know what it was, so we ended up passing it. Apparently, the hummingbirds land on your hand while they eat. I’m so bummed I missed it! Go see them for me.
- The food options were meh, so pack snacks.
- Afterwards, we ended up buying a couple arepas [cornmeal patty w/ cheese] at a stand.
  - They’re typically pretty bland and not very good, but after 5-6 hours of hiking they were DELICIOUS!
Restaurants
- Restaurante Meraki
  - It was so good, I ate here twice.
  - Such a great vibe and everything I ordered was so good.
- Brunch de Salento
  - The owner is from Portland, Oregon.
  - I ordered takeout from here, but it looked super cute inside.
- Coco Bowl
  - Grab a delicious smoothie or avocado toast after you go up the stairs and take a pic with the Salento sign [Mirador Alto De La Cruz].
- Todo Riko
  - Great spot if you want a delicious burger in a casual setting.
Coffee Tour | Finca El Ocaso Salento
- Book the tour directly on their website.
- The regular [aka shorter] tour is sufficient.
- I almost bought the premium tour, and I’m glad I didn’t.
- Try to ride there with a friend or fellow hostel mate. The Willie price is no joke. You can walk it, but it’s a fair distance and can be muddy as shit. Thankfully, the driver typically waits for you at the coffee farm until you finish the tour.
- On the way back, we got stuck in some gnarly mud. It got pretty scary actually. Eventually, the driver got through the giant rut, because he didn’t give up. My friend and I both got out of the back of the Willie, because it was getting pretty intense. I thought we were gonna have to walk all the way back. Another car attempted to make it through after us but didn’t make it. They turned back and had to take a super long detour to get to the town.
Downhill Mountain Biking | Mountain Bike Tours Salento
- Booked through WhatsApp via my friend.
- They’re affiliated with Estrella de Agua hostel.
- They took us to La Carbonera, which is more remote than Cocora Valley.
  - The skinny palm trees reach upwards of 100 meters tall and produce ~85% of the world’s wax.
- It took about 1-1.5 hours to drive to the starting point.
- Luckily, we only rode the downhill portions and took the truck for the uphill parts.
- Talk about my stomach in my throat and my adrenaline running sky high.
- They packed us a cute lil lunch we enjoyed right before biking back to town.
- Overall, this was my second favorite thing I did in Colombia. Right behind the Finca La Rivera Coffee Tour in El Penol, near Medellin.