We spent 1 day in Santa Marta’s “historic” center, and that was one day too many for us. After an attempted robbery (rescued by two Colombian dudes), dirty streets, abandoned buildings, and a useless free walking tour, we were ready to get out of Santa Marta.
Once you get to Santa Marta, we recommend doing one thing … and that’s to get the hell out as quickly as possible. This guide is going to show you how to do that.
Skip ahead to the section that applies to you!
🛌 Here are all your hotel options in Minca!
Santa Marta to Minca: The Complete Guide
By Van – Santa Marta to Minca
Travel Time: 1.25 hours
The bus to Minca goes every day from 7 AM – 6 PM very frequently. (every 30 mins maybe) The bus stop is right in front of the ‘Mercado Publico de Santa Marta’. This is also the place where you can catch the bus to Tayrona/Palomino.
The company that goes to Minca is called ‘Cootrasminca’, but you won’t have any problem finding it. As soon as you get to the area where the buses are you will be hounded by people asking you where you want to go. As soon as you tell them ‘Minca’ they will be happy to direct you to the right place.
Our experience in the ‘Collectivo’ was pretty good. The vans are air-conditioned, and not that crowded. We had a decent amount of space.
READ 👉 Ultimate Guide to Tayrona National Park
By Taxi – Santa Marta to Minca
Travel Time: 40 minutes
We met a taxi driver on our day trip to Taganga (15 mins North) of Santa Marta, who offered to take us to Minca for 65,000 COP. He showed us the official fares guide, and the price was 74,000 COP. We thought this was a pretty good deal. ($16.61)
If you are short on time, or just hate taking shared vans/buses, this isn’t a bad option.
SEE 👉 Guide to Tubing in Palomino, Colombia
Arriving in Minca
The ‘Collectivo’ (van) will drop you at the ‘Oficina de Transporte’ in Minca, and from there you will need to decide if you are going to walk to your hostel, or if you are going to take a moto-taxi.
We were staying about 15-20 mins walking up the hill and the moto-taxi was 5,000 COP. Well worth the the $1.25 not to lug our big bags up the hill in the blazing Minca heat.
If you are staying far up the hill, the moto-taxi could be 15,000 – 20,000 COP.
💡 We recommend you stay at Masaya Casas Viejas for a beautiful view with a pool and great food! Book your stay at Masaya here! 🏨
From Santa Marta Airport to Minca
If you want to take public transportation, you are going to need to take the bus into Santa Marta, get to the ‘Mercado Publico de Santa Marta‘, then switch to the Collectivo headed towards Minca. The airport is about 30 minutes from the center of Santa Marta.
You could also take a taxi directly from the airport to Minca. The cost should be about 100,000 COP. ($25) This is a good option as the public transport is going to take at least 2 hours.
Another option would be to take a taxi to the center (30,000 COP), then take the Collectivo up to Minca. (10,000 COP) Doing this combo would make the journey 40,000 COP total, or about $10.
Our recommendation is to find someone to split the taxi to Santa Marta with, then take the Collectivo up to Minca. This is the happy medium in our mind.
➡️ Read: Ultimate 2 Week Colombia Itinerary 🇨🇴
Minca to Santa Marta
Minca to Santa Marta is super easy. Just walk to the Oficina de Transporte in Minca and tell them you want to go to Santa Marta. Vans come every 30 or so minutes, and they’re pretty comfortable!
If you want to go to the airport or Tayrona/Palomino then you are going to want to get off before you actually hit Santa Marta, so you can continue on the highway in the direction that you wanna go.
The drivers know the tourists want to go to these places and they will make sure to tell you that if you wanna go to Tayrona/Palomino/Airport then you should get off HERE. From this point, the people at the office help you catch the bus on the other side of the road. The people working here were some of the nicest we have ever dealt with in Colombia. Very helpful.
If you need an ATM, there is a Banco Colombia very close to where you switch buses. Just a 5 minute walk around the corner and you will find it. Make sure you have enough cash before you head to Tayrona/Palomino as there are NO ATM’s in the area!
➡️ Read: ATM’s in Colombia – A Complete Guide 💳
Where to Stay in Minca
Some places in Minca are very rustic. Tons of bugs, no internet, cheaply built, etc. Make sure you do your research beforehand. There are VERY nice places to stay, and there are very not nice places to stay as well. Make sure you book a place with a pool as Minca is very hot and you are going to want somewhere to cool down after hiking all day.
We always recommend Masaya Casas Viejas – This is an awesome hostel/hotel. Masaya has a wonderful pool, a mix of private rooms and dorms, and is set in the hills of Minca. Very popular amongst backpackers and couples as well!
🏨 Check out all your hotel options in Minca
Summary – Santa Marta to Minca
Santa Marta to Minca is a very easy trip. Nothing like the 8 hour buses through the Andes from Medellin and Bogota. 45 minutes in a van with AC and friendly staff is very doable!
We honestly recommend the taxi to get to Minca just because it’s a lot quicker and not that much more expensive, especially if you’re splitting it with people. On the way back to Santa Marta, take the van as it’s very easy and seamless.
💡 Checkout out our detailed 2 Week and 3 Week Colombia Itineraries!
Enjoy Minca!
