• Home
  • Start Here
    • Meet Lia & Jeremy
    • Podcast
    • Read These Posts
      • Our Year-Long Honeymoon
      • 30 Things Nobody Tells You About Quitting Your Job to Travel
      • 32 Things Nobody Tells You About Long Term Travel as a Couple
      • More Things Nobody Tells You…
      • Travel Stories & Fails
      • Personal Posts
      • Year in Review Posts
    • Contact Us & FAQs
    • About Practical Wanderlust
    • Our Mission Statement
  • Destinations
    • Browse All
    • Asia
      • Indonesia
      • Nepal
    • Canada
      • Banff
      • Quebec City
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • France
      • Germany
      • Italy
      • Norway
      • Spain
    • Latin America
      • Argentina
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Mexico
      • Peru
      • What to Pack for South America
      • 30 Things No One Tells You About Backpacking in South America
    • United States
      • The West
      • The West Coast
      • The Midwest
      • The South
      • The East Coast
      • USA National Parks
      • Disney
    • Virtual Vacations
      • Virtual Trip to Nepal
      • Virtual Beach Vacation
      • Disney World Virtual Tour
      • Universal Studios Virtual Tour
      • Hallstatt, Austria in the Winter
      • Norway in the Winter
      • Graz, Austria
  • Travel Tips
    • What to Pack
      • Travel Essentials We Bring on Every Trip
      • Hot Weather Packing Guide
      • Cold Weather Packing Guide
      • Camping Checklist
      • Beach Packing Guide
      • Best Women’s Travel Pants
      • Best Women’s Travel Shoes
      • Best Men’s Travel Pants
      • Best Men’s Travel Shoes
      • Travel Makeup & Beauty Packing Guide
      • Long Haul Flight Essentials
      • Destination Packing Lists
        • Backpacking Essentials for South America
        • Europe in the Winter Packing List
        • What to Pack for Disney
        • What to Pack for Bali
        • What to Pack for the Galapagos Islands
    • How to Plan a Trip
    • Travel Safety Tips
    • Travel Insurance Guide
    • Long Term Travel
      • How to Quit Your Job & Travel Book
      • Our Year-Long Honeymoon: What Happened … & How Much It Cost
      • 30 Things Nobody Tells You About Quitting Your Job to Travel
      • 25 Things We Never Asked for from Traveling the World for a Year
      • 32 Things Nobody Tells You About Long Term Travel as a Couple
      • What Not to Pack for Long Term Travel: 10 Things We Wish We Did & Didn’t Pack
    • Gift Guides
      • 30 Eco-Friendly Gifts for Travelers
      • 50 Perfect Gifts for Every Type of Travel Lover (& for Yourself)
      • 25 Gifts for Hikers Under $25
      • 6 Super Practical Gifts for Coffee Lovers who Travel
      • 28 Totally Ridiculous Travel Gifts (That You’ll Low-Key Want)
  • Blogging
    • 25 Things No One Tells You About Being a Full Time Travel Blogger
    • Income Reports
    • Pinterest Tips
    • Write for Us
    • Coaching & Mentoring
  • Work With Us
    • Work With Us
    • Press & Media
    • Write for Us
  • instagram
  • facebook
  • pinterest-alt
  • twitter
  • microphone
  • youtube

Practical Wanderlust

Off-Beat Travel Blog

One of the beautiful private thatched roof huts at our favorite hostel in Minca, Casa Loma!
South America

The Best Minca Hostel: Casa Loma in Minca, Colombia

Last Updated:   August 11, 2020

We’ve been back to visit Minca multiple times (Lia: 3x, Jeremy: 2x, and counting), each time discovering new things to love about this magical place. And every time we’ve returned, we’ve stayed in the same place: Casa Loma Minca. There is something truly amazing about this eco-hostel, which feels like a rustic tree-house perched on a hill in a mountain. It’s the kind of hostel that turns travelers into backpackers. The kind of place where you make friends that last a lifetime. The kind of hostel that you’ll forever compare all other hostels to. Learn why Casa Loma is the best hostel in Minca, Colombia, and why we keep coming back.

by Lia Garcia 
4 Comments
Planning a trip to Colombia? We spent 1 month backpacking in Colombia and fell in LOVE with this amazing country. It was our favorite South America travel destination! Here's a super detailed 1 month itinerary for backpacking in Colombia, including Cartagena, Minca, Santa Marta, Parque Tayrona, San Gil, Medellin, Salento, and Bogota. Make Colombia your next vacation destination!
South America

Colombia Itinerary: Ultimate Guide to 1 Month of Backpacking Colombia

Last Updated:   October 30, 2020

Planning a trip to Colombia? We spent 1 month backpacking in Colombia and fell in LOVE with this amazing country. It was our favorite South America travel destination! Here’s a super detailed 1 month itinerary for backpacking in Colombia, including Cartagena, Minca, Santa Marta, Parque Tayrona, San Gil, Medellin, Salento, and Bogota.

by Jeremy 
57 Comments
Best Hostels in Colombia Where to Stay
South America

Best Hostels in Colombia: Where to Stay … & Where NOT to Stay!

Last Updated:   August 11, 2020

During our month of backpacking, we slept in a LOT of beds in Colombia, and stayed at at a LOT of different hostels. From cramped party hostels to isolated hilltop retreats, it seemed like no two hostels in Colombia were the same. To make things easier for you, dear reader, we’ve come up with the best list of hostels in Colombia: where to stay, and where NOT to stay!

by Jeremy 
20 Comments
The Complete Guide to Minca, Colombia
South America

The Complete Guide to Minca, Colombia’s Sleepy Hidden Gem

Last Updated:   June 26, 2020

The town town of Minca, Colombia isn’t on the typical Colombian backpacker trail. Perched on a mountain in the Colombian Sierra Nevadas, with a population of 800, Minca is if nothing else isolated. But at only 45 minutes away from the much more popular coastal town of Santa Marta, and only 5 hours away from bustling Cartagena, Colombia, it is well worth the detour.

by Lia Garcia 
26 Comments
Fresh baked artesanal bread in Minca, Colombia
Food & Drink Travel, South America

Artisanal Bread in Minca, Colombia

Last Updated:   May 21, 2020

The smell of fresh baked bread and lush, rich chocolate. Quiet classical music.  A high arched ceiling, dark exposed wooden beams against bright white. Artistically placed vintage treasures. A tiny, carefully selected menu, changing from day to day: artisanal bread with cream cheese; coffee from… [read more]

by Lia Garcia 
2 Comments
  • Contact Us & FAQs
  • Mission Statement
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

LIA WROTE A BOOK

Recent Posts

  • Couple and dog on a blue couch, surrounded by plants in front of a colorful bookshelf.
    2020 Year in Review: The Year of “Oh No”
    Personal Posts
  • Washington DC in the winter travel guide to help you plan a trip to spend Christmas in Washington DC!
    10 Magical Things to Do in Washington DC in the Winter (& Why You Should Spend Christmas in Washington DC)
    United States
  • This is my home office! It's filled with travel things, from postcards to globes to smaller globes to travel-themed cups to a big scratch-off map. Yes: I literally wrote a gift guide for myself and then bought everything on it.
    24 Tips & Essentials for Remotely Working: How to Work From Home … or Anywhere
    Blogging Tips

Copyright © 2021 practical wanderlust

Copyright © 2021

As an Amazon Affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.