Minca is a jungle town WAY up in the Sierra Nevada mountains, about 45 minutes from Santa Marta. It has a very special vibe that we haven’t quite felt in any of the other Colombian towns that we’ve visited. There is TONS to do here.
Beautiful (secret) waterfalls, rivers, coffee and chocolate farms, rope swings, and very friendly people. A lot of people come to Minca to disconnect from society. Dinners are often held together at hotels and hostels, and wifi is not ubiquitous. And did I mention the beautiful sunsets overlooking the jungle?
To get from the town of Minca to your accommodation you will probably have to take a moto-taxi, as normal cars won’t be able to ascend the mountainous roads of Minca. (it’s very important to research where you’re staying when you come here)
Come to Minca if you want to experience what life is like in the Colombian jungle. You will no doubt be treated to gorgeous views of the jungle. You will see howler monkeys, toucans, anteaters, and plenty of insects.
💡 Things to Book NOW for MINCA 👇
7 Things to Do in Minca – Minca Travel Guide
Minca is a wonderful little town in the mountains, from which there are a BUNCH of adventures to partake in. It is less than an hour from both the city of Santa Marta and Colombia’s prime jewel … Tayrona National Park. Most people only spend 2-3 days in Minca, so the reality is you will probably only have time for the first four on this list. These are our MUST-DO’s. The rest are bonus.
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1 – Marinka Waterfall
The Marinka Waterfall is by far the number 1 thing you have to do when you come to Minca. This is the most developed waterfall I have ever seen, and is actually a whole complex with two waterfalls, a restaurant, a bunch of massive outdoor hammocks, bathrooms, etc. It’s almost like a natural water park in nature.
From the center of town, it is about a 15 minute motor-bike ride up the hill, or a 1.5 hour walk. (15,000 COP) Then to get into the waterfall you have to pay 16,000 COP. There are a lot of people who walk, but I wouldn’t recommend it as it’s not really a nice hike. You’re just walking up a dirt road where a bunch of moto-taxis and cars are passing by every minute.
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Most people swim in the waterfalls, then head to the restaurant on-site that serves great food, then relax on the hammocks and enjoy the nature. You could easily spend 5 or 6 hours here.
2 – Pozo Azul – 3 Pools and a SECRET Waterfall
Pozo Azul is a collection of three pools on a river that runs by Minca, about 15 minutes from the town by moto-taxi (15,000 COP) or 1.5 hours walking.
We took the moto-taxi up and walked back down. We would highly recommend this as there are plenty of things to see on your way back down.
Pozo Azul is very popular amongst tourists in Minca, and gets VERY crowded in the mornings around 9 AM, with tons of tour groups from Santa Marta coming here. We recommend going later, around 11 or 12, to avoid these tour groups coming from Santa Marta.
When it comes to Pozo Azul and our whole day’s adventure, I could write a whole blog post just on this. Which I actually did … HERE. This was the most memorable part of Minca for us, and having this secret waterfall all to ourselves was one of the most magical experiences we have ever had traveling.
💡 TIP: Checkout our detailed guide to visiting Pozo Azul and the secret waterfalls!
3 – Swim in the River – Things to Do in Minca
If you are staying near the town of Minca, then you will be close to the river. Minca is HOT. When we were in Minca, I would go down to the river and relax in the cool water every morning and night. A lot of locals do this too. Minca is such a safe and friendly place, you’ll love the atmosphere here. (But there are A LOT of mosquitoes)
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4 – Watch the Sunset at Hostel Sierra Minca
This is an iconic thing to do when visiting Minca. Take a moto-taxi 30 minutes up the hill to watch the sunset from a fantastic viewpoint. The hostel has a bunch of hammocks. From here, you can see the city of Santa Marta and the ocean behind it. Truly amazing.
➡️ Read: How to Get from Santa Marta to Minca 🚌
5 – Tour a Coffee Farm
We normally recommend you do this in Salento. (which is in the heart of the “coffee-growing” region of Colombia) BUT if you’re not headed to Salento, then you should do a coffee tour here in Minca.
Finca La Victoria is the most popular farm to tour. It’s a completely self-sustaining coffee farm, and very interesting to see first-hand. The tour is 10,000 COP, and this is one of the oldest coffee farms in Northern Colombia.
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6 – Hike Los Pinos Trail
If you’re in Minca for more than a few days, you should do this. Even though the hike is 6 hours (3 hours up 3 hours back), the view from the top is amazing.
If you want a full guide to this hike, I recommend this one. Very comprehensive.
🛌 Here are all your hotel options in Minca.
7 – Hike to the Ciudad Perdida (Lost City)
Are you up for a four-day, $360 hike through the humidity of Northern Colombia to see the Lost City while getting to know some of the Indigenous Communities of the Sierra Nevadas?!
Me neither. We didn’t do this one. You couldn’t pay me to hike and sleep outside in the humidity of Northern Colombia, but to each their own.
This hike is very famous and you’ll surely be hearing a lot about it when you begin your travels in Colombia.
Where to Stay in Minca
We recommend Masaya Casas Viejas. Minca is HOT and you are going to want somewhere with a nice pool and view overlooking the mountains. Masaya has both of these things. In our opinion, Minca is worth splurging for a nicer place because of how hot it is … plus there are some amazing views to be had!
💡TIP : The most important thing when considering where to stay in Minca is to check the map for where the hotel or hostel is actually located. A lot of accommodations are located quite far from the actual town, so you will have to decide if you are ok with that. Otherwise you’ll be stuck taking a 15 minute motorbike ride into town anytime you want to get some food.
We stayed at Minca Seasons and paid $36 a night for a nice room with a HUGE balcony overlooking the jungle. This hotel has a fantastic breakfast, and is about a 10 minute walk from the town. The nature around this place is beautiful, and for the price, you can’t beat it.
👉 Check out all the hotels in Minca here 🏨
Where to Eat in Minca
The Lazy Cat – Very Popular with Tourists
The Lazy Cat is known for their burgers, but they serve other things as well.
This place is VERY popular with tourists. The first time we came here there were no tables open and we had to sit on a couch at the front. My recommendation would be to make a reservation if you want to come here, as this place oddly accepts reservations. (I thought we were in Colombia??)
A lot of people eat here multiple times during their stay in Minca. I would never do that for a place I’m only visiting for a few days, but it goes to show the quality of the food!
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Nonni Pizzeria – Vastly Overrated
This place has 343 reviews on Google and 5 stars … quite the accomplishment. We ate here our first night and Minca and were very impressed with the atmosphere and service. However, the pizza is very overrated in my opinion. Nothing special, and definitely not worth a visit during your short stay in Minca.
WAIRA – Ice Cream and Coffee Shop
Kelsey went to a few different coffee shops and this one was by far the best. The workers here are very friendly, there is great wifi and it is also an ice cream shop! All the ice cream is home made, and the coffee is very good. It comes from the very region where the shop is located. Kelsey would recommend getting the Ice Coconut Latte as a coffee drink and the Oreo or Macadamia flavored ice creams (there are both vegan and non-vegan options!!). Another coffee shop that Kelsey recommends is called Musetto Música y Café, located a little bit outside of town closer to where our hotel was. It had great food and good coffee, as well as really good WiFi, but she preferred the coffee at Waira.
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How to Get to Minca
You have multiple options to get to Minca – we actually have a whole blog post on how to get to Minca from Santa Marta.
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By Taxi from Santa Marta City
Minca can easily be reached from Santa Marta. If you hire a private taxi, the rate is set at 74,000 COP at the time I am writing this post. Our driver offered to take us for 65,000 COP and we took the deal. I would bet you could pay close to 60,000 COP as well if you are a skilled negotiator.
By Taxi from Santa Marta Airport
You can get here with a taxi directly from the airport, which is what we would recommend as we hated Santa Marta. (you can read about us almost getting robbed in an alley here if you want!) The taxi ride should take about 45 minutes and cost you about 90,000 COP.
By Bus From Santa Marta
Minca can also be reached by public bus from Santa Marta. Well, really it’s a van or ‘collectivo’. To get to Minca, you have to go to the public market in Santa Marta. There is an office called ‘Cootrasminca’ where you can buy your ticket to Minca. It should cost about 10,000 COP.
SEE 👉 How to Get from Santa Marta to Minca – Complete Guide
Things to Know Before Going to Minca
1 – Minca is a small town with a few shops and stores. A LOT of hostels and hotels are not located that close to the town. They could be a 15-30 moto-taxi ride up the mountain. Make sure you check the location on your hotel before you book it. A moto-taxi could easily cost you 10,000 – 15,000 each way into town and then back to your hotel.
2 – There are A LOT of mosquitoes. (this is the jungle!) Much more so than anywhere else I’ve been in Colombia. Be prepared and come with bug spray.
3 – There are no ATM’s in Minca. This is also the case with Palomino and Tayrona. You need to take out all your cash in Santa Marta that you are going to need in the North of Colombia.
4 – Like most of the Carribean coast in Colombia, Minca is HOT. You are going to be sweating for most of the day, no matter what you are doing. (Unless you’re in a beautiful waterfall!) A lot of hotels/hostels won’t have air conditioning.
5 – A lot of people come to Minca to disconnect from society. Meaning a lot of places don’t have wifi.
6 – Many eco-lodges have dinner together at night with a jungle view, be prepared.
7 – Minca is very safe. It’s a tiny town, and like most small towns in Colombia, there is no crime. You can walk at basically any time and not have any worries.
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Where to Go After Minca
Most people go to Tayrona National Park afterwards. However, Tayrona can be a complicated visit. Most people don’t actually stay in Tayrona, but right outside the park in El Zaino, which is where we spent a few nights so we could have easy access to the park early in the morning, as the line gets LONG the later you go.
We would also recommend Palomino, a chilled-out, backpacker, hippie town about an hour East of Tayrona. Palomino gives off similar vibes to Bali about 20-30 years ago.
Summary – Things to Do in Minca
Minca is a wonderful place to visit in Colombia. There are tons of hikes and waterfalls to visit, plus there’s great food in the town. The proximity to Santa Marta makes it very easy to visit. Make sure you don’t miss Minca!
Also, don’t forget to checkout our guide to Pozo Azul and the Secret Waterfalls.
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Thanks for reading this guide to Minca. Enjoy your trip!
You recommend staying at Masaya Casas Viejas. Is there a location that is closer to town? When I click the hyper link it looks like it’s 30 minutes outside of Minca.
You’re right, Masaya is quite far from town. We stayed at Minca Seasons which was an easy 10 minute walk from town. Bare bones accomodation – but did the job. Decent breakfast included. Would stay again – great deal for the price.