Looking for a beautiful, quiet place in the mountains during your roundtrip along the north coast of Colombia? Then read here about our stay at Nature reserve Tierra Adentro in Minca in September 2023.

When we were planning our trip, this nature reserve caught our eye immediately. The description of the natural reserve appealed to us; cabañas in the middle of nature with views of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and within walking distance of the waterfall Cascada Marinka. The fact that the nature reserve also takes care of rescued  animals on the premises, only made us more curious and we decided to book 2 nights. In combination with a night in the village of Minca, we thought this would be the perfect stop on the north coast to enjoy nature.

There was one more thing: Reserva Natural Tierra Adentro is completely “off the beaten track” and you can only get there by mototaxi or 4-wheel drive car. We arranged transportation by 4×4 through the hotel. Driver Jesús came to pick us up at Hotel Minca- la Casona. His solid car was definitely a must, because it was an intense drive of over half an hour on a bad road, so we were glad to be in a good car. Jesús was very experienced and manoeuvred the car past boulders, potholes and through streams that flowed onto the road.

This drive was an adventure in itself and after we passed the Marinka waterfall, it was another short drive to the nature reserve. Once we arrived, it was an oasis of calm. We installed ourselves on the terrace -with huge hammock- and spent the rest of the afternoon just enjoying the amazing view and the sound of the river and twittering birds.

The resort
This is a small resort with 8 double rooms and 2 cabañas, accommodating a total of 22 guests. We had the Superior Double room with terrace, which turned out to be a good choice. Right next to us was such a similar room, but we had no neighbours during our stay, so we had a lot of privacy.

There was a larger building a little higher up where the other double rooms were located. Those rooms shared a common terrace and it seemed to be a bit busier there. Because of the higher location, the view from here was also very nice.

There is also a family room, the Cabaña Jardín. Located near the animal shelter, the cabaña has a private pond (where you can watch the geese chill out), with an umbrella and sunbeds.

The room
Our room was very comfortable with a minibar, coffee maker, good wifi, TV (Spanish-language channels only) and there was an umbrella and a poncho for us. Outside there is a seating area with table and chairs and a sitting hammock. The shower had (lukewarm) hot water and the towels and bath products were of good quality. The bathroom also had a dehumidifier which kept it from getting damp. The water at the resort is filtered, so you can drink the water from the tap. We found it a bit hot in the room and asked for a fan, but it is also possible to leave the door open as the bed has mosquito netting.

The restaurant
The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Since there are no other restaurants nearby (except at Cascada Marinka), we ate all meals at the restaurant. You won’t find traditional Colombian cuisine here. Meals are geared toward travellers, with various international dishes, such as quesadillas. Breakfast included fruit, juices, granola with milk and almond milk. After this, we had the option of pancakes with fruit or eggs.

During breakfast, mama peacock and her little one adorably paraded by!

What did we do in Reserva Natural Tierra Adentro?

1) We relaxed a lot and enjoyed nature!
This is the ultimate place to unwind. The mountain views, the birds and the sound of the river provide the ultimate relaxing feeling. The terrace is a wonderful place for a cup of coffee or a -locally brewed- beer. We saw colorful butterflies, hummingbirds (who were feeding on the trays of sugar water on the terrace) and parrots flying around.

A short walk from the cabin, we found a small quebrada (creek), a beautiful serene place to enjoy the peace and the jungle like setting.

2) We learned about the rescued animals in the animal shelter
Receptionist Maira gave us a tour of the various animals that were brought to the wildlife sanctuary after being injured or seized in illegal trade.

Maira told us how the animals ended up in the nature reserve. The animals include monkeys that were confiscated at the Santa Marta airport and parrots, toucans and geese.

Bambi, the adorable 8-month-old baby deer, was taken in after she was attacked by a dog. She was only too happy to let us pet her!

The birds have “free days,” where they fly around freely and return to their cages on their own. Twice a week a veterinarian comes to Tierra Adentro to check on the animals, so they are well taken care of.

3) We walked over to the waterfall Cascada de Marinka
This waterfall is a 10-minute walk from the hotel. Going back takes you a little longer because it is uphill.

I had also been to Cascada Marinka 4 years ago, but now I almost didn’t recognize the place. Recently, all kinds of artwork have been placed at the entrance, made of colorful bottle caps. The eye-catcher is the hot air balloon.

More giant hammocks have also now been installed, so you can now have a nice view of the falls from several places, from the lazy hammock.

There is also a mirador (viewpoint) and a restaurant. The entrance fee is COP10,000/$2.50. Update July 2025; the entrance fee is now COP16.000/4$.