Here you will find practical information about Minca: useful information about the climate and the best time to travel to Minca, how many days do we recommend to stay, does Minca have ATM’s to withdraw cash, what about supermarkets and how is the wifi in Minca. You can find an answer to this and much more in this article.
Climate
Climate
Due to its higher elevation, at about 650 meters, it is cooler in Minca than Santa Marta and its surroundings. Therefore, Minca is the perfect place to breath in some fresh air while making a round trip along the Caribbean coast of Colombia. May-September is the hottest period, the coolest months being January and February. December through April is the dry season, September through mid-November is the rainy period, with October being the wettest month.
Best travel time
Minca can be visited all year round. When it’s rainy season (Sept-mid-Nov), it generally doesn’t rain so much that you have to limit yourself in your planning. You can just go out and bring your rain jacket. We were in Minca in August/ September twice, and the occasional shower didn’t bother us at lot as it didn’t last long. When it rains, it’s mostly in the afternoons, sometimes accompanied by thunderstorms and power outages, as happened last time we were in Minca in September. If it has rained a lot, the roads can get muddy, so you will probably need to take a jeep instead of a mototaxi when looking for transport options. Also hiking paths can get muddy, so if hiking is your main purpose of the trip, you might want to travel outside of the rainy season. Minca is busiest on weekends, vacations and Puentes (long weekends).
How many days do you need?
1 day
If you don’t have much time but still want to see a lot, you can do a day tour by mototaxi to see most of the sights. Other ideas for fun things to do in one day: a hike to Cascada de Marinka or a combined trip with coffee finca Victoria with Pozo Azul. Check here for more tips on what to do in Minca.
2 days or longer
Minca is a relaxing place to stay for a few days, chill in your hotel and spread the excursions over several days. What we did ourselves and what worked out very well was to spend 1 night in a hotel in the village and then 2 nights in a nature reserve in the country side. Being in the village, made it easy to arrange transport to waterfalls and coffee and cacao fincas in the area. In the nature reserve it was awesome to relax in the giant hammocks, spot birds and hike. Click on the link for more info on hotels and hostels in Minca.
Practical info A-Z
What to bring
- Cash! Not all accommodations and restaurants accept credit and debit cards, and there is no ATM in Minca. There is a Multipagos office where you can withdraw money with your debit card, but the transaction fees are pricey. (on the picture, you can see the transaction fees of september 2023). If you want to pay by credit card in restaurants and hotels, there is often a 5% surcharge
- Anti-mosquito/insect spray and after-bite. We were stung severely by some kind of sand flies. The bites itched a lot and the after-bite provided relief.
- Rain jacket when traveling in rainy season
- Hiking shoes
- Flip-flops or sandals when you intend to visit the waterfalls
Vaccinations
No yellow fever or other vaccinations are required for Minca. Look here for more information about the medical care in Colombia.
Wifi
Wifi is not available everywhere in Minca, especially at the accommodations located outside the village. Also in the village, internet is not always stable. We have been to Minca twice during the rainy season, in August/September. The last time the power went out a few times in the afternoon after some thunderstorms and we were temporarily without internet.
Supermarkets
There are no supermarkets in Minca, but there are small “tiendas,” where you can buy basic groceries such as water, snacks and bread. La Miga is a small bakery, where you can buy bread and delicious chocolate rolls.
Drinking water
The water from the tap is not drinkable unless the hotel or hostel offers filtered water.
#ColombiaMyWay Tips
Going to Minca? Then check out our tips for what to do in Minca here, the best restaurants in Minca, transportation and where to stay in Minca.
