Minca is among the most beautiful villages in Colombia. the location is just perfect, and Minca is definitely a Must see place if you come by Santa Marta.
You are maybe wondering :
But where to go in Minca ? Obviously, in 1 or 2 days you’ll probably don’t know, and could miss some opportunities.
I’ve been living in the region for 4 years now, and visited many places around Minca. I’ll get straight to the point and tell you right away the best of the west 😉
In this Article, we will cover the best places to go, what you can’t miss and above all try get you inspirational ideas for your pictures.
First Place to see in Minca : Mundo Nuevo Ecoproject
The number 1 place to go is Mundo Nuevo in Minca. It is the best location and spot to chill for a few days. For photography it is amazing, you’ll get a 360° view over Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Caribbean sea.
Here are some of the highligths of the Hostal :
- Super friendly people
- Excellent vegetarian food
- Affordable for sleeping in hammock
- Very nice rooms
- Many hammocks to read
- The best sunset point of the region
- Original activities : cacao and coffee tour, bee tour, permaculture tour, and many more…
Don’t miss any sunsets, every night they are different :
The day after it can look like this :
If you like stars and night pictures during the night you can get also amazing shots :
During the milky way season
To get this kind of shots, You’ll need a firm Tripod, and and semi pro Camera, like a canon 500D. Settings would be 30sec exposition and opened at maximum like f 2.8 and iso 3200 max
Another spot : la Culebrera before sunset :
Have a ride around the farm in the morning.
2nd perfect place to stay in Minca : Casas Viejas
If you like having great views, Casas Viejas is as well a perfect you can’t miss in Minca. It is located upper in Minca, in a VIP location : inside Victoria property. That mean that you have access to private 600 Acre of land that anyone else can see.
People are very friendly, the restaurant is excellent, and have a lot if nice places and hammocks to chill during the day !
To get the most of your stay there, I recommend you to enjoy horse rides, a walk to the private waterfall, longer hikes, birdwatching activities and many more…
Day Activities in Casas Viejas Minca : Visit Victoria Coffee Farm
la Victoria is the oldest coffee factory in the whole region. Old machines from last 19’s were imported from England. You’ll learn all the process of the coffee in the region.
Morning Lights in Minca
Just try to enter in nature rhythm in Minca. You’ll get to bed early, and wake up before sun. during the morning you’ll get amazing lights as well as bird dancing and singing show.
Night Time in Casas Viajas Minca
Night comes quite early, try to take pics a Blue Hour, just after sunset, you’ll get nice moody pics as well. Here is a shot on the very confortable lodge of Casas Viejas. (I didn’t stay to long to take this picture, it was mojito time ! 😉 Life is made of priorities ! )
Chill a Sunset from Casas Viejas Mirador
Cloudy Days in Casas Viejas Minca :
Even in Cloudy days, you’ll be able to take nice pics. Just wait a bit before sunset, and focus on the trees surrounding ( Bosque Humedo ). With the light rays, sometimes you can achieve nice results !
At just 50 meters from the Hostal, you can dive into the Coffee plantation. You can play with the fog as well and make some tests like this :
Essential Activities in Minca : Have a swim in Waterfalls
Pozo Azul natural swimming pool
Here is the most famous waterfall in Minca. It is in the must see activities. Nevertheless, it is victim of it’s own success and is a bit popular now. If you prefered quiet places, I would recommend you to go early in the morning to avoid crowd pick of traffic. Despite, on sundays, it is very fun to enjoy and participate to Colombian local life, as many families spend the day there.
Best Waterfall of Minca : Marinka
This is my prefered waterfall in the around Minca. This is a private one as well. You’ll need to pay 1 dolar ( ouch, so expensive ! ) to spend a good time there.
You ‘ll ejnoy a natural swimming pool, and have a refreshing shower.
Markinca has another hidden waterfall a bit upper, don’t miss it !
Best thing to do above Minca : Cerro Kennedy
This is the most beautiful panorama that you can get from the region : a fantastic view of Sierra Nevada. And Bonus : it is over the clouds.
You’ll have 2 options to get to Cerro Kennedy :
First option
If you have few days to spend around minca, so go for the sunrise option. For this you can take a moto taxi for 150.000 Cop go and back, or 100.000 Cop each way.
Nevertheless, you need to be fit for moto taxis. If not, or if you are 3 or more people you can rent a 4×4.
Anyway it really worth it, the show is unforgettable. Here is one pic of the first time I went there :
Second Option :
If you travel with time ( which is always what I recommend ) , then take a 2 days or 3 days trip and stay at Finca Santa Helena, a small farm lost in the highlands of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta .
You’ll need a 2 hours hike to get there, and a tough climb. There is not electricity and the owners live almost in total self-sufficiency.
Furthermore they just have the most incredible garden of the world, a pure view on all Sierra Nevada.
Definitely one of the best experience I had in all Colombia.
Here are some other inspirational pics if you get there
These place is probably my preferred landscape of Colombia
A bit later in the same day , but turning the head over the sea.
And still the same day, but later in the night :
And in the folling morning, another show :
5 minutes later :
On the way back from Cerro Kennedy
Before returning to Minca, try to have a stop in Reserva El Dorado, where you can take gorgeous pics of Colibris (Minca is also one of the place where there is the widest variety of birds in the same place, with only a few 365 tropical birds species)
Wrap up
In this article we cover the essential things to do and places to Stay around Minca.
Best places to stay in Minca :
- Mundo Nuevo Hostal
- Casas Viejas
- Santa Elena’s farm (if you have a bit extra time)
Esential Activites to do in Minca
- Cerro Kennedy for a Sunrise (if you can’t go to Santa Elena)
- La Victoria Coffe Farm (Coffe Tour)
- Candelaria farm (Cacao Tour)
- Marinka Waterfall
- Pozo Azul
Original activities for original people :
- Horse riding
- Birdwatching
- Photo tour ( with me 😉 !! )
- Permaculture lesson
- Yoga
Don’t hesitate to browse my site if you would like to see more inspirational pictures of Colombia
I hope you enjoyed this article. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments section below, I’m still living close to Minca, and will give you some advices or tips with pleasure.
