Minca in a Minute
“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu
Why Minca
After finishing the Ciudad Perdida trail and leaving Tayrona Park, I did a short stop over in Minca before heading to Cartagena. Minca is a small town in the mountains just above Santa Marta. The city was not in my original itinerary but I added the stop over on the recommendation of a German woman I met while in Guatape near Medellin. She told me I had to go. She visited it for a night and wishes she had stayed longer. My guide book didn’t say much about Minca, except for a half page summary saying it was becoming a popular destination for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. It’s known for bird watching. I had a few extra days to kill before meeting a friend in Cartagena. So why not.
My first sign that Minca would be adventure to enjoy was when I got off the bus just outside of Santa Marta. There isn’t a bus directly from Tayrona to Minca, so I had to first take the bus to Santa Marta where I could catch another ride to Minca. In this case, I got to ride a moto taxi for the first time. That’s a motorcycle taxi in case you didn’t put that together. They’re everywhere in Santa Marta, and cheaper than a regular taxi. You hop on the back, if you’re lucky they give you a helmet, and off you go.
The ‘small’ problem here was that I had my giant backpack with me. This isn’t a school sized bookbag. Its a multi-day, full body backpack with a waist harness and all my clothes for four months of traveling.
‘Not a problem’. ‘Don’t worry’. The motorcycle guy kept telling me. At first I didn’t see how this was physically possible but he proved me wrong. That dude flung my giant backpack in front of him and rested it between the handlebars on his motorbike. I hopped on the back, put on a helmet, and away we went on the 30 minute ride up winding mountain roads to Minca. I don’t have a picture for obvious safety reasons. But that shit would not be legal in the US.
Seeing What Minca Has to Offer
I checked into my hostel and could already tell I was going to enjoy my stay. The main part of town is small – just a few main roads intersecting over a small river. Every bar, restaurant, grocery store, and taxi stand is within about two blocks of this intersection. The owner of my hostel gave me a map and a run down of all the good hikes and places to eat. You don’t get this kind of personal attention when traveling in large cities like Medellin or Cartagena. But you get it in a three room hostel Minca.
On my first afternoon in Minca, I hiked through town and partially up a mountain to tour a local coffee and cacao plantation. The hike involved some steep sections, but by now I had a few days of recovery time since hiking Ciudad Perdida. It also helped that the views were beautiful and I was in no rush to get there. I enjoyed a slow and leisurely stroll up that mountain trail.
I had toured another coffee plantation when in Panama, so I opted for only the Cacao tour in Minca. On the tour, I was joined by a group of outgoing New Zealand biologists. The tour guide was a younger guy named Levi, who I’m confident was stoned during entire tour. This hypothesis was verified when we all saw him smoking a joint while driving his motorcycle heading back down the mountain later that afternoon. Still, given Levi’s state of mind he was surprisingly peppy and full of goofy energy. As a result, the tour was a blast yet still unexpectedly educational. Levi talked about the Cacao planting process, and showed us what chocolate looks like from fresh seed, to roasting, to raw product.
During the tour we got to try freshly dried cacao beans, which Levi then ground up and put into hot water to make hot chocolate. The tour ends with Levi slathering on a mix of ground chocolate and coffee on everyone’s faces, telling us it was great for our skin. Sound a little strange and gimmicky? Maybe. But Levi put the grainy brown mixture on his own face too without hesitation. When in Rome.
Following the tour, the New Zealanders and I walked back down the mountain together back to town. It was early evening by then and the sun was setting, making for some ‘real beautiful sunset views. We all grabbed dinner together at a local backpacker hangout before parting ways. As first days in a new town go, I could not have asked for much more.
I spent the second day hiking to Pozo Azul, a set of small waterfalls and a swimming hole. While I found the site to be on the underwhelming side, I did enjoy the hike. My feet were still mildly sore and recovering from the trauma of Ciudad Perdida. But it was good to know that I could walk for several hours and still manage to enjoy it. I’m sure it helped that I wasn’t trying to catch up with speed walking European youths on the way. Plus this adorable stray dog followed me for a good three hours of hiking so I had good company.
Now Relax and Breathe
I only stayed two nights in Minca. On my last morning before catching the bus to Cartagena I took an early morning Prayama yoga class at a local studio. A Russian Expat and his wife run the school. They visited Minca five years ago, loved it, and moved there to start a Yoga school and retreat. I was the only one in class, which was held outdoors with full mountain views. We warmed up for the first 20 minutes with a few sun salutations, but spent most of the class on breathing exercises. Alex and walked me through the basics of Prayama breathing and after the previous week of sweat, (almost) tears, and physical strain I could feel myself finally relaxing. I started my last day in Minca feeling equally energized and calm. After the strain of Ciudad Perdida the prior week, it was a welcome sensation.
And that’s Minca. Short and sweet. If you ever find yourself on the northern coast of Colombia I highly recommend making a stop. The people are nice, the mountains are beautiful, and there are unexpectedly good food options. It’s possible to see everything in a few short days, but you won’t be bored when you’re there. I’m glad I went. Now on to Cartagena.
