Magical Valle de Cocora is the home of Colombia's national tree, the wax palm. There are plenty of activities for all, including hiking, horseback riding, birdwatching, or just relaxing.
The wax palm is the tallest palm tree on earth, growing to a height of up to 150 feet. Valle de Cocora is one of the best places in Colombia to see this endangered species.
If you want to experience Valle de Cocora to its fullest, you can choose to do all or part of the loop trail (up to 6 hours of hiking). During the hike, you have a chance to get up close and personal with the wax palms, visit a hummingbird sanctuary at Acaime, and enjoy incredible scenery throughout.
If you hike the trail clockwise, you get to see the wax palms first. This is what most people do - walk about 90 minutes to the best viewpoints and return the same way.
If you hike the entire trail counterclockwise, you have a tough uphill climb about halfway through the hike. It's not a difficult hike overall but it can get challenging in spots - lots of deep mud, suspension bridges, and the river flooding the trail.
For the more intrepid adventurers, it's possible to hike all the way up to Los Nevados National Park. There are a few places to stay the night along the way.
Horses are available if you prefer to see the palms on horseback. A horse guide can take you on one of a few different trails, from 15 minutes to over 2 hours long.
A few different restaurants are located at the beginning of the trail. They serve the local specialty, trout, and typical Colombian dishes. Our favorite is Bosques de Cocora - Donde Juan B, which serves several different trout dishes as well as steak, chicken, and more.
A short walk down the trail, you can see where the trout are hatched and how they're raised. There are several tanks filled with different sized trout, and you can even feed them during your visit.
Let Paisadventure take you to Valle de Cocora! Visit on a day trip from Pereira, on several of our pre-planned tours, or add it to any customized tour.