Last updated on March 27, 2024.

Tourists from all over Colombia and the world flock to traditional coffee towns like Salento and Filandia due to their proximity to the major cities of Pereira and Armenia. Those towns are great to visit, but both have been overrun by tourists and has lost a bit of authenticity.

Enter Salamina. Unknown and seemingly in the middle of nowhere, it takes a little more time to get to but it’s well worth the effort. This small peaceful town, part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, is devoid of tourists and is one of the most colorful and beautiful towns I have encountered in the entire coffee region. It’s known in Colombia as the “city of light” due to its high concentration of artists and poets, and as a prestigious Heritage Town (Pueblo Patrimonio), is a very important cultural town.

 

Getting There

To get to Salamina, shared taxis from the bus terminal in Manizales leave whenever there are four passengers. The ride takes about two hours. There are buses just about hourly but they take nearly three hours to do the trip. From Medellín, buses pass through La Merced and La Felisa. The trip to the nearby town of Aguadas is about two hours long.

 

Hotel Colonial

Our hotel was Hotel Colonial, located right on Parque Bolívar. It’s a traditional home with big beautiful rooms. The staff was very helpful and friendly and gave us plenty of tips while visiting. Our large room for the night had a great view of the mountains and fast WiFi. The only problem was the noise. It was very loud until nearly 2am. The music from the bars and noise from the people sounded like it was all happening in our room.

Hotel Colonial in Salamina, Caldas, Colombia
Hotel Colonial
Hotel Colonial in Salamina, Caldas, Colombia
Hotel Colonial
View from Hotel Colonial in Salamina, Caldas, Colombia
View from Hotel Colonial

 

Eating in Salamina

For a good breakfast or traditional Colombian meal, Tierra Paisa, located under Hotel Colonial, is a good bet. For a great cup of coffee, visit La Exclusiva, located on the plaza.

Don’t forget to visit Café El Polo to try the local specialties, la macana and huevos al vapor.

 

La Choza

Outside of town is the small village of San Félix, where you can find the Wax Palm Forest (Bosque de Palma de Cera). We were misinformed by a local and told to take a bus labeled La Palma or La Quiebra for a chance to see the trees and eat at one of the several supposed restaurants serving trout.

When we arrived at a recommended spot called La Choza, we found a restaurant with phenomenal views but no palms. The waitress told us many years ago there use to be wax palms there, but to find them we needed to go all the way to San Félix.

La Choza in Salamina, Caldas, Colombia
La Choza
View from La Choza in Salamina, Caldas, Colombia
View from La Choza

Anyway, we enjoyed the meal and the views. As far as the palms, I’m not sure how numerous they are but locals say there are more to see than at the Cocora Valley near Salento.

Lunch at La Choza in Salamina, Caldas, Colombia
Lunch at La Choza
Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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