{"id":332,"date":"2021-03-27T12:11:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-27T17:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/millennialroad.com\/?p=332"},"modified":"2021-03-30T20:46:28","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T01:46:28","slug":"cocora-valley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/millennialroad.com\/cocora-valley\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiking Cocora Valley"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Cocora<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Featuring stunning panoramic views of wax palms scattered across the lush, green valley, Cocora Valley (or Valle de Cocora) is an absolute must-do if you are near Salento.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Quind\u00edo Wax Palm\u2014the national tree of Colombia\u2014is the tallest palm tree in the world and can grow up to 60 meters tall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, the Quind\u00edo Wax Palm has been identified as threatened for many years, and these majestic trees can only be found in select regions of Colombia. This makes Cocora Valley a very special place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so the trek begins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We took a “willie” from the main square of Salento to Cocora Valley. Willies are jeeps that provide transportation to various tourist attractions in the Salento area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We opted to do the full hike, which is a total distance of about 12 km (7.7 miles) and takes about 5-6 hours in total. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also an option about halfway through to add a 2 km loop to visit the Acaime Hummingbird Sanctuary, which is an unquestionably essential detour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cocora<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You can begin the trek going in either direction on the loop. We opted to start by heading counter-clockwise and away from the valley of wax palms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although going this way is a bit more challenging, I am glad we did because we were rewarded with the picturesque viewpoints after we had earned them. Who wants to begin at the highlight of a hike and then do all of the hard work afterward? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of hard work, the hike was much tougher than I had expected, particularly due to the altitude. Despite this, it was completely worth it when we made it to the main viewpoint and had postcard views of the myriad of towering wax palms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cocora<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We followed a scenic creek for much of the first half of the journey. There were countless quaint little bridges we had to cross as we made our way over and around the creek. Each of the bridges was slightly different from the next. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We came across several small waterfalls just off the path as we continued to walk further. None of this compared to what would come next, but it was a lovely hike as we made our way to the epic parts of the trek. <\/p>\n\n\n\n