Venturing Into: Minca - The backpacker's haven of the Sierra Nevada

Highlights

- Incredibly biodiverse, birdwatching tour was a must-do with beautiful tropical birds easily seen

- Most hikes are very manageable and short in length (<2 hours)

- Walkable due to small size, safe to wander around and go to town restaurants for dinner

Lowlights

- Power cuts are common in this area making sleeping without A/C uncomfortable with the humidity 

- Mosquitoes prevented us really relaxing in the outdoor common areas in the evenings

- Very small so enough different restaurants for 2-3 days but not more

We arrived at Minca via Santa Marta by taxi. Our original plan had been a colectivo however we changed our mind based on our Santa Marta accommodation location (for further details see here). Otherwise we would recommend the colectivo as very cheap and easy (though uncomfortable) but bear in mind this is a very touristy area so it will be busy and a full van. The taxi cost us 90k COP to Minca town from our hotel and a further 10k COP from the town centre to our particular hostel as it was tucked away across the river. We later left Minca in a colectivo which cost 12k COP per person to Mamatoco and a further 13k COP pp onwards to our final destination of Palomino (certainly significantly more affordable though equally uncomfortable).

We spent 4 nights at our hostel in Minca and this seemed like a convenient amount of time to do the key activities and have some down time. We did a bird watching tour and a hike to the Marinka waterfalls on separate days, both of which we would recommend as must-do activities. There are more hikes one could do to further explore the surrounding area however we aren't massive hikers so we felt content with what we had done. This is the true value of a visit to Minca - the natural beauty of the surrounding mountain range, both flora and fauna. 

The climate is much more tropical than at the coast, so expect relatively high humidity and although the altitude is greater it is not so high that the temperature drops considerably. If the sun is out it will be quite hot and, if not, very warm and muggy. This makes it all the more frustrating that due to the mosquito presence we had to wear long sleeves and trousers which made things somewhat sweaty during the daytime. Savannah wore knee length leggings on our hike to Marinka falls and was bitten to shreds from the knee down, from this point on we decided getting a little sweaty was the lesser of two evils.

Marinka Waterfalls

Our first activity the day after we arrived in Minca was this very hike to the Marinka falls and was well worth the approximately hour and a half hike up the hill. We took it at a leisurely pace and took some photos along the way so it could certainly be taken much faster. There is also a small area roughly half way up the hill where you can have a dip in the river which we passed on in the interests of keeping pace and not wanting to do the remaining hike in wet clothes. As you approach the waterfalls the dirt road turns left through a gate and transforms into a cemented ramp with steps either side. Almost teasingly the signs for the waterfall appear, tricking you into thinking you've arrived, alas not the case. Although most of the journey up the hill is not particularly steep the last 15 minute or so stretch certainly is. We found ourselves needing to stop for a few moments on a bench not realising we were only around 100m from our goal. Soon enough the site comes into view, a cash-only entrance ticket of 16k COP each (about £3) and you are presented with a choice of two waterfalls, one higher up, the other below. 

Thinking we would rather face another upward journey now rather than later we chose the higher and found this to be exactly what we were hoping for. The upper was certainly very impressive, with a thunderous cascade leading to a shallow pool inviting all to try for the Hollywood "shower" shot. The water I'm told was extremely cold but perhaps welcome after a long hot walk. There is enough room for several at a time to enjoy the falls though most seemed to prefer going one at a time to get the best photo. It's here where I realised that I forgot to bring my tripod. The tripod I specifically brought for times like this to experiment creating those beautiful long exposure photos where the water looks like clouds.🤦 I tried my best without but it's just not what I was after. 

After a refreshing dip Sav and I headed down to the second waterfall which was much smaller but led to a pool deep enough to swim in, very pleasant indeed but not as impressive as the one above. There is a small restaurant at the falls, as well as a number of large net hammocks to relax in. We weren't keen on trying the food ourselves as we often find built-in restaurants have poor quality and high prices, choosing instead to have a delightful smoothie and ice cream at an artesenal coffee shop (WAIRA) which we would thoroughly recommend. 

Bird watching

Our other excursion, the bird watching tour, started at 6am the next morning. We were right to wear full long sleeve clothing as many of our cohort who hadn't paid the prices with dozens of mosquito bites. Fortunately at that time in the morning the temperature is quite pleasant. The tour lasted 3 hours, the first hour and a half of which served as a tutorial on how to use the binoculars provided to every person and for anyone versed in video gaming much reminded me of the opening of Red Dead Redemption 2 - a seemingly endless snail-paced walk through the basic controls as you walk up the hill. However much like the game, right at the point genuine boredom sets in the world opens up to a crescendo of colour and light at the top. 

The tour spends the remaining time at a small coffee house overlooking a large valley home to all manner of exotic and tropical birds of every colour. All notions of boredom for Sav disappeared once one such bird decided to perch itself on her shoulder. Among the various species seen at extreme and close range for us were toucans, owls, hummingbirds, and Sav's favourite the yellow-backed Oriole. All in all a superb way to spend a morning, we couldn't recommend more for a price of 75k COP each (roughly £15) from Jungle Joe.

Besides this we had a day to ourselves to relax and recharge which we spent exploring the town. Minca itself is very small and consists almost entirely of bars and restaurants. We ate at a couple of places and loved the ambience and beer selection at The Lazy Cat. There are many food options in town with even several Asian themed eatieries and plates - a surprising theme in many places we have been in Colombia. Beyond the restaurants and bars there are several small shops selling bracelets, bikinis, crafted bags and jewellery but don't expect enough for a whole afternoon, it is a very small town and caters almost entirely to backpackers.

MINCA AT A GLANCE

Accommodation

Easy to find, a very large number of hotels, hotels, airbnbs for all price ranges.

Transport

Only really two ways in and out of Minca; taxi and colectivo. Taxi to nearby Santa Marta is approximately 100k COP (£20), colectivo is around 16k COP (£3). Colectivos are very busy so expect to be crammed in but A/C is provided and this will likely be filled with fellow foreign tourists so may be an opportunity to meet people.

Affordability 

Several restaurants, bars, cafes, all fairly priced, local beers and foods are cheaper than imports. 

Safety

Excellent throughout, we didn't go exploring at night but came home from dinner/drinks late in the evening with no issues. We never felt unsafe, though bring a torch or headtorch as there are no streetlights off the main road and the paths are not paved.

Activities

Plenty of free hikes and paid excursions available to explore the local wildlife and scenery. 

Tips/key takeaways

Take long sleeved breathable clothing, sun cream and bug spray.