2-Day Minca Tour from Santa Marta: Bird Watching & Coffee Farm

Cacao bar making and waterfall bathing in sacred indigenous sites

A 2-day guided tour from Santa Marta into Minca combines coffee and cocoa production, a swim at Lost Waterfall, and a 3-hour bird-watching trek through Sierra Nevada trails. The tour includes private pickup, lunch, breakfast, and one night at Jungle Joe Ecolodge, with a live guide in English or Spanish. It suits travelers who want hands-on learning about the region's biodiversity and indigenous culture without a packed schedule.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Full day Minca tour activities

• Pickup from Santa Marta at 8:45 am
• Visit coffee farm and learn processing
• Visit Lost Waterfall for bathing
• Talk about bamboo as building element
• Gourmet lunch at Jungle Joe Bamboo house
• Biodiversity talk about Sierra Nevada animals
• Cocoa workshop making cacao bar
• Visit Cocoa museum for history and processing

Day 2: Birdwatching tour with guide

• Receive binoculars and introduction
• 3-hour birdwatching adventure on trails

The experience

The tour starts with a pickup from Santa Marta at 8:45 am and heads into Minca, where the first stop is a working coffee farm. You'll see how beans are collected, fermented, dried and roasted. The whole process takes 45 minutes and ends with an explanation of what makes each stage matter. From there, a 45-minute walk brings you to Lost Waterfall, a site sacred to local indigenous communities where you can swim and cool off in the water currents.

After the waterfall, you move through three more stops before nightfall. Jungle Joe's Bamboo House offers a 30-minute talk on bamboo as a building material in Colombia, followed by a gourmet lunch prepared by the host. A 30-minute biodiversity talk covers the region's dangerous animals: Colombia has more species per square kilometer than almost anywhere on earth. Then comes the cocoa workshop, where you learn alkaloid techniques and make your own cacao bar to take with you. The total walking time across the day is 2 hours 30 minutes, and you'll also visit a cocoa museum to learn the history of processing. You sleep one night at Jungle Joe Ecolodge.

Day two is dedicated to bird-watching. An accredited guide hands out binoculars and leads a 3-hour trek through trails in the region, stopping to spot and identify birds along the way. Breakfast is included before you head out. Private transportation runs the whole tour, and the guide speaks English or Spanish.

What’s included

• Private transportation from Santa Marta.
• lunch on day one and breakfast on day two.
• one night at Jungle Joe Ecolodge.
• binoculars for the bird-watching trek.
• a live guide in English or Spanish.

Options for this experience

2 options

Guide in English or Spanish08:30 and 09:00

Guide in English or Spanish09:00

You pick the guide language when booking. Options with the same name differ in details you'll see when you pick a date.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:30 and 09:00

Book up to3h before

AgesAdult (30 to 50 years) · Senior (51 to 70 years) · Youth (18 to 29 years) · Under 18: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 20

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditions

Operated by Birdwatching Adventures Jungle Joe Minca Tours

Is this one for you?This tour works best for small groups or individuals who want hands-on learning (making cocoa, seeing coffee processing, swimming at a sacred site) rather than a fast-paced highlights run. The fixed two-day schedule and single overnight stay fit travelers with a limited window in the region who don't want to arrange their own transport or meals.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (18 to 29 years). Under 18: they can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What's the coffee farm visit actually like in Minca?

The coffee farm is a working site where you spend 45 minutes watching the full cycle: collection, fermentation, drying and roasting. You'll learn what happens at each stage and why it changes the flavor of the final bean.

Can I swim at Lost Waterfall, or is it just a viewing stop?

Lost Waterfall is a swimming stop. You have 45 minutes to bathe and relax in the water currents. It's a sacred site for indigenous communities in the area.

How much walking is involved over the two days?

Day one includes 2 hours 30 minutes of total walking spread across multiple stops. Day two is a 3-hour bird-watching trek through trails, so plan for moderate activity both days.

What do I get to make or take home from this tour?

In the cocoa workshop, you learn techniques to increase alkaloid content and make your own cacao bar, which you keep. You also visit a cocoa museum to learn the history of processing.

Is this tour suitable for families with teenagers?

Children are welcome from age 18. The tour involves walking, swimming and outdoor activities, and is suitable for all fitness levels, though it is not recommended for pregnant travelers or those with poor cardiovascular health.