Minca, Colombia: The Magical Town in the Mountains
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Minca is a small town located in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and it’s the perfect escape into Colombian nature. With plenty of hiking trails and beautiful views over Santa Marta and the Caribbean Ocean, it quickly became one of my favourite destinations in Colombia.
As we were still recovering from the Lost City Trek, we had a fairly quiet stay in Minca and it was the perfect destination to do a whole lot of nothing or a lot of everything. I fell in love with Minca during our stay and in this post, I will explain why this magical town was so special.
The Magic of Minca, Colombia
Minca had some of the most beautiful sunsets that Josh and I have seen on our whole adventure between Mexico and Colombia. Watching the sun disappear into the Caribbean Ocean surrounded by mountains full of life makes for a fabulous reason to visit this small town. Just after sunset, fireflies would start to appear everywhere and even lit up the path on our walk back. It added a whole lot more magic to the sunsets. We found ourselves hitting the jackpot as our hostel had a fantastic sunset viewpoint, which brings me to another thing I loved about Minca.
Our hostel, Finca Hostal Bolivar was potentially the best hostel I have ever stayed in, which is quite the statement. Located just a short walk from the town, it was such a peaceful and relaxing spot. On arrival, the lovely Miguel sat us down and gave us some suggestions of what to get up to in Minca, which was super helpful and thoughtful. As I mentioned before the hostel had a sunset viewpoint, it also had a spot where you could paddle in the river and with calming views I just never wanted to leave. I can’t explain how much of a homely feel this hostel had, sometimes it's hard to feel comfortable sharing a room with strangers but somehow this place did just that. I 100% recommend staying here when in Minca, it’s such a large part of why I fell in love with Minca. Read my full review here —>
The main draw of Minca is arguably to get out in nature, whether that’s through hiking, birdwatching, swimming in waterfalls or just simply sitting at a viewpoint reading a book. Everywhere you look in and around Mica is surrounded by views, trees, wildlife, plants and mountains and as we were blessed with such fantastic weather during our stay, admiring the outdoors was a daily activity for us. I loved the nets they had at Marinka waterfalls, not only do they make for a fabulous photo opportunity, but they also make for a relaxing spot to take in the beauty of Minca.
Our mornings in Minca were often pretty lazy as we were never really in much of a rush, but a Minca morning wouldn’t be complete without a visit to La Miga. A delicious bakery offering fresh bread daily and even more tasty coffees, don’t miss this place. I recommend the pain au chocolat or bruschetta which much to my joy you could get with or without tomatoes. What can I say, a good bakery makes a good town.
Photo Diary of Minca, Colombia
How to Get to Minca, Colombia
The way to get to Minca by public transport will involve going through the city of Santa Marta, my advice is to get straight out of Santa Marta, it’s not worth an overnight visit. If you fly into Santa Marta airport, you will find many taxis that can take you straight to Minca. Otherwise, hop on the public bus from the airport to the centre of Santa Marta, you need to go to the Mercado in the centre. From there ask the bus driver to point you in the direction of the minivans going to Minca. It’s actually also marked on Maps.Me or find the location on Google Maps here. A ticket costs 10,000 COP per person and the journey is under 30 minutes.
Slightly niche but we went from El Rio in Buritaca to Minca so we flagged down the bus on the road between Palomino and Santa Marta. The bus driver dropped us off on the outskirts of Santa Marta at a bus company called Sierra Mar where we waited for the next bus to Minca. So if you're coming from Palamino or Tayrona just tell the driver you're headed for Minca it saves sitting in the traffic trying to get in and out of Santa Marta.
Things to do in Minca, Colombia
Pozo Azul is the most popular attraction of Minca, be warned this means the most touristy too. It's a popular swimming spot with a small waterfall and it’s only a short walk or moto ride from town.
Marinka Waterfalls is another popular spot to visit in Minca, it’s about a 1-hour walk from the main street in town and a lovely scenic one too. It costs 10,000COP per person to enter and there are 3 different spots to see the falls, a restaurant, and some nets to chill out in.
Hiking is a popular thing to do in Minca and with many routes and trails to follow it's the best way to get out and explore the surrounding nature. The most popular trail is the Los Pinos trail, it will take about 6 hours and you can expect an uphill battle, but you will be rewarded with stunning views. A popular 2-day hike is the Cerro Kennedy hike or you can take on the challenge of the 4/5 day Lost City trek.
Take a tour of one of the local coffee or cacao farms, you might even get a tasting too.
For bird lovers, Minca is also known for its birdwatching, whether you want to go solo or join a tour.
Take a yoga class at one of the many spots around town, such as Casa Yoga or Selva Minca, some also offer meditation classes.
Minca is an absolute must-see destination whilst you are travelling Colombia, don’t waste a moment in the city of Santa Marta and get yourself immersed in the nature of Minca. Remember to pack the trainers and bug spray though, you’ll need it.
I would love to know your thoughts on Minca, Colombia if you have been so leave them in the comments below.
Looking for more Colombia travel inspiration?
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