Things to do in minca

Stay up the mountain and realax in a giant hammock

For our first night in Minca we “splashed out” on our budget to stay up the mountain at Hostal Sierra Minca in a private bungalow with our own hammock to admire the views.

We highly recommend this place, it is relatively new and boasts giant hammocks including a swinging hammock, an infinity swimming pool, a bar and private bungalows.

For one night staying in the bungalow we paid £35.The bungalow was private and had a bathroom and it’s own small hammock out the front with beautiful views overlooking the trees and back across Santa Marta. It also includes breakfast the next day which was really tasty. To book we used booking.com

To reach Hostal Sierra Minca you have 3 options:

• Hike up which takes about 3 hours
• Jeep costing around 120,000 COP
• Moto taxi costing 20,000 COP each and taking around 40 minutes.

We opted for the Moto taxi option and left our big bags at a hostal that we was checking into when we came back down. If you are wondering what a moto taxi is, well.. it’s a local who rides his motorbike as a taxi so you are the passenger on the back. They ride up the mountain over the bumps and pot holes with you clinging on to the back for dear life.

My guys chain came off a few times and we had to keep stopping, maybe I was too heavy and was breaking his bike?? Who knows but we made it and it was probably better than walking up. Unless you like walking and hate motorbikes then go for that option.

Note:

We saw some people taking big bags on motorbikes so it is possible but we wouldn’t recommend it. We left our big bags in a hostal in the town and just took an overnight bag with us.

Marinka Waterfalls

After staying at Sierra Minca we decided to walk back down. We enjoyed the walk down and it was actually really nice and enabled us to make a stop at the Marinka Waterfalls. Marinka waterfall is stunning and seriously worth seeing!

The entry to the Marinka waterfalls costs 5,000 COP each. There are two waterfalls to see, the first is up the steps and leads to the tall waterfall which runs down the top of the rocks into a large pool which isnt too deep. We walked into  the pool for a photo under the spectacular running water.

Second Falls

The second waterfall , down the steps is smaller but just as amazing. This one is deeper and you can jump in and swim under the cascading cold water.

Note: the water is absolutely freezing but so refreshing after the sweaty walking and heat.

Pozo Azul waterfall

This waterfall is located in the opposite direction to the Marinka falls. You can walk to them which takes about an hour and a half. Head up the main road and turn off left when you see the little shops and transport parked. Entrance is free and there are a lot more local Colombians at this one.

The waterfall itself is quite small but plenty of open water to wade in and go closer to the cascading water, if you dare.. the water is just as cold here as the other falls.

La Victoria Coffee Farm

After visiting the Pozo Azul waterfall we decided to continue walking up to visit the coffee farm. Don’t walk! It took another hour and a half and it’s not really worth the walk when you can get a moto taxi for 15,000 each.

The Farm

The coffee farm was 15,000 each which included a cup of coffee at the end. The lady that gave us the tour was actually the owner and spoke perfect English. She explained how the original equipment was bought over from England and is still in use today! More incredible is that the whole making process is powered by water, no electricity needed!

Definitely worth checking out. If you get the moto taxi up you could walk back down or get a motor taxi back which is what we done after being knackered from the walk up.

Hike

You could take a small hike to any of the above places or take on the Los Pinos hike which is essentially a big loop from town which would pass all of the above places. The Los Pinos hike should take around 5 – 7 hours so its worth leaving early.

Enjoy the cafes and restaurants

Minca has many small restaurants and cafes to relax and grab some food. We really enjoyed

The Lazy Cat – really good food with a nice outside seating area overlooking the river.

Casa Cristi Restaurant – the staff here are really friendly and the burgers really tasty! Along with the fresh lemonade they make as well, we highly recommend this place!

La Cuidad hike

The Machu Picchu of Colombia I guess and it begins in Minca.

We didn’t take on this hike but we did hear many great things about it so its well worth checking out. We did hear that the heat and humidity make the days walking pretty tough but the final destinations of the lost city is worth it. It usually takes around 4 days and a guide is required.

If you have any more reasons you should visit Minca please let us know in the comments.

Where did we stay?

As mentioned we stayed at Hostel Sierra Minca which we highly recommend and we also stayed at Hostal Piedras River which was basic and included breakfast.

Onto Next

We highly recommend visiting Tayrona National park which is close to Minca, but using the lesser known entrance known as Calaboza. Check out our blog for a full itinerary starting from the Calaboza entrance and how to get there from Minca.

You also have the option to head to Palomino which is famous for its river tubing or back to Santa Marta

Note:

If you find yourself in Palomino you don’t need to return to Santa Marta to catch a bus to Cartagena. But you need to head to the town called Mingueo which is 20 minutes from Palomino as there is not a stop in Palomino itself.

How

Go to the main road in Palomino and you will see some cars with a Mingueo sign on the front, we paid 5,000 each for the ride there. Just ask the driver for Expreso Brasilia and they will drop you at the counter to buy your bus ticket to Cartagena. Mingueo to Cartagena with Expreso Brasilia cost 35,000 each.

Hopefully this blog has helped you decide why you should visit Minca. We loved it and cant wait to go back.