La Cocora Valley is a beautiful natural forest surrounded by pastures and known for its wax palms (Colombian national tree).
It is the tallest palm in the world, reaching over 60 meters in height.
With its thin trunk very slender in the sky and its beautiful palms at the top, these giant palm trees draw a strange landscape ...
The wax palm was used to make candles. Indeed, it was enough to extract from its trunk a powder which one used for the manufacture of wax from where its name "Wax palm".
Nowadays, being a protected species that only exists in Colombia, it is strictly forbidden to exploit these trees.
Where is the Cocora Valley located?
How to organize the visit of the Cocora Valley?
Starting from Salento, you have to take a famous Jeep Willis on the village square.
These vehicles are only authorized for journeys between the Cocora Valley, Filandia, Pereira, Armenia ...
The Salento-Cocora Valley trip lasts about twenty minutes and costs COP 8 per person (around € 000).
You should avoid going there on weekends because many Colombian tourists go there and the site is quickly saturated ...
To avoid the crowds, as with all tourist sites, it is better to go very early in the morning.
Hiking in the Cocora Valley
3 possibilities are available to you:
Horseback riding in the Cocora Valley
Group or private horseback rides are possible and certainly very pleasant.
You just have to inquire at the entrance to the park.
Walk to the Bosque de Palmas
For those who have little time and want to go directly to the Bosque de Palmas,
you will have to go to the main entrance, pay the entrance fee of 5 pesos and follow the signposted route to the various watchtowers.
Then come back by the same path.
Grand tour of the Cocora Valley
Where to eat in the Cocora Valley?
To keep it simple and practical, we ate at the restaurant located at the entrance to the site: Restaurant AIRES DE COCORA
Soup, salad, trout on patacon: 25 COP (000 Euros)
Traditional decorations and typical regional meals.
Follow my tour by discovering the visit of FILANDIA in the following article: