Day trip to Minca from Santa Marta, Colombia

Minca

Minca is a small mountain village in northern Colombia, located in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, about 45 minutes from the city of Santa Marta.

Minca is especially known for its beautiful landscapes, waterfalls, coffee and cacao farms, and birdwatching. It is a place where you could easily spend several days to fully enjoy it, but even if you only have one day, a short visit is still very rewarding and gives you a good sense of its natural beauty.

Minca, Colombia

How to go to Minca from Santa Marta

The backpacker option is to take a shared van from Cootransminca, near the central market in Santa Marta. We paid 10,000 COP per person in 2025, and the journey took about 45 minutes.

Another option is taking an Uber or Taxi, but prices can range from 50,000 –100,000 COP

I would not recommend going by car. The road is quite curvy, and there is very limited parking available in the village.

What to do in Minca for a day

Try to arrive early so you have time to fit in several different activities. And do not forget to bring cash with you! Very few places accept cards

We started by walking around the town. The houses are quite spread out, which leaves plenty of space for nature in between. You will also find many eco lodges along the way, as well as scenic viewpoints overlooking the surrounding mountains and jungle.

The highlight of our day trip was definitely visiting the coffee and cacao farm La Candelaria. La Candelaria is a family owned farm founded over 100 years ago. It is located up a hill, so save yourself some time and ask for a motorbike ride. We paid 10,000 COP per person one way from the center of Minca, and the ride usually takes about 20 minutes.

When you arrive at the farm, you are immediately struck by the incredible views. It is a natural paradise and quite honestly one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited

I recommend taking both their cacao and coffee tours. They are usually offered in English and Spanish. In 2025, we paid 35,000 COP per person per tour, and each tour lasts about one hour.

We learned a lot about the process of making both chocolate and coffee. If you have the chance, don’t hesitate to buy some of their cacao blocks. You can use them to make some of the best hot chocolate you will ever have. I absolutely loved them, the flavor is so rich. Of course, remember to add sugar when making hot chocolate since it is 100% cacao.

The cacao tour also includes cacao face masks, which is a fun experience.

Coffee shrub

Instead of taking another motorbike to go back to the center of Minca, I would suggest going back on foot, because the views are absolutely worth it. We had a bit of bad luck because halfway through our descent it started raining quite heavily, but luckily some guys on motorbikes were going down and gave us a ride.

Road back to the center of Minca, drone shot

It really is extremely beautiful, the landscape is so lush.

Unfortunately, we did not have time to do other activities that day, but if you do, there are two well-known waterfalls to visit: Pozo Azul and Marinka. You will most likely find transportation to these waterfalls in the center of Minca.

I hope you enjoy Minca as much as we did.