Salento & Cocora Valley: Private Day Tour with Lunch + Pickup

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/9

Duration7h–8h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Private day trip to Salento, Cocora & Filandia with premium lunch

You’ll wander among Colombia’s towering wax palms in Cocora Valley, ride a vintage Willys Jeep into colorful Salento for coffee and crafts, then end your day gazing over Filandia’s rolling hills with a hot drink in hand. With hotel pickup, local guide, and lunch included, it’s an easygoing day you’ll remember long after the trip.

7h–8h

Step-by-step itinerary

Salento, Cocora & Filandia Tour

Walk in Cocora Valley with guide
Stroll along Salento's royal street
Visit Filandia viewpoint and town

The Experience

I nearly lost my hat to the wind when we first stepped out of the van in Cocora Valley — that’s how it started. Our guide, Camilo, grinned and said something about “el viento de las montañas” while I tried to pin my hair back and take in those wax palms. They really do look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. The air smelled faintly sweet, like wet grass after last night’s rain, and there was this quiet you don’t get in cities — just birds and the crunch of our boots on muddy paths. Camilo pointed out a condor circling way up high; I squinted but mostly saw clouds. Still counts.

After the walk (which you can make as long or short as you want — I was grateful for that), we piled into an old Willys Jeep for the bumpy ride to Salento. The driver honked at every curve like it was a secret code only locals understood. Royal Street was full of color: blue doors, pink balconies, someone selling arepas from a cart. We stopped for coffee — real Colombian coffee — and I tried to ask for sugar in Spanish. The barista laughed and handed me panela instead (it’s better than sugar anyway). There’s something about sitting on a wooden bench watching people go by that makes you feel like you’re part of the place for a second.

Filandia came last, just as the sun started dipping behind the hills. We climbed up to the illuminated hill viewpoint (I was out of breath but pretended not to be) and saw all those green folds of coffee country stretching out forever. It got chilly fast; someone handed me hot chocolate and I wrapped my hands around it until they stopped shaking. On the way back I kept thinking about how different everything felt from that morning — lighter somehow, maybe because we’d actually talked with people instead of just looking at things through a window.

What’s included

Your day includes pickup from your hotel or airport in Pereira or Armenia, all transportation by van or microbus with a bilingual local guide, bottled water for each person, entrance fees to both Cocora Valley palm forest and Filandia’s illuminated hill viewpoint, one hot drink per person along the way, medical assistance insurance just in case (though hopefully not needed), an à la carte lunch at Laurita restaurant featuring typical dishes from the region, plus a classic Willys Jeep experience between stops before returning you safely back at your starting point.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditions

Operated by transporte & turismo del eje S.A.S