Tour by moto taxi in Minca

On the back of the motorcycle past waterfalls and coffee fincas

The first few miles on the bike went smoothly and I sat relaxed looking around. As the road got worse with deep gullies, mud puddles and rocks, I got a little anxious. Chauffeur Ney maneuvered past these “obstacles” flawlessly, so I trusted it would be okay.

Bucket list

When I went to Minca, I had several things on my wish list: I wanted to see the Marinka waterfall, do a cocoa tour AND chill in “the world’s biggest hammocks” at Casa Elemento.

Mototaxi for a day
Marinka and Casa Elemento were easy to combine, but for the cocoa tour I had to be at finca La Candelaria, all the other way. Not a convenient combination! Sonia, the employee of the hotel, advised me to rent a moto cab, which could take me everywhere in one day. To be honest, I was not immediately enthusiastic about the idea of sitting on the back of a motorcycle for so long. My poor back, I thought! When Sonia said she knew a good driver and that the moto tour was very safe -and quite comfortable-, I changed my mind.

Route

Driver Ney came to pick me up and with him I agreed on this route:

  • Cascada de Marinka
  • Casa Elemento
  • Mirador los Pinos
  • Coffee inca la Victoria
  • Pozo Azul
  • Finca La Candelaria

Langs geulen en modderpoelen 
Once I had installed myself on the back of the bike, I felt like a small child about to embark on a big adventure -:) The first few miles on the bike went smoothly and I was relaxed looking around. As the road got worse with deep gullies, mud puddles and boulders, I got a little anxious. Chauffeur Ney maneuvered past these obstacles flawlessly, so I trusted it would be okay.

Cascada de Marinka
On the way to Cascada de Marinka, we saw quite a few tourists walking. We got there around 9 a.m. and were the first visitors. It was nice to chill for a while in the giant hammock near the restaurant. From there you have a nice view of the waterfall.

Casa Elemento
After this, the trip went to Casa Elemento, high in the mountains above Minca. At first, my heart almost skipped a beat when I saw the precipices next to me. When I decided not to look beside me anymore but forward, it went a lot better and I really started to like motorcycling.

Testing hammocks
At Casa Elemento, I bought a wristband for COP10,000 / $2.50. This allowed me to stay as long as I wanted and included a drink. I “tested” the various hammocks hung on the grounds and enjoyed the view. Meanwhile, Ney revealed himself as a real (private) photographer!

Mirador los Pinos
After Casa Elemento, we stopped at Mirador los Pinos for a nice view of Santa Marta and the coast.

Pozo Azul
Pozo Azul was busy when we were there. Ney told us that this is a popular spot with locals and day tourists from Santa Marta. Because of the cold water, it was not enticing for me to swim at the falls, not getting beyond paddling!

Coffee Inca la Victoria
When we arrived at the coffee inca, there was a wonderful smell; the freshness of the rainforest mixed with the aroma of coffee…mmm! We looked around and had a cup of coffee with homemade cookies. A coffee tour was about to start, but I skipped it. I felt more like jumping on the back of the bike after coffee and driving on to finca la Candelaria for the cacao tour. Since this was still quite a long ride, we made a stop at café Minca, for lunch.

Finca la Candelaria
Arriving at the entrance to la Candelaria, we had to leave the bike and walk up to the finca, through coffee and cocoa plantations.

Chocotour
Venezuelan refugee Saddam was my guide. He came to Colombia in 2018 and supports his family in Venezuela with his earnings as a guide. We started the tour at the beginning of the plantation, where I got to see the flower of the cocoa bean. Unfortunately, I did not get a tour of the plantation itself. After this, Saddam got to work making chocolate milk -from scratch-. He talked passionately about cocoa and showed how the beans are roasted, shelled, melted and mixed with water and milk.

Babyface
While tasting the chocolate milk, I was given a facial mask made from cocoa. My skin felt super fresh and soft. Saddam explained that the fats from the cocoa make your skin feel like baby skin after the mask -:) Including choco mask, the tour lasted 40 minutes. After this, we reminisced on the terrace, when a huge rainstorm with thunderstorm erupted.

Slippery descent
I enjoyed the freshness of the downpour. When it had cleared up, we began the “descent” downhill. That was a bit of a challenge because everything had become slippery. Once back on the bike, Ney stopped a few times along the way. We had to walk bits because it was too slippery on the road. In “stages,” we finally got back on the main road and I was neatly dropped off at the hotel. I spent the rest of the day reminiscing about this amazing adventure!

Travel date September 2019
Updated April 2021

This private tour with Minca Tours cost COP120,000 / $32.50 and did not include lunch, drinks, admission and cocoa tour.

Check out more tours in Minca here

Check out our Minca travel guide for more info and tips

Check out our eco-hotel tip for Minca here

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