Good morning, friends! ☀️
Are you surprised and excited?
Today’s D2 has arrived—haha, let’s dive in!
This time, I’m thrilled to share with you 👏
Episode 3 of my journey in Salento, Colombia:
**Hiking the Coffee Farm — A Journey Through Nature and Culture**
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### 1⃣️ My Experience Here ❓
✔️ I arrived in Salento in July 2023, ready to explore its charm.
✔️ In the first two episodes, I shared tips for discovering Salento’s vibrant town center and the breathtaking Valle de Cocora.
✔️ Colombia’s coffee harvest season is in April and August. Unfortunately, I missed it this time, so I couldn’t experience picking coffee beans firsthand 🙅♀️.
✔️ Many locals recommended hiking the big loop trail around the coffee farms. As an avid hiker, I embraced the challenge without hesitation. The scenery wasn’t jaw-dropping, but completing the trail left me feeling accomplished and deeply satisfied.
✔️ At one of the farms, I got a hands-on experience of the entire coffee-making process—and even sipped some freshly brewed coffee.
It was pure bliss!
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### 2⃣️ The Big Loop Trail Around the Coffee Farms ❓
✔️ This trail offers a deep dive into the heart of the coffee farm region.
✔️ Refer to Figure 17 for detailed annotations.
✔️ Starting from Salento, follow the green line to reach farms **❶**, **❷**, and **❸**. The journey takes about 40 minutes to **❶**, 50 minutes to **❷**, and 1 hour to **❸**.
Among these, **❷** is the most expensive and commercialized, while **❸** received high praise from friends—and I found it quite enjoyable too!
The tour area isn’t large, but you can linger afterward to enjoy waterfalls, rivers, and serene surroundings.
✔️ I spent roughly 2 hours exploring before continuing along the blue line to Boquia station, which took another hour.
✔️ From Boquia, it’s about a 20-minute bus ride back to Salento, costing around 2000 pesos (about $0.50 USD).
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### 3⃣️ Practical Information ❓
❶ If hiking isn’t your thing, you can take a jeep from the central square to the coffee farms and back. The round trip costs about $1 USD—it’s convenient and budget-friendly!
❷ Part of the green line overlaps with the jeep route. If dust bothers you when jeeps pass by, consider taking the jeep instead 🚙.
❸ Personally, I think the blue line offers more stunning views than the green line. If you prefer shorter hikes, take a jeep to the farm and then walk the blue line.
❹ The roads are safe, though this route isn’t heavily traveled, so there aren’t many people around. Women might feel more comfortable going with a companion (though I went solo and felt fine—just a friendly reminder!
).
❺ Tomorrow, I’ll be sharing the full experience in my vlog. You can use my real-life insights to decide how you’d like to explore!
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That concludes the three-part series on Salento!
My 10-day stay here has been the happiest days of my five-month journey—you’ll see me smiling ear to ear in tomorrow’s vlog!
If you ever find yourself in South America, Colombia, I highly recommend visiting Salento for a taste of its simple, slow-paced life.
Love you all ❤️, see you tomorrow!
@CaptainTuber @TravelTuber
