Sleeping above the clouds in mountain village of Santa Elena

Medellin, Travel Stories

A relaxing side trip to mountain village Santa Elena

Mountain village Santa Elena is a 40-minute drive from Medellín, at an altitude of nearly 3,000 meters. Because of its location in the middle of nature, we saw Santa Elena as the perfect “escape to nature” from the busy city. Tiny house Cubo Nube, the Airbnb we had booked, is located in a private nature reserve, and with pictures of squirrels and beautiful birds, we were already getting excited.

For transportation, we had arranged a cab through the Airbnb. During the ride from our hotel in el Poblado to Santa Elena, we drove through el Centro and the lively Buenos Aires neighborhood. Since Monday was an official day off after the elections, the area was bustling. Families going out to eat together or looking each other up for a friendly chat. The drive continued through the mountains at a brisk pace and frankly, we were glad when we arrived at the tiny house.

We came for nature, so the first thing we did was enjoy the view on the terrace. It seemed that the birds and squirrels had warned each other, because 1 by 1 the animals came out to see if there were some goodies in the feeders. Curiously they looked at us, hoping for some goodies.

When we put a banana on the picnic table, a squirrel came and nibbled from it, while not losing sight of us. After this we heard a big thud, indicating the “landing” of the Colombian Chachalaca, a large chicken-like bird with a beautiful blue head. The bird was not afraid and jumped from one feeder to another.

The weather was beautiful with a clear blue sky and we spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the peace and quiet and the animals, before settling into the tiny house. The tiny house is built so that from the bedroom on the second floor, you have an awesome view of the forest and, in the distance, the city of Medellín. The fresh air outside made us sleepy and after watching some Netflix, we went to sleep, with only the sounds of the rainforest around us.

In the morning we woke up to the sound of twittering birds. Soon a large Chachalaca sat down in a tree in front of our window, as if to tell us he was ready for breakfast -:)

From the bedroom we saw more beautiful, colorful birds passing by. Because the bedroom is surrounded by trees, we felt like we were in a real tree house!

With the things we brought from Medellín, we made a simple breakfast. We cut some extra fruit for the squirrels and birds, and after breakfast we settled on the terrace, for the “feeding show.” One by one, the squirrels descended on the fruit and corn kernels, and then the birds followed.

Since the tiny house is very remote, there is no other supermarket or restaurant nearby. Therefore, in the afternoon we decided to take a cab to Cerro Verde Mirador, a viewpoint with a restaurant and the Torre de Antioquia. From this lookout tower, you can look out over the entire region and even see El Peñol in Guatape (when the sky is clear). We thought that was something nice to do!

Arriving at Cerro Verde, we enjoyed the view and decided to go to the observation tower after lunch….  Wrong decision! During lunch, it started to rain hard…Instead of climbing the observation tower, we stayed in the restaurant with a cup chocolate caliente.

Our visit ended shorter then we thought and on our way back to the tiny house, we asked the driver to stop at the supermarket, so we could do groceries for the rest of the day. The forecast was that the rest of the day would stay rainy. 

The next day the weather was much better and we decided to go out. But first we decided to pay a visit to the dentist. My travel partner had a toothache and we decided not to wait any longer and visit the local dentist. Arriving at the central plaza of Santa Elena, we asked for directions to the dentist clinic, which was hidden behind the plaza.

There was no one in the waiting room and we were able to walk right through. Arriving in the treatment room, we felt like we were going back in time 50 years! There was an old-fashioned chair and ditto equipment and we had to do our best not to laugh. The dentist and his assistant were warm-hearted and very professional, so we still had a good feeling about it. After an initial checkup, the dentist couldn’t find anything special and he decided to take a photo. The photo was taken and developed in the old-fashioned way… you can already guess: the photo was developed in a jar with liquid. After the diagnosis -a small infection- we had to pay 5 dollar for the photo and 2.50 dollar for the consultation! With the prescription for antibiotics we went to the farmacia in the village and after this we walked around for a while.

The toothache fortunately did not persist and after the walk in the village we caught a cab to restaurant Sublime where we had a delicious meal.

When the cab picked us up, he asked if we were interested in visiting a Finca de los silleteros and ofcourse we were interested.

Before our trip to Medellín, we had heard a lot about the annual flower parade during the Feria de las Flores, where the silleteros (flower bearers) from Santa Elena show off their beautiful flower arrangements to the public. The Londoño family is a yearly prize winner and it was nice to hear their stories.

What impressed us most was that the family traveled to New York after 9-11. Here they presented flower arrangements from the flower festival to families who lost their loved ones.

After a wonderful day, we settled in early at night and fell asleep rightaway. But not for long… We woke up to a huge bang and sat upright in bed. It looked like lightning had struck and after checking the bedroom, we noticed that the wifi router was no longer working. It was difficult to get back to sleep as it remained unsettled that night with thunder and rain. In the morning, the weather had cleared up and we packed for the trip back to Medellín. The data on our phone worked only sporadically, so the rest of the morning we were forced to look out the window and enjoy nature. What a punishment -:)

We were unable to reach the cab driver to reconfirm the return trip to Medellín, but she was at the gate at exactly the agreed time. The journey back to civilization could begin….

Written by Jeanette
Travel date: June 2022

Information and tips (june 2022)

Transportation from Medellín to Santa Elena:

  • A cab is the easiest way. (approx. 40 min, COP80,000/€20). If you go to the Cubo Nube, take Margarita’s cab service (recommended by the airbnb). She knows her way around Santa Elena like the back of her hand. The cottage is very remote and hard to find if you are not familiar with it. Especially since the signal for GPS is often lost in this location.
  • If you want to take the bus, catch it at the Placito de Flores (approx.50min). You can also get to Santa Elena with a detour, if you take the scenic, long route, via Parque Arví (metro-cable car-bus).
  • You can also take an organized tour to a finca de los silleteros where you will be picked up at your hotel or hostel in Medellín.

Transportation in Santa Elena

  • There are cabs at the Parque Central and a cab dispatch center you can call.
  • Through the cab apps, we failed to order a cab.

Hotels and Airbnb

#Colombia tips

  • If you can, go outside the rainy season. We went in late May, early June and had quite a bit of rain, as well as beautiful days.
  • Near the Parque Principal you can find a few nice coffee shops and restaurants, including Disfruto Café Santa Elena (open from 1 p.m.-8 p.m.) and El Patio (12:30 p.m.-7 p.m.). At 1 km. from the park you will find restaurant Sublime, for a more elaborate meal. Recommended: the trucha (salmon trout). Next to the restaurant is a bakery, where you can buy delicious croissants and cakes.
  • Behind the little square, there is a tiny store that sells thick sweaters, cardigans and jackets, in case you forgot to bring them.

Information on other fun things to do from Medellín can be found in our travel guide Medellín.

Restaurant La Octava Maravilla

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Dinner with a view at La Octava Maravilla restaurant

During one of our trips to Medellín, my Colombian travel partner wanted to surprise me with dinner at the restaurant with the best view in Medellín. Where? I had no idea; the location was kept secret, right down to ordering the cab. So: I got in the cab and let myself me suprised!

From our hotel in el Poblado, we drove through Envigado to the suburb of Sabaneta and I really had no idea where we were going. Most of the famous restaurants are not in the suburbs, so I thought it was strange! As the cab climbed further up and the streets became narrower, I became more and more curious. We were now totally “off the beaten track.”

Even when the driver dropped us off at La Octava Maravilla and we were greeted by two mimes, I still had no idea. Especially when after this we were given a bag of popcorn and I felt like we had entered a circus. With our bag of popcorn at hand, we were further “ushered” toward a restaurant and there I got the real surprise, a fantastic, expansive view of Medellín! This was truly a surprise!

Now the meaning of the restaurant’s name also became clear to me; la Octava Maravilla=the eighth wonder of the world -:) The view was spectacular despite the clouds and I couldn’t get enough of taking pictures, from all angles.

After all the photographing, it was time for a drink. It became a piña colada, which was beautifully served in a pineapple.

We were not the only enthusiasts, as it was a coming and going of families and many couples, holding each other intimately and making it a romantic evening.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere was kept up by the entertaining staff. We would almost forget that we still had to eat and we ordered the churrasco. Although we ordered the steak tres cuatro (medium well), it was far too well done, but the delicious side dishes made up for a lot; nice potatoes and a salad with a delicious salsa of tomate de arbol.

After dinner we went for a final photo session. A photo with the staff was of course not to be missed!

While waiting for the taxi, we enjoyed one last view of Medellín as the line for the restaurant only grew longer.

The surprise was an enormous success!

Written by Jeanette
Travel date: June 2022

Tips and information

(June 2022)

Restaurante La Octava Maravilla is located in Sabaneta, a suburb of Medellín. That is why it is also called the Mirador Sabaneta. Come early because the restaurant is very popular with locals and you can’t make reservations. As a tourist, you can only pay in cash. Locals can also pay by bank transfer. A cab from el Poblado via the InDriver App cost us COP20,000/$5 and the ride takes 30-40min. For the return trip, we paid COP25,000/$6.

Look here for even more great restaurants and bars in Medellín.

Find more info on fun things to do in Medellín and more, in our travel guide Medellín.

Urban coffee tour: Barrio la Sierra

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Urban coffee tour in Barrio La Sierra

There are lots of tours you can do in Medellín, but for us the choice of the Urban coffee tour in Barrio La Sierra (Comuna 8) was quickly made. The combination of coffee and a community tour, completely “off the beaten track,” was the perfect combination for us.

We were immensely looking forward to the tour and were also a bit anxious, since Barrio La Sierra was once one of Medellín’s most dangerous neighborhoods. With guide Arturo, we would be able to see the Barrio’s transformation with our own eyes. To see the tour in this perspective, Arturo had advised us to watch the La Sierra documentary on Youtube (2004) about life in the neighborhood during the armed conflict between paramilitaries, left wing guerrillas and local street gangs.

We met Arturo at the entrance to the San Antonio metro station in the heart of Medellín. The three of us were the only participants, so the tour was private! After riding the tranvía (streetcar) through the Barrio Buenos Aires, we arrived at the metrocable station, where we caught the cable car to la Sierra, the last stop. The view was amazing and the ride was an experience in itself.

In the cable car, Arturo talked to a Colombian-American abuelita and and her daughter, who made the drive to La Sierra purely for the trip, but didn’t dare get out. They knew stories about La Sierra’s violent past and shared them with us. After watching the Youtube video the previous evening, we could vividly imagine this.

After getting off the cable car, we walked to the staircase with 577 steps.

Along the way we saw men building their own cottages. They were very friendly and proud when we asked questions about the construction. Meanwhile, all I could think was: omg, up those long stairs with all those bricks!!!

In addition, we chatted with two friendly ladies who were chatting on the balcony in front of their cottage and spoke to a schoolgirl who has known Arturo since babyhood. She assured us that it was not going to rain (which we feared) and she was right. Not a drop fell!

As we climbed further up, we saw men and women working with sugar cane and we passed the local (new) school.

When the school children saw us, I felt like this gringa immediately stood out next to my Colombian friends.

“How are you” and “I love you” flew through the air hahaha. As did “dame un dollar” -:) but Arturo explained that no money is given, so as not to create a pattern.

After climbing all the steps of the stairs, we thought we had almost reached the coffee plantation for our first coffee “shot,” but nooo…we were not there yet.

It was still a brisk but beautiful hike with beautiful views.

Arriving at Finca “increíble,” we were warmly welcomed by Rosa. We were given a cup of coffee with a sweet goodie, while Rosa began to tell us about the history of the finca. Her father Mauro was the “star of the show” with his wonderful stories and dry sense of humor.

He was also the one who showed us the young coffee plants and explained how to pick the coffee beans so we could earn our second cup of coffee -:)

After picking the beans, our “harvest” was checked, and we were shown the production process.

The taste of the second cup of coffee was surprising: a sweet, aromatic coffee brewed with panela (sugar water).

While sipping this cup of coffee, I asked myself at what time the tour would be finished, because we still had to start the walk back to the La Sierra metro station! Ouch…But……there was a car waiting to take us to the metro station. What a surprise! We quickly bought a few more packs of coffee to bring home and got in the small car. This was a very nice way to end the tour, with lots of ambiente due to the up beat Colombian music!

Arriving back in Medellín, we had much to catch up on. All three of us found it impressive to hear the stories about the history of the barrio and the finca “increíble.” And as often in Colombia, the people and their stories were the real highlight of the day; their perseverance to make something out of their former hopeless lives, the optimism and always…the sense of humor. Still full of impressions and feeling grateful that we had supported the local community with this tour, we headed back home.

Written by Jeanette
Travel date: June 2022

Information and tips: (June 2022)

  • Tour lasts half a day, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Max. 10 participants
  • Price: COP150,000/$37.50 pp, payment in cash. A part of the proceeds is used to support social projects in the district.
  • You can’t visit Barrio La Sierra on your own. There is a neighborhood watch that keeps an eye on exactly who comes and goes, but if you go with Arturo, it’s no problem at all.
  • For more info, check out the website of Urban Coffeetour
  • Arturo is also doing a comuna graffiti tour in Comuna 13. Check out here for more info.
  • Check out more coffee tours in Medellín

More info on things to do in Medellín and more in our travel guide Medellín.

Free graffiti tour Bogotá

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Bogotá Graffiti tour

The graffiti art you see during the Bogotá graffiti tour is inspired by the landscapes and culture, social problems and conflicts the country has faced.

Bogotá was our first stop of the 7-month journey through South America. Like probably many travelers, the first few days/weeks you are still going full speed and plan way too much in one day. At least we did!

We had signed up right away for the Free Walking Graffiti tour and thought we could do the Free Walking Tour Bogotá in the afternoon after that (tip: don’t try this yourself, so many impressions at the same time cause over-stimulation ;-)).

OK, the Graffiti Tour! If you search for images of Bogotá, all of the internet is full of colorful street scenes with the most impressive graffiti. Sometimes the internet can give a distorting picture of reality, in the case of Bogotá this is certainly not the case. One graffiti is even more beautiful than the other and gives (parts of) the city a wonderful atmosphere.

Inspiration
The graffiti art you see during the free graffiti tour is based on sources of inspiration such as the landscapes and culture, social problems and conflicts the country has faced. Druglord Pablo Escobar, for example, is a subject Colombians themselves would rather not be reminded of, but the artists, among others, painted their inspiration to decorate the streets.

The tour will take you through many special stories about graffiti, as well as explaining the regulations for street art, the techniques and the history of the city.

As mentioned, we had signed up for two tours. They do not connect, so we decided to get a coffee & tea at Juan Valdez.

Funny language barrier
Loes, my travel companion, wanted to order in her best Spanish (no basic Spanish yet). For herself a coffee, for me a tea. Even while ordering, I heard her fumbling when the cashier asked if she wanted milk in the tea. Overwhelmed by his question, she answered fleetingly; yes! After a few minutes she returned with a cup of coffee, and a chai latte. We both shot into laughter when the lid came off my “tea,” and we saw the frothed milk. It was delicious, instantly reminded me of spice cake from home, and provided one of many funny language barrier moments.

Later we discovered that chai tea is widely drunk in Colombia, and that Loes had ordered a chai tea with milk, which resulted not in cup of tea with a splash of milk, but in a chai latte, not knowing that we would be drinking this a lot for the rest of our trip ;-).

In short; our first day in Bogotá was full of impressions and educational on all fronts!

 

Written by Mellijn.
Travel date September 2017

#ColombiaMyWay tips  (updated June 2024)

  • The walking tours we did were with Beyond Colombia. Check out their website for more information
  • The Bogotá Graffiti tour is free, but it is customary to tip the guide afterwards (around €8)
  • Our guide spoke fluent English
  • The tour lasts around 3 hours and takes you through downtown Bogotá
  • From young to old, this walking tour is suitable for all ages! (Please note, there is quite a bit of walking, make sure you have good shoes)
    • Look here for more graffiti tours in Bogotá
    • Going to Bogotá but not sure yet where to stay? Check our our tips for the best areas to stay in Bogotá.

    Salsa dancing in Cali

    Travel Guide Cali, Travel Stories

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    Want to learn to dance salsa in Colombia? There is no better place to dance salsa than in Cali! Read about our own salsa adventure here.

    At the end of the evening there was a kind of dance battle between the best couples of the evening. Everyone gathered in a circle around the dancing couples.

    Bucket List
    Like many other travelers, Cali was on our bucket list because of salsa dancing. We stayed at The Pelican Larry hostel, where they also offered salsa lessons. From beginners to advanced, everything is possible and shame thrown overboard before you step in the door (yes, even the men!). Delightful!

    Dutch hips
    But, of course, the real work begins in the evening among the locals at La Topa Tolandra. I’m not kidding when I say you literally step into a dance scene from Dirty Dancing II. Well, after first having a beer at the bar and watching all those people dancing with, around, between and through each other, we too felt like throwing our Dutch hips into the fray.

    Patient teachers
    We didn’t have to wait long, because before we knew it we were being asked to dance by two Colombian boys. Still somewhat shy, we hesitated for a moment, but both of us quickly decided that we were going to make a bold move. With endless patience, fun and passion for salsa, the boys taught us the basics and we were soon in the middle of the crowd.

    After about three songs, it was time to hydrate, because man…. all those moving people made for a nice temperature in the room. Not much later the next Colombian guy approached us and asked if we wanted to dance with him. This way you switch dance partners several times during the evening (nice for the locals not to have to dance all the time with a beginner -:)). Yet they don’t say a bad word about it and teach you with the biggest smile!

    Dance battle
    At the end of the evening, there was a sort of dance battle between the best couples of the evening. Everyone gathered in a circle around the dancing couples (a bit like what happens in Step Up when people are challenged to a dance battle). Yelling, screaming, whistling: everyone was totally absorbed in what was happening on the dance floor. Then a winner of the evening was chosen and the evening came to an end.

    Amazing atmosphere
    It was enchanting. My travel companion and I both didn’t bring a phone (unfortunately), so no images of the evening itself. Maybe that’s why we were totally sucked into the dancing and atmosphere.

    In our opinion, your trip to Colombia is not complete without immersing yourself in salsa culture!

    Written by Mellijn
    Travel date January 2018

    photos @La Topa Tolandra and The Pelican Larry hostel)

    #ColombiaMyWay Tips

    Read more about Cali in our travel guide Cali.

    Hiking in Tayrona National Park

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    Like everyone who visits Colombia, we had heard of Tayrona National Park, known for its beautiful unspoiled nature and the beautiful hikes. A must-do if you are near Palomino/Santa Marta. And so the adventure began. Read our story here…

     

    A different hike from that of many visitors….

    Very optimistically, we made another vlog for the home front that we were already walking for 4 hours and that we only had “2 more hours” to go! Nothing could be further from the truth…

    When the receptionist at our hostel (Eco hostel Yuluka) said that we could do the Tayrona hike in 6 hours, that already seemed pretty tough to us but still we started the hike in a good mood! From the entrance of the Tayrona National Park you are first brought to the starting point. The first kilometers were beautiful with an amazing view over the sea, cliffs that went straight down, great nature (here and there a big mud puddle that you had to avoid) and animals like howler monkeys and different kinds of birds.

    Very optimistically, we made another vlog for the home front that we had been walking for 4 hours and that we only had “2 more hours” to go! Nothing could be further from the truth…

    Where we spent the first few hours hiking, by now we were climbing. Moaning, we said to each other “couldn’t the receptionist have told us that we had to climb like a monkey, descend as if you had the strong legs of a horse, a physical condition of a cheetah and lose as much moisture as from the blowhole of an orca?” Or, had we taken a wrong turn while chatting and admiring nature? Knowing us, this was exactly what must have happened….

    There is no one who can do this route (the wrong one that is) in 6 hours, so it took us not 6 but 9 hours. Did we like it? In the beginning yes……but soon we lost sight of the nature as we were struggling and every rock felt like a victory.

    When, after more than an hour of scrambling, we were told that we had another hour of climbing and scrambling over rocks (which I couldn’t have done with my short legs without help) and then another 3 hours of walking uphill and downhill, we were both fed up. We were running out of water and snacks. Fortunately, we ran into a group of Argentinean girls who shared some peanuts and water with us, so we still had something to keep us going.

    23 kilometers and more than 31,000 steps further…..with pain in our back, hip and knees we made it to the finish line just before closing time: we did it! No Christmas kilos for us this year 😉

    Written by Mellijn
    Travel Date December 2017

    #ColombiaMyWayTips

    #Tip 1: Check the route in advance!
    If necessary, ask fellow hikers along the way if they are walking the same route as you, to avoid ending up in a situation like ours. Standard route: Calabazo to El Zaino (or the other way around, also possible!)

    #Tip 2: If you start from Calabazo and hike via Playa Brava (about 4 hours walk), it’s another 2 hours walking from Playa Brava to El Zaino. During the first part (from Calabazo to Playa Brava) you have to climb and descend a lot, this is a lot more challenging than the second part of the route. Once you get to Playa Brava, the second part of the route is a piece of cake 😉

    #Tip 3: Want to master Spanish faster? Then set your phone settings to Spanish! It has helped me to shift faster to Spanish.

    #Tip 4: Check out more info on the hiking trails and more practical information and tips in our travel guide Tayrona National Park

    #Tip 5: Want to hike in the park with a guide? Then check out this Tayrona hike and beach tour.  These are your options for hotels in and around Tayrona National Park.