Salento
A town of bahareque houses at 1,895 metres, the first founded in Quindío, with the Cocora valley and its groves of wax palms a jeep ride up the road.
- Arrival
- Pereira Matecaña · PEI
- To the town
- About 27 km from PEI as the crow flies
- Private jets
- Customs and handling at PEI
- Best time
- January to February · July to August
The city
Wax palms above the coffee hills.
Salento was founded in 1842, the first municipality of what became Quindío, and its Calle Real is still lined with bahareque houses and craft shops. At the top of 250 steps, the Alto de la Cruz looks up the Cocora valley towards the snow peaks of Los Nevados.
From the square, jeeps climb 11 km to Cocora, between 1,800 and 2,400 metres, where the Quindío wax palm, Colombia's national tree, stands in tall groves. Rain falls in every month; the drier spells come around January and February and again in July and August.
- Valle de Cocora Wax palms on green slopes inside Los Nevados National Natural Park, walked or ridden on horseback.
- Calle Real The main street, running north-east from the square between bahareque façades.
- Alto de la Cruz A stairway marked with the Stations of the Cross, ending at a view over the valley and the Nevados.
Arriving
Two airports in the coffee country.
Two airports lie within about 30 km of Salento. Matecaña, on the western edge of Pereira, takes the only international flights in the area; El Edén, near La Tebaida south-west of Armenia, has a longer runway but domestic flights only.
- Bogotá 35 min
- Panama City 1 h 10
- Palm Beach 3 h 35
- Washington 5 h 15
- Athens 13 h 50 long-range jet
When to go
January to February, and July to August.
These are Pereira's figures, 500 metres lower; Salento is cooler, around 17 °C on average. Rain falls in every month, heaviest in April and May and again in October and November. January, February, July and August are the least wet.
- 28° J 115
- 28° F 124
- 28° M 174
- 27° A 250
- 27° M 253
- 27° J 172
- 27° J 120
- 28° A 136
- 27° S 167
- 27° O 260
- 26° N 242
- 27° D 150
Where to stay
On a farm in the coffee hills.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Elsewhere in Colombia
More reasons to come.
- Cartagena Balconies heavy with bougainvillea, inside the old ramparts.
- Rosario Islands Coral islands an hour by boat from Cartagena.
- Bogotá The capital at 2,600 metres, the Botero museum and the old quarter of La Candelaria.
- Medellín The city of eternal spring, in a green valley of the Andes.
- Santa Marta The oldest city in Colombia, with Tayrona national park next door.
Flying to Salento?
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A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.