I love the mountains! - Minca

Wɔatintim: 20.02.2018

12/02 - 15/02

Our last stop on the Caribbean coast took us back to the greenery of the Sierra Nevada. After the somewhat messed up days in the big city, this was exactly what we needed - the only stress factor left was the journey from Barranquilla to Minca.

On the day of departure, we asked the only English-speaking employee at our hotel - the very nice concierge - how to best get to Santa Marta. He hailed us a taxi and told the driver where we wanted to go. The driver then drove us across the entire city to the southern outskirts. We had actually expected a bus station, but instead we were just dropped off on the side of the road, where a large bus was already waiting. Immediately, five locals rushed towards us and asked about our destination. We couldn't even pronounce 'Santa Marta' before our backpacks were loaded onto the bus. A young guy took the ticket price from us and pushed us into the already crowded bus. Since there were no two seats available next to each other, we had to split up: Emi sat in the front row next to an older gentleman, and I joined a young Colombian girl who wasn't particularly happy about my company. Two hours later, we arrived in Santa Marta. We informed our bus attendant that we actually wanted to continue to Minca, so we were once again dropped off on the side of the road. It didn't take long for the next transport services to notice us. We decided to take a taxi, made a short stop at an ATM, and drove 30 minutes into the mountains to Minca.

Minca itself is a small village in the jungle. Here, you mainly enjoy the peace and nature. However, our accommodation was a bit outside the center, which had the advantage that we were really alone in nature. The big downside was that we could only reach our accommodation via a steep, 2 km long, and unpaved road. We had the choice between a walk and an overpriced motorbike service. Since we really didn't feel like hiking uphill with our luggage in the midday heat, we treated ourselves to the moto-taxis. We each had our own driver, and what followed were the worst 15 minutes of my life: The road was so steep, curvy, and in bad condition that it was incredibly difficult to shift the weight forward - especially with the 15 kilograms on our backs. Although I clung to my driver, I had the feeling of falling off the motorcycle dozens of times. On top of that, he drove uphill at breakneck speed and accelerated abruptly after curves. By some miracle, we made it to our Eco Lodge in one piece and finally checked into our room after a few technical problems. Marked by the travel strains, we spent the rest of the day only in the hammock and enjoyed the beautiful sunset over the mountains of the Sierra Nevada. The only downside was that the air was slightly smoggy from the nearby city of Santa Marta.

The next day started early in the morning with a sports session. In the Eco Lodge, there was a German volunteer who offered a yoga class every morning - in this ambience, it was a great start to the day. After a somewhat boring breakfast, we went for a hike to explore the surroundings. Our first destination was the 'Pozo Azul', a large waterfall with a natural pool. The path led us through lush green rainforest, over small streams, and past inhabited wooden huts - at some point, the signage left something to be desired. On the way, we met a Dutch couple who were heading to the same destination as us. After crossing a river, there were different opinions on how to continue the path. As a result, we ended up engaging in an unnecessary search operation so as not to appear rude. In the end, our route turned out to be the right one. Lesson learned: Don't trust a flatlander in the mountains who relies on Google Maps! :)

Upon arrival at the Pozo Azul, we realized that the waterfall was not very exciting and far too crowded for our taste. So we immediately continued towards Minca, where we treated ourselves to a small lunch. After that, we went back up the steep climb to our accommodation. The ascent wasn't as bad as feared, only the scorching heat was slightly uncomfortable. Apparently, our legs have already gotten used to it after the four-day hike. After 50 minutes, we finally made it and took a well-deserved cold shower and lounged in the hammocks. Not much else happened for the rest of the evening except for dinner and pleasant conversations with the Dutch couple, who were also staying in our Eco Lodge, and a few other guests.

The next day, I also started the day with a yoga session, and this time Emi even joined in. However, since I was completely exhausted from the previous day, the start didn't turn out to be as relaxing as the day before. So it came in handy that we didn't have any plans for the morning and could spend it lazing around. After lunch, we set off to the nearby coffee and cacao plantation. On the short 15-minute journey, a small black snake suddenly darted behind my feet on the path - I could have done without that!

We actually wanted to do the cacao tour, but it wasn't offered on that day anymore. As an alternative, we were offered a coffee tour, which we decided to take due to lack of other options. The tour consisted of more or less explaining to us how coffee is produced. I didn't find it particularly exciting, but at this point, I wasn't particularly in the mood for it either. At least the coffee that was served to us at the end was delicious and gave me new energy for the rest of the day. After the tour, you could of course buy some souvenirs and freshly baked brownies - including so-called 'Happy-Brownies'. The day before, another guest at our Eco Lodge had eaten half of such a Happy Brownie and didn't react very well to it - he went through a horror trip. We became aware of him when we were already in bed and suddenly heard someone cursing loudly outside. Shortly after, he started making gruesome choking noises. At first, we thought one of the dogs was being strangled. Anyway, we decided against the Happy-Brownies...

Even without hash brownies, there were unfortunately choking noises again that night, this time from our room. After successfully leaving my stomach problems in Barranquilla, Emi unfortunately got hit by them now. So we spent the evening in our room and hoped that the situation would improve by the time of our departure the next day.

Conclusion:

The area around Minca was not completely new to us. We had already seen this landscape on our hike to Ciudad Perdida, but I can always be fascinated by this scenery. The trails around Minca are highly recommended and even more wild than the ones on the Ciudad Perdida tour. So if you don't have enough time for the multi-day hike through the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Minca is the perfect alternative to enjoy the beautiful nature.

The location of our accommodation also contributed to our ability to enjoy the view and ambiance in peace. Apart from Emi's physical discomfort, our stay was absolutely successful.