A short distance from Salento in the coffee region is the beautiful Valle de Cocora. This is one of most beautiful and most surreal places we've been due to the wax palms that grow here (and possibly no place else -- we couldn't get a straight answer).
We caught a 7:30 AM jeep from Salento to the Cocora Valley. The jeep is completely full with people hanging off the back. It is what would appear to be a six-seater, but there were 12 or more (at times) in and on the jeep for the half hour ride on the rough dirt road.
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After being dropped off we immediately began our hike through the beautiful valley, sparsely populated by hoses and cows and a few scattered fincas. The trail is rough and muddy, mostly carved out by the roaming livestock, and follows the river along the valley floor.
After some time we began to head up into thicker jungle, over rickety footbridges and by raging waterfalls.
The peaks that tower over the valley and the dense jungle would make the perfect setting for an Indiana Jones movie.
The hike was so beautiful that we decided to do the long trail -- Estrella de Agua -- after the primary trail. Much of the Estrella de Agua trail is in cloud forest, a very different environment from the valley below. Much of this trail we spent literally in the clouds, often with a light mist to keep us cool. We ended up doing all the trails in the valley -- about 22km with 1200m of elevation gain -- a LONG day.
We eventually reached the top of the La Montana trail, another steep trail, and began to make our way down the dirt road back to the village of Cocora. Despite being a dirt road, this was one of the most beautiful parts of the day as it winds right through the stands of wax palms.
When we arrived back in Cocora it was around 4:00 PM. We had hiked for about eight hours with only one brief rest stop to eat some yogurt. We had to wait for a jeep to come at 5:00, so we enjoyed some trucha a la plancha at the only restaurant in this tiny village. The Cocora valley is truly a special place and one that we hope to be able to return to at some point.
Wow. The Wax Palms are awesome, great pics. How is the gear holding up? Anything you wish you left behind or wish you had brought at this point?
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