From the lowlands of La Pintada we climbed to Manizales, Pereira, and finally to Salento, a small mountain town serendipitously situated at the heart of coffee country and just minutes away from Valle de Cocora, both draws for Lonely Planet perusing peso passing tourists, and for good reason; this region is almost magical. Everywhere you look you see something a little more beautiful than you saw just seconds before. Spring is actually eternal here, and masterpiece worthy mountain vistas come a dime a dozen. This is Colombia’s Coffee Triangle, and trust me, if after reading that you haven’t already imagined the state of drunken glee Mel has been in here, then you must not know her well enough yet. I found her mid-way through a pantomime in her sleep, no doubt sipping the finest cup of cappuccino she’s ever dreamed of, raising a fancy pinkie in approval.

When we arrived in Salento we ran into an older ex-pat everyone affectionately called Mr. Ron which translates appropriately to Mr. Rum from Spanish; apparently, he had been known to put a few back. Nonetheless, Mr. Rum recommended a local restaurant called Brunch where we were able to get a true taste of Americana, and by that I mean one of the biggest burgers I’ve ever laid eyes on. And Mel?…Well, after thinking the waiter offered her a “Chai,” as in the tea, somehow we ended up with two huge chocolate peanut butter shakes. She still swears she ordered tea, but I’m just not convinced. Regardless, the feast was worthy of recommendation so if you are ever in Salento please check out Brunch and say hi to Geoff for us (That’s Jeff for the layman); he owns the place. A fellow industrial designer and inventor, Geoff fell in love with Colombia on a vacation, packed up his life in the States, and moved to Salento committing to live a bit less constrained by “things.” We ran into him several times during our stay, each of which was filled with good conversation and equally good advice. If you’re reading this – our thanks go out to you Geoff.

The next morning we hopped into a restored Willy’s Jeep that took us to the Valle de Cocora, a reserve park and home to the national tree and symbol of Colombia, the Quindio Wax Palm. The park shares the name of an indigenous Colombian princess, Cocora, meaning “star of water;” an interesting coincidence since the area supplies 65% of the water for the entire the department.

After entering Cocora we hiked down a steep rocky path that lead us through lush grassland punctuated with the majestic palms stretching 190 feet into the air with a subtle arch that lent to their storybook appeal. As we looked around amazed at the sheer scale and beauty of the land, we noticed vast sections of the quiet valley remained shaded throughout the day by the central Andes which rose to towering heights acutely from its edges and gave the feeling that Cocora is less cradled by the mountains than it is hidden away. Although it is one of the largest tourist draws in the area, we felt like we had the park to ourselves so we took our time appreciating the incredible mountain views until the soft grassy slopes were abruptly taken over by a wall of dense forest, the mouth to which seemed a gateway to an enchanted land. The sounds of rushing water and wind through the trees broke the silence of the valley making the forest come alive as we passed the shaded portal and disappeared into the bosque. The winding river wove itself through the woodland and around moss covered boulders, ever descending, producing small falls and shallow pools along the way; perfect places to loose yourself mesmerized by the whispering water, the dancing shadows, and the falling leaves.

 

Several times our trail met the river and spanned the water with rickety wooden walkways often suspended only by thick cordage and barbed wire which we cautiously crossed one by one leaving them to sway in the wind. Hours into the hike we climbed to a conservatory perched high on the base of the Andes which was filled with protected species of hummingbird; something I wish my mom was there to see. It was a strikingly beautiful place.

Ten hours after our arrival we returned to the valley entrance and jumped on to the last Jeep out of the park which was packed so tightly we stood on its tailgate gripping the roll cage as we found our way back to Salento.

Click the link below to check out our pictures from Salento.