More Zona Cafetera

From Manizales, I took the bus to Filandia, a small village near the Cocora Valley that I had heard a lot about. It was Easter Sunday, which meant it was the last day of Semana Santa. That also meant that all Colombians were traveling back home... But I was lucky and managed to get a ticket to Filandia from the third bus company I asked!

The village is truly picturesque, with many colorful houses and lots of good coffee. So, I spent the afternoon exploring the place after my arrival. The next morning, I went on a short hike to a waterfall. However, when I arrived, the waterfall was not accessible. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the hike through the lush green landscape. And I even had company! A stray dog joined me on the way back and heroically protected me from the other dogs.

At noon, I took a shuttle jeep to Salento. The jeep was meant for maybe 6 people, but it was filled with 9 people. I was the 9th person and I barely fit in the open jeep. I felt like I was going to die a few times during the ride and I clung to the metal frame above me to avoid landing on the road during one of the braking maneuvers.

In the end, I arrived in Salento in one piece and immediately found my nice hostel, where I had the dorm room all to myself for the first night.

The next morning, I took the first shuttle to the Cocora Valley. There, you can find the famous wax palm trees 'Palma de Cera', the tallest palm species in the world, and a cloud forest. I had done some research and planned to do a six-hour hike. However, when I arrived at the entrance of the valley, I wasn't sure where the trail started. I asked for help from two young French girls and it turned out that they had the same plan as me. So, I joined them and we hiked together.

In the end, I was really glad that I met them! Most people did the tour in the opposite direction than us, so we were alone on the trail most of the time and the path was not always clear. But together, we found our way. We also had really good luck with the weather and enjoyed some breathtaking views...