Minca Mountain Magic

Looking for a bit of a break from the intense heat of Santa Marta and the Caribbean coast, we decided to head up into the tiny town of Minca, nestled away in the Sierra Nevada mountains (which include the highest tropical mountain in the world).  After forty five minutes up a bumpy dirt road we found ourselves standing in the tiny main square of a quiet, two-street town with a couple of small restaurants, a tiny market and an internet cafe - this is our kind of place!

exploring one of the two roads in Minca

a secluded swimming hole

Minca is an up-and-coming eco-tourist destination, a great place to relax in the cooler mountain air while taking a break from the hours of hiking accessible from town.  A great place for bird-watching, taking a dip in the local swimming holes, touring the nearby coffee plantation, or just walking for hours on the tiny dirt road that leads further up into the mountains from Minca.  Minca's also a possible starting point for treks to the Lost City (La Ciudad Perdida) - I wish we'd known this before spending time in nasty Santa Marta (though we wouldn't have saved Charles, the dumpster kitten if we hadn't gone there). 

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private huts at Casa Loma

We decided to rest our heads at Casa Loma, a small hostel about a ten minute walk uphill from the church (the main landmark in Minca). Yeah, the last thing you'll want to do after hours of hiking is to make the uphill trek to your hostel, but trust me, the spectacular sunsets alone will make it worthwhile.  Casa Loma also offers awesome home-cooked vegetarian meals, daily yoga classes (Chelsea never missed any!), relaxing Reiki massages (all for a fee), and a good variety of sleeping options - we spent the first couple nights in an awesome private hut, then chose to pitch our tent and camp to save some money.  Although we'd originally planned on spending only a few days in Minca, we got stuck in Minca time and found ourselves hesitating to leave even after a week.

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bamboo-lined mountain road

After a couple days of relaxing in hammocks and catching up on our reading (what a tough life we have...), we ambitiously decided to hike the complete loop up along the main mountain road, taking us up past a set of waterfalls, through a scenic lookout area called "Los Pinos" (the pines) and then back down past La Victoria Coffee Plantation and Pozo Azul.  After a few hours of walking uphill (at what should have been the half-way point of our six-hour journey), however, we realized we'd somehow missed a turn and had no idea how to get around and find our way back down.  After stopping a couple passing motos and getting some confusing and contradictory directions, we resigned to making our way back down the same way we'd come.  Although it's a cool place to hike, with the small dirt road winding its way through dense bamboo-filled jungle, by this point we were tired, sweaty, hungry, and frustrated at not being able to find our way (I guess I should be used to it by now, eh?).  Luckily, we managed to hitch a ride with a nice older gentleman on his monthly trip down from a tiny town way up near the top of Cerro Kennedy (the one and only time we broke Oma's "no hitchhiking" rule).  

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happily hitchin' a ride

the aptly-named "88 butterfly"

Not wanting to spend money on any of the offered tour packages, we instead wandered around the little mountain road, finding our own way to secluded waterfalls, tiny homes surrounded by lush jungle, and breathtaking mountain scenery.  On one of the hotter days we hiked over to "Pozo Azul" (blue well) for a dip in the series of secluded swimming holes along a nearby stream.  Another afternoon we hiked up to La Victoria Coffee Plantation and paid the $4 for a tour and a fresh cup.  A neat little farm, it's been around since 1850 and is completely self-sufficient, making use of the surrounding mountain streams to transport the coffee as well as generate hydro-electricity to run their processing equipment.  Although the tour was offered in Spanish, the guide spoke clearly and was easy to understand, a completely opposite experience from fast-talking Chilean tour guide at the distillery in Pisco.

Although we would have happily spent more time in Minca (perhaps even volunteering at Casa Loma to save some money), we found ourselves running short on time - only four more days until our flight out of Cartagena. I can't believe the South America portion of our adventure is coming to an end so soon - we'll be sure to soak in as much sun as we can for the next few days while exploring Cartagena.

Thanks for taking the time to be chili with us!
~ Mandrew

Photos from Minca, Colombia

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