Cameron Explores

The hike

We had gone to the Cocora valley with the intention of hiking to Finca La Primivera to stay the night which we had heard you could hike to without a guide. However when we arrived we were told by the security this was not possible. Instead we decided to embark on summiting Morrogacho which stands at 3450m!

Getting to Cocora Valley

From Salento it is really easy to get yourself to the valley. Jeeps run from the central square starting at 6.30am, with several running every hour. They cost just 5,500 pesos per person and will take you to the valley in around 30 minutes.

Hike description

To begin the hike you start following the path that takes you down the hill to a hut where you pay your 20,000 pesos entry fee. Once past the hut you follow the path over the river and get to a junction (pictured above). Here you will take the path on the right and follow it up the hill. The path is pretty muddy so be careful if you’re hiking in the rain or it’s recently rained. Once on this path you keep following up the hill, getting incredible views down into the Cocora valley.

The route is very well signposted from here on out, whenever there is a split in the path there is either a sign or flags which you follow (both pictured below).

After around 3 or so hours you will reach the summit once you’ve passed through incredibly dense high Andean forest.

Enjoy the incredible views from the top, if you’re lucky enough to not be shrouded in cloud! Then take your time heading back down the exact way you came. We had some rain which made the path quite slippy so it’s definitely worth having a good pair of boots or trail runners. Takes around 2 hours to get back down to the start point.

Hike stats

Total distance- 12.5km

Elevation gain- 1,184m

Time- 6 hours

Summary

This is an incredible hike and a great alternative to the very busy trails most people do in the Cocora Valley. It is a very well signposted walk, although the paths are very muddy. The views are amazing throughout and is one of my favourite walks in Colombia.