A coffee day in Minca, above Santa Marta

The day on the trail

Sendaria Travel collects guests at four pickup points in Santa Marta. From Minca a 4x4 truck takes the group up unpaved roads through the forest. A walk of about 15 minutes leads to a small traditional coffee farm, not named in the listing, where you see how coffee is grown, dried and roasted and drink a fresh cup. After another 25 minutes on foot you reach the Oído del Mundo waterfall, and 45 minutes later Casa Jocolate, with lunch, a viewpoint and the cocoa workshop.

One reviewer lists what worked and what did not: a friendly, funny guide who spoke English, a lunch with plenty of choice including vegan and vegetarian dishes, and a cocoa workshop worth doing. Another mentions that the tour was covered in English and Spanish.

Starting at the bridge in Minca

Staying in Minca already? You can skip the drive and meet the group at the bridge in the village at 9:40. For the whole day the listing gives six to eight and a half hours.

Getting up to Minca on your own is simple. Shared vans, the colectivos, leave from the Plaza de Mercado in Santa Marta when they are full, and the ride takes 30 to 60 minutes, longer at weekends and on public holidays. The last van up leaves Santa Marta around five in the afternoon.

Before you go

• Closed shoes and insect repellent, both recommended in the listing
• Cash: Minca has no ATM, and the nearest ones are on the outskirts of Santa Marta
• A light rain jacket

Also on the coast and short on time? The coffee tasting in the city is the coastal alternative for travellers who cannot fit in a day in the hills; see our Cartagena coffee tasting page.