Sandwiched between lively Medellin and touristy Cartagena, Salento was the perfect oasis. It’s small-town vibe and abundance of nature gave us the chance to sit back and really take in everything it had too offer.
We split our time in Salento into two parts, which allowed us to see Salento from two different angles. We first spent three nights at Kasaguadua, a rainforest reserve that (currently) hosts up to 10 guests at a sustainable eco-lodge. At Kasaguadua, we spent most of our time working from hammocks and reading books and not talking. It was peaceful, beautiful, and so relaxing.
Then we made our way to Coffee Tree Hostel which was nicer than I ever expected a hostel could be and we got spoiled with their free breakfasts and views of the valley.
Here’s our recommendations of our favorite things to see, eat and do in Salento. Since it’s such a small town, picking our favorites things was quite simple.
Have you been to Salento? Let us know if you agree or had a different favorite spot.
Restaurant
Comino Real
Trying out the Brandy Alexander by the campfire at Camino Real. Absolutely worth making my best clothes smell like smoke!
Meal
Blueberry Granola Waffles from Brunch
Add some homemade peanut butter and maple syrup and these blueberry waffles were FAB!
Street Food
NA (sadly!)
Cafe
Jesus Martin
Coffee Beverage
Cafe Lemon from Café Bernabé Gourmet
Cafe Vainilla Frio & Cafe Lemon
Bar
Dive Colombian bar near Summer Cafe (I can’t even find the name of it!)
Beer
Poker (local & cheap)
Outside Activity
Valle de Cocora
I loved these tall palms! Emily for scale.
Inside Activity
Playing Tejo with our new friends Aaron & Lesley.
Tejo is a Colombian sport where you throw a medal disk at gun powder and score points when it explodes! We got partnered up with a couple from San Francisco who were on the 8th month of their year-long trip around the world.
Views
The hike from Salento to Kasaguadua
The hike on the way to Kasaguadua took you through some stunning views of the surrounding cloud forest, valleys & coffee farms.
Photo
Our eco-pod at Kasaguadua
Living in the middle of nowhere in this thing was a great experience right up until I went to head to head with the world’s largest grasshopper.