The tiny town of Minca, Colombia isn’t on the typical Colombian backpacker trail. Perched on top of a mountain in the Colombian Sierra Nevadas overlooking Santa Marta and the Caribbean Sea, with a population of 800, Minca feels a bit 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. If you are planning a trip to the northern coast of Colombia, you’ll want to include Minca in your itinerary!
The first time I (Lia) visited Minca was 5 years ago. It was the first time I’d ever been to Colombia, and I fell in love with it, hard. Since then, I’ve been back 3 times (and counting) and Jeremy’s been back twice. It’s one of the most special places we’ve ever been, and we think you’ll love it too!
We’re so excited to share all the best things to do in Minca. Here’s what you find in this complete guide to Minca:
Psst: We’ve got a ton of other resources for Colombia that you’ll want to look at before your trip!
- What to Pack for Colombia
- The Best Hostels in Colombia
- Colombia Itinerary: Ultimate Guide to 1 Month of Backpacking Colombia
- 30 Things Nobody Tells You About Backpacking in Colombia
- A Complete Guide to Transportation in Colombia
- The Best Colombian Food: What to Eat in Colombia
Minca, Colombia: Off the Beaten Path
We came across a copy of Lonely Planet’s “South America on a Shoestring” in Santa Marta. It was two years old. Minca wasn’t in it. We weren’t surprised.
Lia actually visited Minca on her very first trip to Colombia, 5 years ago. She loved it so much that she planned our trip to retrace her steps, including staying in the exact same hostel, Casa Loma Minca. 5 years and 3 trips later, the town of Minca hadn’t changed much, but there are a LOT more backpackers!
Since Lia’s first trip to Colombia, Minca has boomed (relatively). It’s finally made the Lonely Planet! It even has its own page in WikiVoyage – which is sort of like the big leagues, if you’re the kind of person that uses WikiVoyage religiously (me).
Tourists are flocking to Minca because it is the major gateway to La Cuidad Perdida, The Lost City. Soon, Minca will be the only gateway, according to a volunteer working at a non profit shop in town. For those wondering if Minca is safe – yes it is! But as always, make sure you follow these safety tips when traveling.
But there is more to Minca than trekking, the most famous hammock in South America, fresh organic coffee, artisanal bread, waterfalls, mototaxis through the jungle, cool mountain breezes, and incredible sunsets.
Against all odds, tiny Minca, Colombia was one of our favorite destinations in Colombia!
How to Get to Minca, Colombia
The easiest way to get to Minca is from Santa Marta. Santa Marta is easily accessible from Cartagena or most places near the coast as it’s a major tourist destination (especially if you’re looking for a party. Spoilers: it’s not really our scene).
To get to Santa Marta, you’ll want to hop on a bus from Cartagena to Santa Marta, about 5 hours away. For more details, we’ve got a massive guide on how to get from Cartagena to Santa Marta!
From Santa Marta, you have a few options depending on your budget. Minca is about 45 minutes away from Santa Marta.
You can hire a taxi or even a moto-taxi, but hiring your own driver makes these the more expensive options. Also, if you’re carrying a heavy backpack or a suitcase, or it’s raining, a moto-taxi isn’t a great option. If you do opt for a moto-taxi, like Lia did on her first visit to Minca, be sure to wear a helmet!
The budget-friendly option is to take a collectivo, a shared shuttle. You can find the Minca collectivo in Santa Marta at the corner of Carrera 9 and Calle 12, in the Mercado Publico in Centro. We basically repeated this address to random people over and over until enough helpful Colombians had pointed us in the right direction and we finally found it! The collectivo cost 8.000COP/$3 per person (as of February 2018, our most recent visit to Minca).
When we finally found the “shuttle,” which was actually just a regular car, we hopped in with two other Americans. Whenever Americans meet each other in off-the-beaten-path destinations, it’s super exciting because it’s pretty rare. So of course, we all got to talking.
They told us they were just staying in Minca for the day. But 3 days later, we saw our new friends again – waving to us from the back of a pickup truck, laughing as they headed off to have some amazing adventure in the jungle. They had never left!
What to Do in Minca, Colombia
Minca has loads of activities for travelers and backpackers. Here are some of our favorite things to do in Minca.
1. Cliff jumping off a waterfall!
Pozo Azul is a collection of three swimming areas on the river that runs by Minca. It’s a great swimming hole with a big waterfall and a perfect spot for cliff jumping!
To get there, you’ll need to either take a moto-taxi from town for about 6.000 COP/$2, or take a scenic hike on the road past jungle and rolling hills and farms. The hike takes about an hour.
We prefer to moto-tax to the waterfall, because it’s uphill, and hike back downhill admiring the view. To take a moto-taxi, just head to the main corner in town (it’s easy to find – look for a bunch of moto-taxis and guys standing around) and hop on. The ride through the jungle is thrilling!
If you opt to hike from town, you’ll follow the road up the hill for about 45 minutes. Enjoy the scenery, drink plenty of water, and look for fallen mangos on the side of the road as you walk. You’ll pass a few small restaurants and businesses and eventually see a big sign for Pozo Azul. Take the marked trail downhill for 10-20 minutes to reach the water.
There are three pools, so if the first one is too crowded (or too shallow) for your tastes, just cross the water and head for the trail on the left side of the pool. Climb the short path and you’ll soon reach 2 more pools, one of which has EXCELLENT waterfall cliff-jumping!
If you don’t feel like hiking back, there are always moto-taxis waiting at the entrance of the pools, and in our opinion, it’s worth the $2 to experience riding through the jungle on the back of a motorcycle.
2. Tour a coffee farm!
Although it’s not in the famous Coffee Region of Colombia, Minca boasts some amazing local coffee.
One of the most popular ones is Finca La Victoria Plantation, up the hill from Pozo Azul. It’s a completely self-sustaining coffee farm, running solely on water power from nearby mountain streams.
From the main intersection in town, it takes about 90 minutes of hiking through absolutely stunning scenery. Tours cost 20,000 COP/ ~$5 USD and include a cup of coffee. The last tour of the day is at 4:15 PM, but remember sunset is always around 6, so give yourself plenty of time to hike back down.
3. Tour a CHOCOLATE and coffee farm!
The only thing better than fresh, delicious coffee is fresh, delicious chocolate, and you can have both at Finca La Candelaria.
From the main intersection, head out of town towards Santa Marta (away from Pozo Azul). Immediately, you’ll pass a bridge, then a police station. Turn right to find a trail. Follow that trail for about 75 minutes and you’ll hit La Candelaria Farm.
4. Have an outdoor adventure!
Jungle Joe is a local bird collector and tour guide. He’s sort of a one stop shop for guided tours.
He offers tubing, canyoning, bird watching (of the 300 species of birds in Colombia, the Sierra Nevadas have 162 of them), coffee tours, and more. You can choose a tour a la carte, or book a full day of activities.
5. Trek to La Cuidad Perdida!
La Cuidad Perdida, aka The Lost City, is the most famous trek in northern Colombia and one of the best things to do in Minca.
You’ll be hiking for 4 days through the jungle of the Sierra Madre, past homes still occupied by local indigenous Kogi & Wiwa Indians, to the famed Lost City: Teyuna.
Teyuna was abandoned by the Tayrona Indians when they realized the danger that Conquistadors posed to thriving indigenous civilizations. Rather than submit to the conquistadors, with their roving diseases and guns, they quietly withdrew. It was a smart tactic: they’re still peacefully living and farming as they please to this day.
You’ll need an official, state sanctioned tour guide to do this trek, much like Machu Picchu. Look for a tour guide of Wiwa or Kogi heritage – it is still their home, after all these years, and welcoming you into it should be on their terms. We didn’t do the hike ourselves, but after reading the Ciudad Perdida guide by Wandering Bajan, we wish we would have!
6. Eat fresh baked artisanal bread!
Speaking of local Tayrona Indians, Duni is an artisanal bread shop in Minca that serves delicious fresh-baked treats made from locally sourced wheat and chocolate, much of which is grown & farmed by Tayrona Indians.
You may just meet a traditionally dressed Tayrona Indian dropping off a few supplies. Seeing traditionally dressed Indians is actually just a regular thing in Minca – they live next door!
Read up on Duni in our spotlight post. You’ve got to go there! If the smell of fresh baked bread wafting across the town doesn’t tempt you, the strong WiFi should.
7. Shop for locally made gifts!
Due to the increase in tourism, some new shops, and pop-up businesses have taken hold in little Minca featuring local artisans and craftspeople. Shop there to support the local community.
Some of the shops even donate their proceeds to local communities: one across from the church, for example, gives all of its profits to Mision Gaia, a non-profit organization that provides the many stray animals in Minca with spaying and neutering.
In the shops you can find local handmade bags (made by the talented Tayrona Indians), clothing, delicious hot sauce (seriously, it’s amazing), postcards, jewelry, organic bug repellant, and more. Take care of your souvenir needs and benefit the local economy all at once! We love sustainable and conscientious tourism.
8. Relax in a giant hammock!
Sierra Minca is one of the most popular hostels in Minca, and certainly one of its claims to fame: at Sierra Minca each of the cabins have giant hammock nets overlooking the view!
It’s a two hour hike (or 20 minute taxi… or mototaxi!) from town, but the views are amazing.
From the main intersection, head towards the church, but keep going…and going. It’s more like a trapeze net. You don’t have to stay there to enjoy it either! You can buy a day pass for 15,000 COP, or get a pass with lunch included for 40,000 COP (about $10).
9. Go on a hike!
Minca is an outdoor lovers paradise, and hiking in Minca is one of the best ways to explore this beautiful part of Colombia – plus, you just might meet some monkeys or toucans!
Although most of Minca’s best hikes will take you through lush, humid jungle, the mountains provide a bit of reprieve from the heat – and a waterfall doesn’t help, either. Here are some of the best places to go hiking in Minca:
- Easy: Las Piedras: Just 15 minutes out of town you’ll find Las Piedras, which marks a beautiful spot on the River Minca. It’s only 15 minutes from the village, so it makes a great way to spend a relaxing morning.
- Medium: Las Cascadas de Marinka. If you speak a little Spanish, you already know what’s waiting for you on this hike: waterfalls! The hike takes about an hour and you’ll be rewarded with cool water and a stunning photo op. To get there, walk past the church on the main town road) (keeping the church on your left) and head up the hill. Keep going until you see a sign that reads “Finca la Esperanza, La Cascadas Minka.” Bring some cash: it costs 5,000 COP/~$1.30 to enter the falls.
- Hard: Los Pinos. This 5-7 hour long trek will take you past Pozo Azul and Las Cascadas in a nice, long loop. The hardest part of the hike is about 2 hour uphill climb. It’s best if you start your journey early in the morning, especially because on a clear day at the highest point of the trek, you can sometimes catch a glimpse of snowy mountains in the distance! Pack plenty of water and snacks.
- Even Harder: Cierro Kennedy. Trekking to Cierro Kennedy will take you 2 days and 1 overnight, but you’ll be rewarded for your efforts with a stunning view of the snowy peaks of Los Nevados! If you’re like, SUPER rugged, you can attempt this trek on your own, but we recommend hiring a guide in town instead.
For more details and directions for each of these hikes, ask for help in town: Casa Loma Minca, our favorite place to stay in Minca, is a great resource for all of these hikes.
10. Just sit quietly and watch the sunset.
Watching the sunset is the equivalent of Minca’s movie night. If you can make it up to a decent vantage point, you’ll have a perfect view over the green Sierra Nevada mountains all the way to the blinking lights of Santa Marta and the Caribbean Sea.
At our favorite hostel in Minca, Casa Loma Minca, sunset is a nightly event. Everyone gathers in the lounge to kick back and watch the sunset on the world’s largest screen. Then they hang out playing games and listening to music and reading and relaxing until dinner is served at the shared community tables, at 8pm.
It’s peaceful, social, and relaxing as hell. Grab a hammock, bring a book (and maybe a camera), or just be in the moment.
Travel Tips for Visiting Minca, Colombia
We highly recommend spending a few days enjoying Minca! Before you go, here are a few tips to help you prepare.
- Minca’s weather is VERY different from the heat of Santa Marta. The nights can get chilly. Bring layers. We swear by our travel sweatpants – They’re lightweight and super stretchy – perfect for hot nights or long plane rides. They have several pockets, one of which is hidden inside another pocket (pocketception!). And most importantly, they’re ethically produced and made with sustainable materials
- Speaking of bugs, bring plenty of bug spray. We swear by lightweight Picaridin lotion for our skin and Permethrin spray for our clothing. We were far less itchy than everyone else we met.
- During the summer it rains every day around 2, as we found out when we arrived at 2 (whoops). The rain starts like clockwork, pours for about an hour or two, and then vanishes. To make sure it doesn’t cramp your style, pack some travel-friendly Ultra-Light Rain Jackets (His & Hers) and Waterproof Socks for hiking!
- Bring a lot of cash. There are no ATMs, and almost no one takes cards. Stop in Santa Marta to stock up.
- Pack or buy water, or bring filtration. The water is not safe to drink in Minca. I speak from dismal experience myself. We watched folks at our hostel drink ONE glass of tap water and become sick almost instantly. We purified our water using a rechargeable Steri-Pen Water Purifier. (Note: you can also use a Sawyer mini filter or water purification tablets, both of which we brought just in case, but we found that we preferred the Steri-Pen for ease of use and taste.)
- Pak a backpack, not a suitase. Minca’s dusty streets aren’t great for dragging a suitcase around on, and suitcases are difficult to carry on moto-taxis, the main form of transportation in town. We love this carry-on sized Pacsafe backpack, and bring it with us on all of our short backpacking trips!
- Bring some Imodium, just in case. Just trust me on this one. I’ll spare you details, but the first time I visited Minca, a kind stranger gave me a few blessed Imodium pills and they were incredibly helpful. My 2nd time in Minca, I did the same for someone else in need. Best to have them on hand.
- Be ready for a hike. Some of our favorite things to do in Minca can only be accessed via hiking. We would have been screwed without my Camelbak Hydration Pack that fits 100oz of water and our anti-bacterial Merino Wool hiking shirts (his & hers). I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but merino wool is seriously the best hiking fabric ever. It keeps you cool when it’s hot, warm when it’s cold, resists smells, lasts forever, and we’re totally obsessed with it.
- If you plan to sleep in a hammock, bring a Silk Liner Travel Sheet sprayed with Permethrin! It will cut down on bug bites and keep you toasty warm (and clean!) without needing to schlep around an actual sleeping bag. I was never as thankful for these tiny, lightweight lifesavers as I was in Minca!
- Bring a flashlight in case you want to go for a night-time stroll (or bathroom visit). Minca, as you can imagine, is not blessed in the streetlamp department and it’s very dark at night. We’re obsessed with our Solar Powered Flashlights. We haven’t had to think about batteries once, but we always have light when we need it.
- Say hi to the locals in Minca. The people we’ve met in Minca were all incredibly friendly!
- Respect Minca’s relative isolation. Blossoming tourism is an exciting but unpredictable phenomenon. This community is warm and inviting, but it’s still theirs. Be respectful. In the 5 years that we’ve been visiting Minca, not terribly much has changed, and that’s something we love about it.
- Plan to stay a few days. Remember the Americans with whom we shared our taxi to Minca? We saw them three days later in Minca hopping into the back of a truck with some locals, with no idea what adventure awaited them (literally, they said they didn’t know where they were going, but were excited to find out). I guess they realized one day wasn’t enough – we agree!
Where to Stay in Minca, Colombia
For such a tiny town, there are a surprising number of options for places to stay in Minca! But for us, there’s 1 place that we keep coming back to again and again… and again: Casa Loma Minca.
Casa Loma is a hostel, and in our opinion, one of the best hostels in Colombia and frankly, all of South America. We love staying in budget-friendly hostels when we travel because not only do they free up funds that can be used for amazing tours, food, and other vacation splurges, but they’re a great way to meet other travelers! And Casa Loma Minca is a truly special kind of hostel.
The whole place feels like a giant treehouse, perched on top of a lush hill with the most incredible view in the world overlooking the Sierra Nevada Mountains all the way to the bright blue Caribbean sea.
To get to this treetop paradise, you’ll need to find the path and climb up the hill, which isn’t the easiest task (and you definitely won’t want to be hauling up a clunky suitcase!). There are more details in our Casa Loma review.
We’ve stayed at Casa Loma Minca in a shared double room, a hammock (the cheapest option) and in one of their stunning private huts overlooking the most incredible sunset in the world (we aren’t even exaggerating).
Family style meals and a WiFi free zone cultivate an awesome social vibe that we fell in love with. But look, one sentence doesn’t capture our love for this place – we’ve got a complete review right here.
Let’s just say that Casa Loma was a big part of why we loved our stay so much, and why we’ve been back to Minca 3 times – and stayed in the exact same hostel 3 times! Check prices.
Other Places to Stay in Minca
Not thrilled by the idea of a hostel, or the climb. to get to it? In Minca, you’ll find everything from eco-friendly hotels to fincas/farms, to hospedajes/home stays!
No matter what you choose, most of the places to stay in Minca are surrounded by and integrated into their lush natural surroundings, while still being super comfortable.
- Minca Ecohabs is as eco-friendly as it gets! Gorgeous thatched roof bamboo huts in the jungle will make you feel like you’re one with nature. There’s a toucan that eats papaya every morning which is the cutest thing ever. Munch on exotic fruits as you watch the sun rise over the mountains, you beautiful jungle princess, you. Check pricing.
- Finca San Rafael is an eco-friendly cacao farm. Yes, y’all: there’s chocolate! And it’s environmentally friendly, too! Finca San Rafael has awesome coffee too, which is important to coffee snobs like us. This finca is a 30 minute walk from town, or a quick jaunt on a moto-taxi which is my favorite form of transportation ever. Take a horseback ride, hike, or just relax (WiFi free) at this authentic finca. Check pricing.
- Casa Colibri is a lovely hospedaje that we stayed in on one of our trips. We had a nice private room walking distance from the center of town. Most importantly, there was great coffee every morning, and the host family was lovely! Check pricing.
- Sweet Harmony is an eco-friendly hotel located a 12 minute walk away from central Minca, nestled into the hillside and overlooking the gorgeous Sierra Nevada mountains. The hotel is a haven for birds: keep an eye out for toucans and hummingbirds! Check pricing.
Hey, we’ve got a ton of other resources for Colombia that you’ll want to look at before your trip!
- What to Pack for Colombia
- The Best Hostels in Colombia
- Colombia Itinerary: Ultimate Guide to 1 Month of Backpacking Colombia
- 30 Things Nobody Tells You About Backpacking in Colombia
- A Complete Guide to Transportation in Colombia
- The Best Colombian Food: What to Eat in Colombia
We hope we convinced you to make a stop in Minca next time you’re traveling through Colombia! What questions do you have about travel in Colombia? Leave us a comment below.
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Our Top Travel Tips & Resources
- Booking Flights: To score flight deals, search on Google Flights or Kayak. Money-saving tips: fly mid-week or on the weekend; fly carry-on only on a budget airline; and take red-eyes or early morning flights.
- Accommodations: We usually stay in budget-friendly vacation rentals, boutique hotels or private rooms in hostels. We use Booking.com to book hotels (we love their flexible cancellation policy) and Hostelworld to book hostels (low deposit, easy change/cancellation, and excellent reviews). For vacation rentals, we prefer to book using VRBO because they've got lower fees and better support than Airbnb, and we're not fans of Airbnb's unethical track record. You can also book vacation rentals on Expedia and Hotels.com. We also use TrustedHousesitters as both hosts (for our home and our fur-child) and travelers!
- Travel Insurance: We always, always, ALWAYS buy travel insurance for international trips, and we STRONGLY suggest it - visit our Travel Insurance Guide to find out why. We recommend either World Nomads or SafetyWing for international travel insurance. SafetyWing is one of the few policies that covers Covid-19, and they have excellent monthly policies that are perfect for Digital Nomads and long term travelers!
- Travel Credit Card: We book all of our trips on our favorite travel credit card. Not only do we earn cash back that we can spend on more travel, but the card offers fantastic travel perks like travel insurance, trip delay and cancellation coverage, lost baggage reimbursement, and rental car coverage, which helps protect us on our travels. Learn more here.
- Vaccines & Meds: We use the travel guides on the CDC website to research recommended medications and vaccines for international trips. We always recommend getting every vaccine recommended by the CDC! You can get them at your primary care doctor's office or a walk-in pharmacy.
- Tours: We love booking guided tours, especially food tours and walking tours, to get a local's perspective and a history lesson while sight-seeing! We book our tours using Viator and GetYourGuide.
- Transportation: We use Rome2Rio to figure out how to get from place to place, and book local transportation online using Bookaway wherever we can. When we book a rental car, we use DiscoverCars to compare rental companies and find the best deal.
- Luggage Storage: Whenever we're checking out early or taking advantage of a long layover, we use LuggageHero to safely store our luggage while we're running around. Use the code PRACTICALW for 2 hours of free luggage storage on us.
- VPN Service: A VPN keeps your digital information (like website login details, bank info, etc) safe, even when you're connected to an unsecured network while traveling. Plus, it lets you use Netflix & other streaming sites abroad! We use NordVPN. Use the code WANDERLUSTPROMO when you sign up!
- What to Pack: Here are the travel essentials that we bring on every trip. We also have packing lists for hot weather, cold weather, and many more. Take a look at all of our packing guides!
Katie says
thanks for this article! super helpful! I just went yesterday and wanted to update…
-marinka waterfall entry is 5000 cop
-day pass at sierra minca hostel is 15k without lunch or 40k with it
-la victoria was now 20k for the tour. Last tour of the day 4:15p
all new prices obviously worth it but they’re making up from covid I guess…
Also, might be worth noting that…
-Minca is not really friendly for suitcases or travelers uncomfortable riding on motos everywhere. Of course there are cars but very few and far between. I experienced A LOT of rain unfortunately and some roads were a bit washed out.
– that is a legit HIKE to Casa Loma, Lol! Once I was up there to check in around 7p, I decided to eat up there rather than try and navigate back down the path in the dark. I’m not sure I would’ve booked it had I known its a good 15 minutes hike uphill on a slippery path. :/ Cool spot nonetheless and the Soul Kitchen w vegetarian food was great 🙂
Lia Garcia says
Thanks so much for the up-to-date info, Katie! We rely on reader-provided details like this to keep our posts up to date 🙂
Also yessss I struggle with the walk up to Casa Loma every time! It’s worse with baggage to (definitely NOT suitcase friendly, we’ll add that to the post!). My husband claims it’s not that bad, and he timed it (because we had this exact discussion lmao) at 6 minutes to climb up … but I still struggle hahaha. Definitely worth it but … not the easiest to access, that’s for sure!
Jane Archer says
Hi!
My husband & I are leaving for Colombia in less than a month – so excited! What’s your favorite hiking shoe/boot and backpack?
We’ll be there for 18 days.
thanks!
Jane
Practical Wanderlust says
Hey Jane,
Here are the links to our favorite hiking shoe/backpack
Shoes: https://practicalwanderlust.com/recommends/altra-lone-peak-trail-runners-men/
Backpack: https://amzn.to/2iyZDK8
For more Colombia packing tips, we have an entire post! https://practicalwanderlust.com/what-to-pack-for-colombia/
Kim says
Trip to Minca is booked! I am wondering if you got a yellow fever vaccine to visit?
I am in Canada and am just finding out that I may need it, and am having a hard time getting an appointment. Hoping to find out if I shoudl avoid visiting if I don’t have it.
Practical Wanderlust says
Hey Kim,
Nobody will be checking, but you should definitely get the vaccine!
Maria Paula L says
thankyou for such a great article on my favorite place in the whole world, as a Colombian i think that minca doesnt get the merit it deserves and the fact that there are people that invest their time on this warms my heart. thank you again and i hope you keep on visiting different parts in Colombia, i recommend that you visit palomino and el eje cafetero if you LOVE coffee
Lisa says
Hi! So were planning on flying into Santa Marta from Bogotá and would like to go to Tyrona Park and Minca. Is it easily accessible to get transportation from a Hostel near Tyrona to get to Minca?
Lisa
Btw, love your site, I’m glad I came across it, I’ve been reading through and you’re very helpful and informative!
Cheers!
Lia Garcia says
I would not describe any form of transportation within Colombia as “easy,” to be honest. There will be a way to get there, but it won’t be easy! Probably a bus or colectivo. Your best bet would be to ask your hostel to tell you how to get to Minca from where you’re staying, but usually you’ll have to go back to Santa Marta and then go to Minca from there.
Adam McConnaughhay says
Great guide. I first visited Minca in 2011 and it was nice but there wasn’t too much there. The last few years it has really grown though. When my wife and I visited recently, there were a lot of new cafes and lodges, and even local craft beer! It still feels like it’s not overcrowded though. It’s definitely worth the visit for anyone on the fence. We stayed at Minca Glamping, which was great.
Dan says
Hi,
Thanks so much for putting all of this incredibly useful information together for us! It’s greatly appreciated!
I’m planning a trip to Minca in July, and I’ll be arriving from Cartagena via Santa Marta. Here’s my question for you: I’ll be traveling solo and encumbered with a gym bag, a backpack, and a rolling piece of luggage! Will I find enough room on public transport to get me to Minca from Santa Marta, or will I have to book private transport because of all the luggage?
Thanks,
Dan
Dan says
Hi ,
Thanks so much for sharing all of this information! It’s much appreciated.
I’ll be looking around your blog some more, but I was wondering if you had any other travel recommendations for when I go to Colombia. I’ve always wanted to go, and I’ll be going in July 2019 for a whole month! I plan to spend my whole time up north: San Andres, Cartagena, Mompos, the trek to the Ciudad Perdida, Tayrona. I now will add Minca to this list! Aside from Minca and the places I’ve just named, do you have any other travel suggestions for up that way?
Thanks!
Lia Garcia says
Oooh how exciting! We’ve got a post with our full 1 month itinerary from the month we spent in Colombia which will definitely be helpful! Take a look here: https://practicalwanderlust.com/2017/07/backpacking-colombia-itinerary.html
Angelina says
Currently in Minca! Arrived 5 days ago with plans to only spend 2 or 3 nights. The town has become one of our favorite stops. We are very blessed to meet a local ( while enjoying tea at Kakaw, highly recommend) who welcomed us so graciously and has introduced us to people with big eco friendly ideas for the community. I hope that anyone on the fence about Minca decided to visit! Our 2 night trip has possibly turned into 2 weeks on this beautiful town. I also recommend looking into workaway for anyone on a budget who has a bit of time. It helps with expenses and allows you to become more that just someone passing through for a few days.
Lia Garcia says
Fantastic advice, Angelina! I’m so glad you found Minca as magical as we did 🙂 Have an amazing time!
Kaleb Loosbrock says
Thank you so much for your thorough and thoughtful articles. We just booked a 4 night stay at Casa Loma (due mostly to you) and another 2 nights at Casas Viejas at Finca Victoria. We’ll let you know hot it goes!!!
Lia Garcia says
So happy to hear that! Tell ’em we said hi – we were just there (again) recently! Have a wonderful time in Minca 🙂
Tomás Franco says
Hi Lia
I’m from Colombia and I did not know this place, I’ll schedule it for my next trip
Thank you
Lia Garcia says
Ooooh yes go check it out! Glad I could help you discover somewhere new 🙂
Aria says
Sold! Making some room in the itinerary for this.
Lia Garcia says
YAY I’m so glad! I just scheduled my 3rd trip to Minca in 2018 😮
Amy says
We loved Minca as well. We backpacked through Colombia summer of 2015, it was an experience of a lifetime. We also stayed at casa Loma, you described it perfect. We visited the waterfalls and the organic chocolate/ coffee plantation, they are must sees ❤️❤️
Kristy L Schutt says
A big heartfelt thanks for your information! I’m planning my trip as I type and am even more excited after reading about your experiences.
Lia says
You’re going to love Minca! We’re so glad our post was helpful 🙂
Jessica Osorio says
Hello, now I have one more reason to go to Colombia. This place looks amazing.
Lia says
Colombia is fantastic! You’ll have a great time!
Lia says
Thank you Sandy! That means the world to us!
Sandy Cadiz-Smith says
I love this, it gives me such a great feel for Minca and makes me want to go there. Will continue to read more about your travels.