Salento: handicrafts and wax palms full of charm

Visit Salento and Experience its Charms

On a path traced through astonishing mountains with endless shades of green, created by fascinating species of flora such as African palms and coffee plantations, you arrive at the charming town of Salento, Colombia. This little town reminds you of the best days of rural and coffee-growing communities that inhabit the paradisiacal Coffee Triangle.

Salento is known as the birthplace of the wax palm, a timeless paradise where the houses and balconies remain intact and are dotted with various colors and charming, overflowing flowers.

The constructions in Salento are a representation of the typical Paisa houses that populate this area with its warm and charming people.

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How to Get to the Town of Salento, Colombia?

To get to Salento, you can take a flight from Bogotá to Armenia, and from there, head towards the magical town.

By road, you travel 316 kilometers from Bogotá to Armenia (approximately 6 hours), and then you take the “coffee dual carriageway,” which connects the departments of Quindío, Risaralda, and Manizales. From Armenia, you take a 25-kilometer trip to Salento (approximately 25 minutes).

Salento: Handicrafts, Fog, and Wax Palms

Handicrafts are one of the most representative manifestations of the culture in Salento. Every craft, every piece made, every detail is unique because it contains the special value of being “handmade,” along with the combination of raw materials from the natural wealth and biodiversity of this destination.

In the middle of streets embraced by bamboo houses and clay roofs, you will find Calle Real, a place where you will feel as though you're in a handicraft carnival, with Salento's residents, in a burst of smiles and kindness, proudly offering the fruits of their craftsmanship, including bracelets made of aromatic coffee beans, totumo tree dishes, and textiles and decorations made from Guadua bamboo.

At the end of this little street, there is a staircase with 238 steps that leads to a viewpoint, where the view will take your breath away, and you can enjoy the beautiful coffee landscapes. This is the dazzling landscape of the Cocora Valley, a fertile land where the wax palm quietly grows in Colombia, a national emblem. Its name is attributed to the song of a bird also called Cocora, and even to an indigenous princess of the Quimbaya culture. The meaning is “water star.”

This valley is crossed by the Quindío River, as well as other surrounding areas with water sources where rainbow trout swim and are raised, providing one of the most fascinating flavors in Colombian cuisine. They are prepared with garlic, herbs, almonds, or any other way you can imagine, always served with rice, patacones (green plantain fritters), and salad.

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A Journey Through an Astonishing Fog, Like in a Fiction Movie

The fascinating story that travelers will undoubtedly remember the most is the one they experience in the Cocora Valley. This can be a movie-like adventure that lasts one or two days.

If done in a single day, the experience consists of a pleasant ecological walk or horseback ride (approximately 2 hours) through the astonishing misty forest, surrounded by imposing wax palms, which ends with a lunch at one of the traditional restaurants in the area, where you can savor the typical cuisine, whose specialty is trout.

The second option is to climb to the top of the mountain, which is sometimes covered in snow. For this, physical preparation and mental focus are essential to be the protagonist of an unforgettable moment. Whatever option you choose, the journey begins at the beautiful Salento Plaza, where you take an adapted Jeep Willys for public transport.

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Once you reach the entrance to the Cocora Valley, the typical little vehicle lets passengers savor the gastronomic delights and the fascinating nature before continuing the journey toward the astonishing fogs that resemble a wonderful movie of magic and charm.

Salento, Quindío, Colombia, is one of the tourist destinations where the charming Colombian culture reflects in the beauty of its green landscapes and the magnificence of its handicrafts. If you want to feel like you're in an adventure movie, this destination is undoubtedly the ideal place to add charm to your vacation.