Eco-hotel tip Minca
Staying in a nature reserve
Minca has had a tourism “boom” in recent years, and for such a small village, the range of accommodations is very large. Need inspiration during your scavenger hunt on the Internet? Then check out our hotel tip!
Nature Reserve
Our choice fell on Sol de Minca because of its convenient location: in the middle of a nature reserve, yet within walking distance of the village. The ecolodge was set up by a Colombian-Argentine family, with the vision that nature, animals and people, should all work well together. The family is closely involved with the Native American community, which gives them inspiration and teaches them “what the earth wants.”
Rooms
The rooms are simple and overlook the nature reserve. My room was half – open and separated from the outside only by mesh. The sounds of the rainforest worked super relaxing to fall asleep.
Outdoor showers
The communal facilities are fine, but basic. For example, there is a dry composting toilet. That took some getting used to, but turned out to be super easy and clean. And best of all, from the bathroom, you look right out into nature. Only biodegradable shampoos are allowed. I hadn’t taken that into account, but there was a shampoo ready for common use. Also getting used to: there was no mirror…. my mascara had to be applied using the selfie mode of the smartphone -;)
The view
In the common area near the restaurant, you can chill in the hammock, overlooking the nature reserve. There are also binoculars, which you can use to look for birds such as toucans.
Food
Only vegetarian dishes are served, such as burritos and Mote de queso, soup with chunks of white cheese and patacones (green banana pancakes). Even as a non-vegetarian, I found the food tasty.
To do’s
You can hike alone (or with owner Federico) in the nature reserve. You can also do other activities, such as a cooking workshop. Activities must be booked in advance, though. Hostess Sonia can help you book tours outside the lodge, such as a day tour by mototaxi.
Family business
What made my stay at Sol de Minca extra special was the warm, personal welcome. Federico and Jaime explained with verve how Sol de Minca was set up -from scratch- in 2013. Each family member contributed their own talent: owner Federico comes from a real estate background, his wife is an ecologist, his sister-in-law is an anthropologist and grandpa Jaime loves woodworking. Full of pride, Jaime took me on a tour of the property once to show me his work.
Follow your passion
Federico said that during the startup phase, people often asked him if he was not too ambitious…. What if the project did not succeed? His answer: “Once you follow your passion; never look back!”.
Because of the passion of Federico and his family, I left the lodge extra inspired after my stay!
Travel date: September 2019.
Click on the link to see Eco-lodge Sol de Minca, book or read about our other favorite lodge in a nature reserve in Minca here, Tierra Adentro.
Want to know more about Minca? Then read the complete travel guide Minca.
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