🌴 Cocora Valley Hike: My Honest Review & Tips

Cocora Valley in Colombia is famous for being home to the world’s tallest palm trees. The valley also has rolling green hills, lush forests, and spectacular views. Using a clear rating system, I share my honest review of hiking it, along with firsthand tips.

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🍀 Lukiih’s Verdict

Visting or hiking Cocora Valley was the highlight of my trip to Colombia. I consider it a must-do when traveling to the country.

• The towering palm trees and panoramic views in the valley are more magnificent in real life than photos let on. The full hike also passes through a worthwhile hummingbird cafe and beautiful diverse landscapes.
• The experience is very affordable even after accounting for transportation and entrance fees.
• Minimal preparation is required, as you only need to pack accordingly and be able to hike a moderate route.

Planning a trip? Here’s what to know about Colombia.

🏆 Where Does It Rank?

Hiking Cocora Valley ranks as the #1 experience I had in Colombia. Here’s how it compares to other things I did on my trip:

	Experience	Location	Overall Rating
1	🌴 Cocora Valley	Salento	8.4
2	🪨 Guatapé & Piedra del Peñol	Medellín	7.4
3	🏝️ Tayrona National Park	Santa Marta	7.2
4	🐒 Amazon Rainforest	Leticia	7.0
5	🎨 Salento	Salento	7.0
6	💧 Minca Day Trip	Santa Marta	6.9
7	☕️ Salento Coffee Farms	Salento	6.8
8	🚡 Monserrate	Bogotá	6.7
9	🏰 Walled City & Getsemani	Cartagena	6.4
10	🎶 Comuna 13	Medellín	6.0
11	🤿 Grande Beach, Taganga	Santa Marta	5.5
12	🚲 Ciclovía	Bogotá	5.2

My Colombia itinerary features the above experiences.

✈️ About My Trip

For context on my review, here’s what to know about my trip:

• I finance my trips and don’t receive sponsorship; this review reflects my honest opinions.
• I hiked Cocora Valley in 2025.
• My Colombia trip was in January when it was more crowded and expensive.

• Visiting Cocora Valley is a rare experience. The valley is home to the world’s tallest palm trees which can reach up to 200 feet high. It’s also part of the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The full hike is very memorable, as it passes through stunning panoramic landscapes, rolling green hills, lush rainforests with waterfalls, and a mesmerizing area with giant palm trees.

• The full hike includes the more touristy sections of Cocora Valley, so it’s not epically remote like some other stunning hikes. Large portions of the hike are also sectioned off since it’s on private property.

• Other places that have towering palm trees, mountains, and cloud forests exist worldwide, including Peru’s Bosque de Palma de Ceroxylon and Ecuador’s Valle de las Palmas.

• Hiking Cocora Valley is largely enjoyable. The diversity in landscape makes the trek interesting as you pass through chilly forests, breathtaking valley views, flat terrain with blooming flowers, and steep areas leading to great views. There was even a brief area that looked like we were passing through giant Redwoods.

• An optional part of the hike is to a hummingbird cafe in the Acaime Nature Reserve. I’ve been to several hummingbird cafes, but the sheer volume and variety of the hummingbirds in Cocora Valley were amazing. I saw a species called “silfo coliverde”, which is the most beautiful hummingbird I’ve ever seen.

• The full 7-mile hike is rewarding because it’s moderately challenging and every few miles, you’ll encounter something new.

• It’s not an easy hike and the weather is notoriously unpredictable, so you will likely feel uncomfortable sometimes.

The full 7-mile Cocora Valley hike has two entrance fees and an optional detour that also has a fee. The first fee is 8,000 COP and the second is 25,000 COP. The optional detour to the hummingbird cafe is 20,000 COP. If you do the entire loop like I did, you will pay 53,000 COP total (about $13 USD).

If you’re a less experienced hiker and prefer a hassle-free experience that requires less preparation, consider hiring a Cocora Valley hiking guide.

See my Colombia trip expenses.

• The full circuit is 7 miles long and takes about 4-5 hours. It’s considered moderate because there are steep portions and uneven terrain. Portions of the hike are also above 9,000 feet, which means some people will feel mild altitude sickness.
• The trailhead is about a 20-minute drive from Salento. The best and easiest way to get there is by taking one of the Jeeps (also known as “Willys”) from Salento’s town center. They only cost about $2.50 USD round-trip and leave every hour on the half hour (e.g., 9:30).
• Unless you want to book a hiking guide, you don’t need to reserve transportation ahead. Make sure to pack hiking shoes (sneakers will make it harder), sun protection, enough water, cash, and layers in case the weather gets rainy.

Firsthand Tips

Here are other tips for hiking Cocora Valley based on my recent experience:

• Stand and hang from the back when riding the Jeep – This will give you the best view of the landscape, and you won’t have to be in the cramped seating area where people felt motion sick. The road to the trailhead is smooth and well-paved so it didn’t feel dangerous to stand on the back.

• Start the trail counterclockwise – Once you get to the trailhead, you can hike the trail clockwise (as most do), which takes you to the palm trees within 30 minutes. But hiking it counterclockwise means you’ll pass through beautiful terrain before ending at the valley and avoid the crowds.
• Don’t underestimate the climb to the hummingbird cafe – The hummingbird cafe was one of my favorite parts of the hike. Aside from the beautiful hummingbirds, they also serve a nice hot chocolate with cheese (a typical snack in Colombia). But the climb up to the cafe is straight uphill for about half a mile.

• Pack layers and rain gear – Cocora Valley’s weather is notoriously unpredictable. It will be sunny one moment and rainy and cloudy the next, so pack accordingly.

For more detailed tips on my experience, check out my trip planner below.