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Off and Up Out: Medellin to Salento
· by wendy · Colombia
Our final days in Medellin were pretty uneventful. Sunday was a lazy day due to rain. Monday was a Colombian holiday which meant nothing was open and nothing to do. So, we jetted outta there via luxury bus to Salento. Our bus ended up being 10 times nicer than Greyhounds at home. Nice and comfortable and a great way to see Colombia.
We were on a bus to Armenia to then make a transfer to the small town of Salento. Much to our surprise, our bus driver stopped about 5 1/2 hours into a 6 hour ride and motioned for Dusty and I to get off. With much motioning and words we didn’t understand, we finally realized that he was doing us a favor by dropping us at a bus stop to Salento rather than ride another half hour to Armenia and then back another half hour to this very spot…literally in the middle of the highway.
See there to the left of me? That’s the bus stop to Salento.
Not much to shake a stick at, but it worked. About 15 minutes of waiting, we were picked up by the Salento bus. Sometimes you have to just go with the flow. Upon arriving, we were in need of a taxi which ended up being these jeeps. How someone is supposed to know this, I have no idea. Luckily I had read some obscure passage in someone else’s blog about this oddity.
Finally after a day of traveling, we arrived at La Serrana Eco Farm and Hostel. This place is unbelievable! Check out the view!
More about La Serrana Eco Farm and Hostel to come…
Trip Details
| Transport | USD | COP |
| Taxi to Terminal del Sur from Poblado | $2.75 | $5,000 |
| Flota Occidental Busline bus to Armenia | $18.73 each | $34,000 each |
| Bus to Salento | $ .83 each | $1,500 each |
| Jeep taxi to La Serrana | $3.31 | $6,000 |
| Total for two people | $45.18 | $82,000 |
How To
- In Medellin, take a taxi to Terminal del Sur to catch a bus to Armenia.
- If the bus driver or his side kick don’t ask, tell them you are going to Salento so they can drop you off at the short cut.
- The bus will stop for a meal. We stopped at a cafeteria that served Colombian cuisine. It seems every Flota Occidental Armenia-Medellin bus stops there.
- The bus will stop at Pereira and then take off toward Armenia.
- About 20 minutes into the ride they will drop you at an intersection to catch the bus to Salento.
- Arrive in the square at Salento and find a jeep or tuk tuk to take you to La Serrana
- Be sure to arrive with payment for your first night’s stay at the hostel/farm.