Hiking Minca to Paso del Mango

Hiking Minca to Paso del Mango

Hiking in Colombia is a very rewarding activity. And the whole region around Minca and Paso del Mango, in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, is truly a hiking paradise. There are dozens of connected trails for hiking Minca and Paso del Mango that are just waiting to be discovered by the more adventurous traveller. There is one trail hiking in particular that is just fabulous: a mule path – used by locals to gather coffee and cacao from the farms in the surrounding hills – connecting Paso del Mango and Minca.

We decided first to stay overnight in Minca. Minca is a beautiful and well-known village in the Sierra Nevada of Colombia. We opted for staying in Casa Loma, a nice hostel overlooking Minca town and the surrounding mountains. In Minca we visited a few waterfalls, including Pozo Azul and the Marinka waterfalls.

Organic farm of Crape Diem right in this beautiful valley

One of the views on the way from Minca to Paso del Mango – below in the valley is located Paso del Mango

 

We opted for staying in Casa Loma, a nice hostel overlooking Minca town and the surrounding mountains.

Leaving from Minca

The next morning we woke up early, had a nice breakfast overlooking the town of Minca, and decided to make our way through the Santa Marta jungle to reach our final destination hiking some 6 hours away: Paso del Mango and Finca Carpe Diem.

We woke up early, had a nice breakfast overlooking the town of Minca

View from Casa Loma hostel in Minca

View from Casa Loma hostel in Minca


Map for hiking Minca to Paso del Mango

Map hike from Minca to Paso del Mango

Directions for hiking Minca to Paso del Mango

  1. Church Centre Minca
  2. Police Station
  3. Finca La Candelaria
  4. Alicia’s Hostal
  5. Finca De Café
  6. Finca De Sylvestre y Cascada
  7. Finca Carpe Diem – Paso Del Mango

 

We decided to make our way through the Santa Marta jungle to reach our final destination hiking some 6 hours away


Tree with bird nests on the way from Minca to Paso del Mnago, Carpe Diem

Tree with bird nests on the way from Minca to Paso del Manago, Carpe Diem

Coffee farm in between Minca and Paso del Mango

Coffee farm in between Minca and Paso del Mango

Waterfall between Minca and Paso del Mango

Waterfall between Minca and Paso del Mango

From Casa Loma, we started the famous downhill staircase looking for the church of Minca a few hundred meters below. In the town of Minca we bought some groceries because the hike is really into the wild, there are no shops along the way, only nature reserves, rivers, waterfalls, coffee, and cacao farms.

We continued, passing the police station of Minca, which is just around the corner. We went straight uphill, there are many deviations on the left and right, but we did not put any attention on these. A few hundred metres up from the Minca police station, we found the first sign indicating Paso del Mango and Carpe Diem. These signs continue all along the hike. So it is easy to find your way.

 

A few hundred metres up from the Minca police station, we found the first sign indicating Paso del Mango and Carpe Diem. These signs continue all along the hike. So it is easy to find your way.

A break on a nice spot between Minca and Paso del Mango

A break on a nice spot between Minca and Paso del Mango

After 1 hour walking or so, we passed the coffee farm, La Candelaria. We just did the heaviest part of the trail, so time for a small break 🙂 . We continued straight uphill passing the Alicia and Mundo Nuevo hostels….but, as we did not really have the time, we did not enter and just went straight on.

The nice part of hiking Minca – Paso del mango

The sky is still blue and nature is abundant. This part was definitely the nicest section of the hike: a flat road going through the Sierra Nevada mountains overlooking Minca, Paso del mango and all the surrounding villages. Now and then, we had a nice vista of the ocean and Santa Marta. The nature here  is overwhelming. After 20 minutes or so, counting from Alicia Hostel, there is a sign indicated to turn left, and to enter a much less travelled road. From hereon, the trail is only suited for mules and hikers. It goes steeply downhill, many turns, and a lot of rewarding vistas. We were lucky to spot a few toucans and eagles circling around.

We also passed large bamboos where we were lucky enough to spot howler monkeys jumping from branch to branch. It was a crazy experience. In this section, in between the forests, you also have many organic coffee plantations. A bit further we made a short visit to a small-scale organic coffee farm. The owner, Ivan, was happy to show us around.

Bamboo on the way between Minca and Paso del mango

Bamboo on the path between Minca and Paso del mango


Another waterfall in between Minca and Paso del Mango

Another waterfall in between Minca and Paso del Mango

After the coffee tour we continued further on, passing several streams, rivers, and waterfalls. One that is particularly beautiful is the Cascada Silvestre which is more or less 45 minutes away from Finca Carpe Diem

Eventually, after some 6 hours hiking, breaks included, we finally arrived in Paso del Mango. It is not difficult to find the hostel Carpe Diem. Carpe Diem is located alongside the beautiful Manzanares river, just after crossing the bridge.

Carpe Diem is located alongside the beautiful Manzanares river, just after crossing the bridge.

Carpe Diem is located alongside the beautiful Manzanares river, just after crossing the bridge.

It was great to arrive in Finca Carpe Diem after hiking Minca to Paso del Mango. We were welcomed with a free, fresh and cold natural juice from the farm. The swimming pool was the perfect freshener after the many rivers we crossed  🙂 A cold beer, good company and a comfortable bed did the rest for making this day an unforgettable experience.

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