Tucked away in the Eje Cafetero, the coffee region of Colombia, lies the little town of Salento. Salento has become a major stop for travelers in Colombia thanks to the famous Valle de Cocora, myriad coffee farms, and stunning views of the area’s rolling green hills. Our experience in Salento, Colombia was amazing, and one of the major reasons for that was our hostel: La Serrana Hostel and Eco-Farm. We can say with complete confidence that La Serrana is one of the best hostels in Salento, and one of the best hostels in Colombia.
It’s no secret that a hostel experience can make or break a town for travelers. We had heard of lackluster hostels in Salento, so we were a little worried. But as our Willy (Salento’s unique form of public transportation) pulled up to the rolling green hills of picturesque La Serrana Hostel, our doubts disappeared. We would soon find out that La Serrana was destined to go down in our memories as one of our favorite hostels in Colombia.
The inviting entrance of La Serrana Hostel in Salento, Colombia!
Table of Contents
About La Serrana Hostel in Salento
La Serrana is actually an eco-farm and hostel. It has that warm and cozy hacienda in the middle of the mountains vibe, but it’s only about a ten minute walk down a gravel road to Salento’s central plaza. Even if we hadn’t spent our 3-day stay in Salento touring a nearby coffee farm or hiking the Valle de Cocora, we would have had a wonderful time relaxing on one of La Serrana’s many big leather couches reading a book. But just in case you’re not as lazy as we are, La Serrana Hostel also offers horseback riding, mountain biking, and organized tours of coffee farms.
The grounds of La Serrana are nestled on a hill overlooking a stunning valley on one side, with a scenic mountain view on the other. The grounds consist of several small buildings. The main house contains the welcoming reception area, a cozy living room, dorms, private rooms, a dining room, and a fully equipped kitchen. Surprisingly, no one was using the kitchen when we entered – which seemed odd, because it was big and had loads of equipment. We realized on our second day why no one was using the kitchen…
Drinking wine on the porch of our glamping tent at La Serrana Hostel in Salento while watching the sun set over the eje cafetero in Colombia.
The Food at La Serrana Hostel in Salento
The food at La Serrana is incredible. First of all, it’s priced so reasonably that even with all of our penny pinching backpacker habits, (cuz you know we rolled up to the crib with 2 boxes of pasta and some ziploc baggies of spices) we couldn’t come up with a cheaper option. Not that we even wanted to. Let me break it down.
For breakfast at La Serrana, you get one of two included (read: FREE!) options: Eggs and toast, or fruit and toast. You can also order handmade yogurt, juice, smoothies, bacon, local cheese, and more, all individually priced. Meaning you can load up on hike day (for one does not simply visit La Serrana in Salento without also hiking the Valle de Cocora). The breakfast was fantastic, you guys. I wasn’t even mad when Jeremy developed a mango smoothie habit (the fresh yogurt is incredible).
But that’s just breakfast, and that’s not even the main attraction. Hold onto something, because I’m about to flip your entire world upside down. (OK, maybe I’m SLIGHTLY exaggerating.)
For about 15,000 COP/$5 USD, La Serrana offers a family-style dinner, featuring fresh, local, sustainable produce from their organic garden. Let me just repeat that for those of you who are skimming:
$5 ALL YOU CAN EAT DINNER.
And it’s not like the shitty $5 Chinese buffet in your hometown that’s never worth the day-after shame, regret, and stomachache. No, this is fresh, organic, locally grown, handmade all you can eat deliciousness for $5. $5! You guys! Are you booking your stay yet?! (Psst: check current prices & availability here.)
The menu changes every night. During our stay at La Serrana we had burrito night, including freshly made tortillas and several heaping, frequently filled bowls of choices to fill your burrito; and Mediterranean night, with kebobs and delicious fresh made hummus. We loved that the dinners are all served family style. In this case, “family style” roughly translates to “I’m super full, but I’m totally having a fourth serving anyway.”
- 2019 Update: One of our readers informed us that La Serrana is not currently offering the evening dinners. The awesome breakfasts are still included but if you want to eat dinner you need to bring groceries or prepare for the trip into town each night. Maybe best to check with the hotel directly before traveling to see if this changes again!
The inviting living room at La Serrana ostel in Salento, complete with comfy leather couches, beautiful wall art, and rad rugs.
What Makes La Serrana Hostel the Best Hostel in Salento?
For us, the best thing about La Serrana – and what made it the best hostel in Salento and one of the best hotels in Colombia – was the atmosphere.
Other than being incredibly budget friendly, the other benefit to family style meals is the opportunity to meet your fellow travelers. There’s something about sharing a cheap, delicious, bottomless meal side by side around a big table that encourages conversation, and we had a great time getting to know a few of the travelers staying with us at La Serrana Hostel. We laughed and told travel stories all night through firsts, seconds, and thirds, and even over dessert (which cost a tiny extra fee but was totally worth it for the delicious chocolate cake made by a lovely local Salento woman who happened to give us a ride into town later on during our stay because everyone in Colombia is lovely and kind).
After a couple of family style dinners spent cheerfully chatting and swapping Valle de Cocora failure stories, we developed a little group of new traveler friends (with whom we went out salsa dancing at a nearby bar, as you do). The social atmosphere at La Serrana Hostel was one of the best we’ve enjoyed at any hostel, up there with Casa Loma in Minca, Colombia.
Another wonderful social activity that La Serrana Hostel offers is a nightly bonfire around its fire pit. You can purchase s’mores supplies at reception if you wish (and wine, of course. They go hand in hand, really). There is a wide circle of seats around the fire, which allows for the kind of bonfire atmosphere that is enveloping as well as relaxing. Someone always has a guitar, someone else is usually singing lazily along, and the rest of us alternate between happily listening, gazing at the bright stars above, or chatting with our fellow travelers (and sharing our s’mores and wine, of course). We weren’t the only ones chirping “see you at the bonfire!” to our new hostel friends at the end of the family-style dinner. If it sounds a bit like summer camp, well, we won’t argue: we were staying in a tent, after all. Besides, summer camp is awesome.
The incredible view of the Eje Cafetero from La Serrana Hostel in Salento, Colombia
Accomodations at La Serrana Hostel
Although La Serrana has budget options available (dorms start at 30,000 COP/$10 USD) we chose to splurge a bit. After weeks of dorm rooms, we wanted a private room (it’s our freaking honeymoon, after all). La Serrana Hostel has a unique option that we said yes to: a deluxe glamping tent for 85,000 COP/$30 USD a night – hardly a splurge by most standards, but it sure felt like a lot in comparison to the $10 dorms! The glamping tent is a big, cozy canvas tent built onto a wooden deck overlooking a valley, fully outfitted with electricity, a warm bed, and a dresser. We fell asleep peacefully listening to the wind as rain fell on the tarp covering our canvas tent: all the best parts of camping outside, with none of the discomfort! Our favorite part of our tent was the view from the deck. Eucalyptus trees, gardens, chirping birds, grazing cows, mountains, coffee farms, sunset … it was absolutely spectacular. We shared a romantic honeymoon evening watching the sun set over the mountains and drinking blueberry wine on our deck. We then proceeded to ruin the romance by nerdily drunk birding.
In addition to the fancy glamping tents and dorm options available, you can camp at La Serrana Hostel with your own gear: we saw a few tents, hammocks, and even an RV parked on the grassy lawn, in close proximity to the clean shared bathrooms. For a budget traveler, it’s a fantastic option: camping is only 20,000 COP/$7 a night. If luxury is more your thing, La Serrana’s sister property, Las Camelias, has private rooms and its own lounge, from 125,000 COP/$43 USD. Check availability and pricing for each room type here.
Finca el Ocaso is a coffee farm within walking distance of La Serrana Hostel in Salento. It offers excellent tours and incredible organic, sustainably produced coffee!
Our Favorite La Serrana Hostel Moment
Our favorite story from La Serrana Hostel actually starts with a catastrophe: the entire town of Salento experienced a power outage. Nobody in town seemed terribly bothered by this, except us, because we needed to get cash out of an ATM to pay the Willy that we had just taken back from our disastrous Valle de Cocora hike. True to Colombian form, everything was tranquilo. Our taxi driver took us the rest of the way back to La Serrana Hostel where we scrounged for change in the dark to pay him with. Covered in mud and sweat, we showered by flashlight in freezing cold water. Famished, shivering, and exhausted, we carefully made our way in the dark to the dining room at dinner time, hoping against all odds that they’d at least serve us SOMETHING to eat despite the lack of power.
The last thing we expected was to find the entire dining room glowing with the light of hundreds of candles, stuck into hundreds of recycled wine bottles and bathing us all in a warm, welcoming light. If you’ve ever experienced that post-hike “all I want in the world is to eat something” feeling, you’ll know the relief we felt when we realized that a power outage hadn’t even fazed the fearless staff of La Serrana. They were cheerfully piling plates high with steaming hot food and setting tables for a charming, intimate candlelit dinner.
Later in the evening, as we sat happily behind empty plates and wine glasses, the owner of La Serrana announced that we were part of a video for the hostel: a camera was recording our flickering candelit dinner, and – we hadn’t even noticed – someone had been pacing the tables with a guitar, in real-life slow motion We’ve been searching for the video ever since! I hope it surfaces one day! The ownerr asked us if we would all help to finish the video by blowing out the candles together. So on the count of three, we all blew out hundreds of candles together, giggling and cheering. It was a magical and memorable moment, one of the highlights of our month in Colombia.
There’s a reason travelers from all over flock to Salento, Colombia. Part of it is its breathtaking scenery: the rolling mountains, sprawling coffee farms, and staggeringly high palm trees. But while Salento is hands down the most beautiful region of Colombia that we visited, there was something special about the little town of Salento. The peaceful little haven of La Serrana Hostel was one of the highlights of our trip to Colombia – the best hostel in Salento and one of the best hostels in all of Colombia. We’ll be back.
Colorful downtown Salento, Colombia. Original photo: “Colombia – Coffee Triangle 073 – Salento” (CC BY 2.0) by mckaysavage
Information for La Serrana Hostel & Eco-Farm
- Check Prices & Availability on Hostelworld
- Address: KM 1.5 Via Palestina Finca, Salento, Quindio, Colombia
- Email: laserranasalento@gmail.com
- Phone: +57 (316) 296 – 1890
Psst: We’ve got a ton of other resources for Colombia that you’ll want to look at before you plan your trip!
- What to Pack for Colombia
- The Best Hostels in Colombia
- A Complete Guide to Transportation in Colombia
- 30 Things Nobody Tells You About Backpacking in Colombia
- Colombia Itinerary: Ultimate Guide to Backpacking Colombia
- The Best Colombian Food: What to Eat in Colombia
What makes you fall in love with a hostel? Is it the food, the value, or the atmosphere? Tell us about your favorite hostels in the comments!
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PS: If you scrolled to the bottom of the page to see whether this was a sponsored post, it wasn’t. We honestly just really liked La Serrana in Salento! That said, please note that if you book through Hostelworld using our affiliate link, we will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Oh! And thanks to clandestino_20 on flickr for his original photo, which we edited for our feature photo under Creative Commons license 2.0.
![#ad [Trigger Warning: Eating Disorder] It took me a long time and a lot of hard work to love my body. Before my body and I loved each other, we were at war. I denied my body food. I mutilated my beautiful skin. And I attacked my own mind, verbally abusing myself from within in a torrent of vitriol, hate, and anger.
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In turn, my body rebelled. It ceased all non-vital functions, like growing my hair and nails, or menstruating. It denied me control of my own emotions, debilitating me with unpredictable fits of panic and terror. It focused my mind so intently on food that I had difficulty concentrating on anything else. And when the battle was at its worst, when I had denied my body even a single bite of food for over a week, my body retaliated by shutting down the functions of my heart.
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I was only 16 years old when my heart rate plummeted to 30 beats per minute. A doctor told me to start eating again, or I would die. I was dangerously underweight. But I made the decision to live.
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I don't talk too much about my ED because it makes me so incredibly sad. Because today, my body and I have a beautiful relationship. I worship my body, and it loves me right back. I treat my body with respect and it repays me with strength, endurance, and resilience. Together, we are an incredible team, capable of achieving any challenges or goals we dream up. And it makes me so sad to think back to the time when we weren't.
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But it's important for me to talk about it, openly and publicly, because I know some of y'all out there are struggling too. And I want to let you know that it's OK, I've been there - and it doesn't always have to be this way.
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No matter where you are in your journey to self-love, I want to challenge you to make peace with your body today. If you two are at war, call a truce. If you are reconciling, show yourself a little extra love today. One thing that helped me immensely during my recovery was to look at beautiful, positive images of women whose bodies looked like mine. So today, I'm following body-positive Instagrammers (got any faves?) and browsing @CaciqueIntimates!
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Tell me what you'll be doing to make peace with your body today!
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#FortheLoveofCurves](http://scontent-sjc3-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/2fa889907391d4026ff8f2050c572b03/5DE4AEC0/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c0.134.1080.1080/s640x640/67688744_1118377025017476_7306756110191464725_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.cdninstagram.com "#ad [Trigger Warning: Eating Disorder] It took me a long time and a lot of hard work to love my body. Before my body and I loved each other, we were at war. I denied my body food. I mutilated my beautiful skin. And I attacked my own mind, verbally abusing myself from within in a torrent of vitriol, hate, and anger.
.
In turn, my body rebelled. It ceased all non-vital functions, like growing my hair and nails, or menstruating. It denied me control of my own emotions, debilitating me with unpredictable fits of panic and terror. It focused my mind so intently on food that I had difficulty concentrating on anything else. And when the battle was at its worst, when I had denied my body even a single bite of food for over a week, my body retaliated by shutting down the functions of my heart.
.
I was only 16 years old when my heart rate plummeted to 30 beats per minute. A doctor told me to start eating again, or I would die. I was dangerously underweight. But I made the decision to live.
.
I don't talk too much about my ED because it makes me so incredibly sad. Because today, my body and I have a beautiful relationship. I worship my body, and it loves me right back. I treat my body with respect and it repays me with strength, endurance, and resilience. Together, we are an incredible team, capable of achieving any challenges or goals we dream up. And it makes me so sad to think back to the time when we weren't.
.
But it's important for me to talk about it, openly and publicly, because I know some of y'all out there are struggling too. And I want to let you know that it's OK, I've been there - and it doesn't always have to be this way.
.
No matter where you are in your journey to self-love, I want to challenge you to make peace with your body today. If you two are at war, call a truce. If you are reconciling, show yourself a little extra love today. One thing that helped me immensely during my recovery was to look at beautiful, positive images of women whose bodies looked like mine. So today, I'm following body-positive Instagrammers (got any faves?) and browsing @CaciqueIntimates!
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Tell me what you'll be doing to make peace with your body today!
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#FortheLoveofCurves")
![[FLASHBACK] We landed in Cartagena, Colombia for the first time ever on July 11th, 2016. The day before, we packed up what was left of of our belongings, said a tearful goodbye to our neighborhood cat friend Jasper, and boarded a plane to Cartagena, with no idea what to expect from the next year of travel.
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When we stepped onto the tarmac the Cartagena heat smacked us full on in the face. We were ill prepared for it. We were also ill prepared for the water we couldn't drink, the food we weren't quite sure how to order, the language we were struggling to speak, the culture that felt so unfamiliar to us, and the utter overwhelm of changing everything about our lives and giving up the comforts of a home we'd made for ourselves just to chase a crazy dream I'd been holding onto for a few years.
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We spent that first night in Cartagena cuddled up in one uncomfortable bed in our hostel dorm, crying. (We also tearfully sent an email to our cat friend's owners to ask if we could Skype with Jasper. They did not respond.)
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This trip, our 3rd visit back to Cartagena, felt like a world apart from that first miserable night. We were joined by a group of 16 high school students and 3 of Jeremy's amazing co-educators on our @take_flyte_org trip. We brought the group to dinner at our favorite local restaurant (La Casa de Socorro) and insisted they order our favorite dish (seafood soup). As we explored Cartagena together we pointed out murals on the walls that had changed over the years, new developments being built, restaurants we loved, our favorite picturesque alleys in Getsemani, even the hostel dog we'd played with at that very first hostel so many years ago (he didn't remember us). We greeted Cartagena like an old friend and lovingly introduced her to Jeremy's students.
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3 years ago, we were afraid that we'd ruined our lives by quitting our jobs and giving up perfectly good lives to seek out adventure on a whim. Little did we know that our paths - both personal and professional - would take us back to Cartagena again and again. Cartagena is our lucky city!
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Have you returned to a place years later? How had you & the place you visited changed? Drop us a comment!](http://scontent-sjc3-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/51df21fcebe1173c22ce0110513ad667/5DE32002/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c0.135.1080.1080a/s640x640/66217194_2311686425735958_7775172171184034345_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.cdninstagram.com "[FLASHBACK] We landed in Cartagena, Colombia for the first time ever on July 11th, 2016. The day before, we packed up what was left of of our belongings, said a tearful goodbye to our neighborhood cat friend Jasper, and boarded a plane to Cartagena, with no idea what to expect from the next year of travel.
.
When we stepped onto the tarmac the Cartagena heat smacked us full on in the face. We were ill prepared for it. We were also ill prepared for the water we couldn't drink, the food we weren't quite sure how to order, the language we were struggling to speak, the culture that felt so unfamiliar to us, and the utter overwhelm of changing everything about our lives and giving up the comforts of a home we'd made for ourselves just to chase a crazy dream I'd been holding onto for a few years.
.
We spent that first night in Cartagena cuddled up in one uncomfortable bed in our hostel dorm, crying. (We also tearfully sent an email to our cat friend's owners to ask if we could Skype with Jasper. They did not respond.)
.
This trip, our 3rd visit back to Cartagena, felt like a world apart from that first miserable night. We were joined by a group of 16 high school students and 3 of Jeremy's amazing co-educators on our @take_flyte_org trip. We brought the group to dinner at our favorite local restaurant (La Casa de Socorro) and insisted they order our favorite dish (seafood soup). As we explored Cartagena together we pointed out murals on the walls that had changed over the years, new developments being built, restaurants we loved, our favorite picturesque alleys in Getsemani, even the hostel dog we'd played with at that very first hostel so many years ago (he didn't remember us). We greeted Cartagena like an old friend and lovingly introduced her to Jeremy's students.
.
3 years ago, we were afraid that we'd ruined our lives by quitting our jobs and giving up perfectly good lives to seek out adventure on a whim. Little did we know that our paths - both personal and professional - would take us back to Cartagena again and again. Cartagena is our lucky city!
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Have you returned to a place years later? How had you & the place you visited changed? Drop us a comment!")
Looks like a very cosy hostel. I like this kind of places, not crowded, with a nice view, feeling like visitin grandmother in the village 🙂
I can’t believe this is a hostel. It looks fantastic! I have always been leery of them but we tried our first one in Stockholm, a private room and it was very nice. I will consider them in the future. Thanks for sharing.
This sounds like a hostel that I would definitely go for. The location, the activities they offer – all sound great.
I’ve been wanting to visit the Valle de Cocora for a while and this sounds like it will be the perfect place to stay when I finally do! I love the views of the surrounding scenery. This place sounds like my kind of budget-friendly, eco-friendly heaven!
It absolutely is! Highly recommend it, let us know if you end up planning a trip to Salento! We had quite an adventure hiking the Valle de Cocora…
Looks like a part of eco tourism. Great set up and facilities.
If I get the opportunity will definitely look in to this.
I see you book through hostelworld. how do you like it? the hotel looks amazing and is affordable. I’m a hostelbookers fan 🙂
I’ve been using Hostelworld for years and I’m really pleased with it! It has just enough information for me to learn everything I need about the hotels I’m browsing, without any ads or other content to crowd the page. The reviews are always helpful too. The only downside is making changes to your reservation – you either have to pay a small fee (like $1) to make your booking adjustable, or you’re out the deposit. It’s screwed us over a couple of times. But otherwise the site is fantastically helpful for hostel lovers like us!
Ah you’re reminding me of my backpacking days. This place looks seriously cool!
What a cool hostel! It looks amazing and the location is gorgeous!!
This hostel definitely looks like a gem! I love the pics detailing the layout and views you experienced. Also loved the red wine with the breathtaking views! Awesome.
Thanks Janine! It really is a gem!
This hostel looks so charming and the setting looks absolutely gorgeous as well! I can’t wait to visit Colombia, hopefully within the next couple of years, and I will definitely be staying at this place when I go to Salento. Thanks for writing such a great review!
We’re so glad we’ve inspired you to visit Colombia and Salento! You’re going to love it 🙂
Hey you two, really love the post about Salento and the area around – thanks for sharing! How long in advance did you book your bus and the hostel? I am planing to do the trip in mid July (+ some days) and I am unsure how much time in advance I should book all the stuff! Thanks for your help 🙂
You def don’t need to book any buses in Colombia much in advance. Just show up at the bus station – if it’s a long trip, show up the day before to figure out timing and buy a ticket, in case it’s a super early time or there’s only one per day. As the La Serrana, I’d book ASAP as it’s a super popular hostel and you should def book online early!
Hey Lia!
You wrote a fantastic description of this place. I can feel the grass below my feet and the comfy couch under my butt.
I’m a huge fan of La Serrana, and Salento is a great spot – Even if it’s a little too touristic sometimes. I’ve missed the dinners everytime haha. And the Willy are cheaps! There is another great hostel a little further: Yambolombia. It’s more rustic, but the vibe is Amazing as There is no Wifi.
Ooooh thanks for the tip!
Thank you so much for all these tips!! I’ll be in Colombia in 2 weeks and we are definitely staying here now! Love all the photos <3
Yay!! It’s SUCH a great hostel. Have an amazing time!
Hey y’all, just wanted to let you know — I stayed at La Serrana this past week and they are no longer offering the nightly dinners. Apparently they discontinued them a couple months ago. (I specifically asked about them.) It’s still an amazing hostel that I would 150% stay at again and recommend. you just have to be prepared to walk/jeep into town or cook for yourself every night. I did the walk in the dark a few times (alone) and hitched a couple times, and I never felt unsafe (although I did have a headlamp). but a couple of the other solo women I met there were really nervous about it so it might be good for folks to know in advance.
Oh no! They were SO great too! Thank you for the update, the hostel is great so I’m glad you still enjoyed it! We’ve updated the post to show the change, thanks again!