Visiting Salento with kids while touring Colombia is fun! This colorful city is located at an altitude of 1895 meters in the middle of Colombia’s jungle. Most families with kids visit Salento because of Valle de Cocora, but there are several other activities you can do here in this Colombian city. In this blog, we list the best children’s activities in Salento.
Best travel time Salento with kids
Salento is at an altitude of 1895 meters, so temperatures in the city are not super high. Throughout the year, the temperature is around 15 degrees. There is also rainfall throughout the year in terms of rainfall. There are about 20 days of rain per month in every month of the year, so there is not really a rainy season. Because of this, it doesn’t matter so much what month you visit the city of Salento with kids.
Transportation to and in Salento
Salento is a town that is not very easy to reach. By bus, it will take you more than 8 hours from Bogota and you also have to change buses. From Medellin it will take you a little more than 8 hours, but you will have a direct bus. Despite the buses being reasonably luxurious, with kids it is not the most ideal mode of transportation to travel around the country.
Salento unfortunately does not have an airport and therefore you have to catch a plane to the cities near Salento: Armenia and Pereira. From here you then take the bus or a cab to Salento with kids, in which we would recommend taking the cab. This is a lot faster and then you will be driven from the airport directly to your accommodation.
We used cabs a lot in Colombia. We used the cab app UBER a lot in Colombia and it worked very well. You then have to buy a sim card at the airport so you can have coverage anywhere in Colombia and order a cab. Of course, you can also ask the booked accommodation if they are willing to pick you up from the airport.
In Salento itself, you can do great walking or get around by Willy. A Willy is a World War II jeep found downtown in all colors. These are sort of cabs in the center of Salento that you can get around in.
Children’s activities Salento
#1 Valle de Cocora
One of the biggest reasons tourists visit Salento is because of Valle de Cocora. From Salento you can reach the park in half an hour. You can take the blue jeeps (Willy’s) for this. These leave from the central square, so transportation to this valley is very easy to arrange.
You don’t have to worry about running out of transportation for the return trip either, as there are always a number of Willy’s waiting to take tourists back to Salento.
An advantage in this nature park is that you can choose between a long and a short hike. This short hike takes about 1.5 hours, making it good to do with kids. If you have older kids, you can hike the longer trail, but it will take you more than half a day of family hiking.
During this hike, you will encounter lots of huge palm trees. You have several viewpoints in the park, where you have a great view of the valley and the dozens of palm trees you have here. The weather can turn quickly in the valley, so with kids, make sure you prepare for different weather types.
If your kids love horseback riding, the valley also allows you to book an organized horseback ride with the family.
#2 Center Salento
The center of Salento is very colorful and definitely fun to visit with kids. So you have Plaza Bolivar which is the central square of Salento and around it you have plenty of nice restaurants and cafes. If you love shopping then it is definitely fun to take a walk down the main street Calle Real, as there are many nice stores here where you can stock up on souvenirs, among other things.
If you want a great view of the city, Mirador Alto de la Cruz is highly recommended. From Calle Real, you can climb a staircase and actually you don’t even have to climb the stairs all the way to the top. At 250 steps you already have a nice view of the city, and then you don’t have to climb all the way up with small kids. You have on top of the summit two viewpoints connected by a footbridge.
If you want a guided tour of the city, you can very easily join a Free Walking Tour of the city. This tour lasts 2 hours and in the morning the tour is with an English-speaking guide and in the afternoon the tour is with a Spanish-speaking guide. You will then explore the city center and also go up to the viewpoint over the city.
At the end of the walk, you then give the guide a sum of money what you thought the tour was worth. These tours start at Plaza di Bolivar in downtown Salento. By the way, locals in the center often play a game of Tejo. They then throw a stone against a pot of gunpowder which gives a bang. Especially with kids fun to watch for a while.
#3 Mountain Biking
If you are visiting Salento with kids who are a little older, there is another really cool activity you can do in Salento. In fact, you can do a very cool trail by mountain bike here. This mountain bike tour in Salento is downhill and therefore not very intensive. You ride mountain bikes with the kids through a beautiful area.
On this tour, you go up the mountain first with the jeep (and the mountain bikes on top of the jeep). You go to an altitude of 3,400 meters here. Eventually you descend toward Salento which is at 1895 meters. This tour takes 5 hours and you cover 30 kilometers in total. You’ll leave Salento early in the morning, returning by early afternoon. Along the way, we will stop for lunch.
This is obviously a very cool children’s activity in Salento and also a fun tour to do together as parents with the kids.
Other children’s activities Salento
The three children’s activities described above are the main activities you can do in Salento. We briefly list below some other options you could possibly do in this Colombian city.
#4 Coffee Tour: Salento is known for its coffee and you can book several coffee tours in Salento with kids. You then visit a coffee farm. Coffee Farm Finca El Ocaso is a farm you can visit, for example. You’ll learn about the process of making coffee here. Kids here can also get to work picking coffee berries, planting seeds and pulverizing the beans themselves.
For kids, of course, an educational outing as well. By the way, they also have these kinds of tours to avocado plantations, where they can learn all about the avocado.
#5 Ziplining: you can also go ziplining in Salento with kids. This zipline is 200 meters long and you go back and forth via this zipline. So you are allowed two total.
Family-friendly restaurant Salento
You can eat and drink in Salento with kids just fine. You have plenty of family-friendly restaurants you can go to in Salento. We list some of these family-friendly restaurants in Salento below.
Etnia Arte & Sabor: this restaurant is not very big, but you can eat a three-course meal here very cheaply. If you still want to eat elaborately for little money, this restaurant in Salento is definitely a good option.
Hamburguesería El Cacharrito: If you are a family in the mood for a simple hamburger with fries, but want just a little more than a fast food restaurant, this hip restaurant is a good choice. This restaurant has different kinds of burgers, beers and a nice music in the restaurant.
Makao: this is an Italian restaurant in Salento, where you can eat a variety of pastas and pizzas with kids. You also have other dishes here like curry, for example. For kids, the restaurant’s desserts will delight.
Family-friendly hotel Salento
Salento is a tourist destination, which is why you have plenty of family-friendly accommodations in Salento that you can book. We list below the family-friendly accommodations in Salento that are best rated by families with kids. Click on the blue link for more information.
Budget accommodation: Hotel Natura Cocora
Mid-range accommodation: Hotel Bambu Inn
Luxury Accommodation: Hotel Boutique Villa Isabel
Also check out the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Salento.
