Armenia & Cocora Valley

10/3/2018

In the early morning, after a rather sparse breakfast, we set off westward - towards the mountains. On the way out of Bogota, we got our first live glimpse of the Venezuelan refugee drama. A plastic dwelling after the next. One can't help but wonder how bad things must be in your own country to prefer such a life. When we arrived at the bus station, on the other hand, we boarded our luxury bus with blockbuster entertainment... this time exclusively in Spanish.

The road winds its way almost directly behind the skyscrapers of Bogota towards Armenia. Mountain ranges that would make any Austrian turn green with envy invite you to admire them.

After 5 hours and what felt like 10000 switchbacks, darkness suddenly sets in. Light drizzle begins to tap against the windows. Shortly thereafter, everything is enveloped in thick fog, blocking our view.

The driver isn't deterred by visibility less than 10 meters and continues down the mountain on his steel steed. Unfortunately, the visibility doesn't improve despite the clearing weather. ... Armenia is approaching... The Moloch... We grab our backpacks and our phone and make our way to our hostel. For the first time, we don't feel quite as comfortable as obvious Gringos.

Upon arrival at the 'hotel', after some initial language difficulties, we settle into our room. Past open rooms with jacuzzis and shady furniture not only intended for sleeping, we climb to the 4th floor. Our accommodation turns out to be a love hotel. Maybe that's the reason why we were looked at strangely when we booked for 2 nights.... We fall asleep early.

10/4/2018

The next day starts with a lot of rain. The drumming on the corrugated iron huts doesn't sound quite as bad at 7 o'clock and we start. Finally nature.

Salento.. a small backpacker village on the hills behind Armenia, entices with beautiful hostels, small bars, and shops (why didn't we stay here?) Regardless.. onto the back of the SUV and to the final stop for this day. The Cocora Valley awaits us.

12.5 kilometers of the finest hiking trails with incredible views and varied vegetation.

With a little luck, you can see pumas, sloths (which Annika could spot from a distance), coatis, and the majestic bird. The next pictures are for our aunt Eva, who wanted to see a condor. :)

From the mountain panorama with palm trees to the dense jungle with creaking suspension bridges, everything is included.

Oh, and let's not forget the 'Acaime de Colibri' (Hummingbird Reserve), which in the late afternoon mist from the mountain looks almost like something out of a fairy tale. The entrance fee was definitely worth it. And as a bonus, we got a hot chocolate with salty feta cheese. The combination can be debated.

In the end, we had to hurry to catch the last 'Willy' (SUV) back to Salento and then to Armenia. This time we took a taxi to our love hotel.