Colombia Travel Report 6: Salento

Salento is definitely a tourist destination. Both for international, and for national visitors. Funnily enough, many of them told me that they were thinking about skipping the town due to its fame to be somewhat touristy. And in fact, I had been thinking the same, but the alternative proposed by Lonely Planet seemed to lack a bit some interesting sightseeing spots.

So, yes: Finally, all the tourists who hesitated to visit Salento, go there. And it's definitely worth it. And although it's a somewhat small town, as soon as you leave the central plaza, it does not feel very touristy, anymore.

Many Colombian cities are named after countries.

Apart from the nice atmosphere, Salento also convinced culinary-wise. The campesino bread (soft, with a piece of hard cheese in the middle) was so good that I didn't even take a photo. Also the charcoal-grilled arepas (see photo below) were better than anywhere else - and the grilled plantains beamed me up directly to culinary satisfaction. Latin American cuisine really made me appreciate the simple things (if done well).

The tour in the nearby valley was accompanied by heavy rain... but also by two Austrians who were on a 1-year trip around the world and so, despite the weather, the walk was really pleasant. They confirmed, that Colombia's north-west around Cartagena was the most touristic part of the country. This was what I had been worried about and so I felt confirmed in my decision to leave that supposedly beautiful city out in my itinerary (you might have noticed my aversion to very touristic spots).

The Austrian couple also told me that they had heard several times how people had been robbed with the same trick as I had lost my wallet - messing up the victim'd cloth and pretending to help cleaning it. Such an old hat and yet so effective...

After my stay in Salento, I figured that there were more days left than I had calculated. On the other hand, I didn't go too far anymore from Bogotá where I had to take my return flight. So, where to go... Chingaza National Park? You'll see in the next post. I'll let you know beforehand: It was definitely the right decision - great spot!

Colibri