Menu
Is the tropical heat of the Caribbean coast getting too much for you? Enter Minca, a small charming town tucked away in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains. Because of its elevation at 650 meters above sea level, it’s much cooler here than in the lower-lying sections of this part of Colombia. In this post, I’ll tell you all about how to get to Minca from Santa Marta, the largest transport hub on the Caribbean Coast!
Views over the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta from Minca, Colombia
Minca is a small village located in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains in Colombia. Due to its scenic location, it is a paradise for eco-tourists and nature enthusiasts. Minca is known for its lush landscapes, cascading waterfalls, and organic coffee & cacao farms, offering a great escape from the hustle and bustle of cities like Santa Marta, Cartagena, and Medellin.
It sits at about 650 meters above sea level and therefore provides a much cooler climate than the nearby Caribbean coast, making it an ideal spot for hiking, bird watching, and exploring the many rivers and waterfalls of the area.
Just a handful of things to do are visiting the famous Minca waterfalls called Pozo Azul or Marinka Waterfalls, going on a cacao tour at Finca La Candelaria, or hiking to Cerro Kennedy.
Do note that Minca has seen a huge surge in tourist numbers recently. A lot of blogs talk about the peaceful local atmosphere of Minca. While this might still be true when you venture outside of town, the center itself is well on its way to becoming a tourist hotspot full of Western-style restaurants and expensive hotels.
Aside from that, Minca is a lovely place to visit but as a conscious traveler, you should be aware of this! I wasn’t a fan of Minca when I first arrived, but little by little, the town started to grow on me.
Santa Marta is a big city located on the Caribbean Coast in Colombia. It is the gateway to many locations along the Caribbean Coast like Palomino, Tayrona National Park, Dibulla, and Minca. The city is also the main starting point for travelers wanting to do the Lost City Trek.
Aside from being a large transport hub, there isn’t that much to see in Santa Marta. In my opinion, it’s not worth staying here longer than one day considering you arrive late on a bus from Cartagena, Medellin, Bogota, or San Gil and you need to spend the night here.
Now, let’s see how you can get from Santa Marta to Minca after arriving at the bus transport terminal or at the airport!
There are various ways to get from Santa Marta to Minca, by bus, by taxi, and by car. We’ll get into each of the options below, how much time they take to reach Minca and how much they cost.
The cheapest way to get from Santa Marta to Minca is by minivan. Minivans from Santa Marta to Minca are operated by the company Cootrasminca. They run every day between 7 A.M. and 6 P.M.
The bus company is located on Carrera 9 in the center of Santa Marta between Calle 11 and Calle 12. You can find its exact location here.
A bus ticket to get to Minca from Santa Marta costs 10.000 COP and the trip takes about 45 minutes. This is the perfect way to travel to Minca for backpackers or budget-conscious travelers.
Another way to get from Santa Marta to Minca is by taxi. While Uber also operates in Santa Marta I haven’t been able to find an Uber driver that wanted to ply the route to Minca.
The best way to find a taxi to take you to Minca is by asking your accommodation to arrange one for you and to agree upon a previously discussed price before entering the vehicle.
We asked our hotel to arrange a taxi for us and agreed to a price of 50.000 COP. However, when the taxi driver arrived he tried to charge us 75.000 COP. He settled for 50.000 COP quickly though. Can’t blame a man for trying!
If you want to explore the Caribbean Coast and Minca by car, there are cars for rent both at the airport and in the center of the city. Car hire starts at about $40/day and you can find good deals on Discovercars.
Do note that, aside from the main road that runs through Minca, the streets are not in good condition. A lot of them are still dirt roads with a lot of potholes so you will need a car with four-wheel drive in Minca if you want to be able to reach places like Marinka Waterfalls.
→ Also read: How to Get From Minca to Palomino
The best way to get from Santa Marta Airport to Minca is by taxi. You can also opt to get from the airport to Minca by bus but it will take long, about two hours if you are lucky.
An airport taxi will cost about 100.000 COP and can take you to Minca in about 45 minutes. Same as with the taxis in the city center, the best way to go about this is to agree upon a price before you get yourself seated in the taxi.
If they let the meter run and there’s a lot of traffic in town, the price can be much higher. You can find the official taxis just outside of the main airport terminal. You will see a long line of taxis when you step out of the arrival hall.
Taking the bus to Minca from Santa Marta airport is a bit more complicated. You will first need to make your way to the center of Santa Marta to the Cootransminca office.
You can opt to take a taxi but, since you would probably choose this option to save money, you can also get from the airport to the center of Minca by local bus.
When you exit the arrival hall, look for the Paradero bus stop, this is where the blue SETP buses leave for the center of Santa Marta. A ticket only costs 2000 COP.
When you arrive in Santa Marta, you will need to make your way to the Cootrasminca office and board a minivan to Minca 10.000 COP.
La Candelaria cacao tour in Minca
Unfortunately, there are no minivans that run from the Santa Marta Bus Station to Minca. It’s hard to understand why they don’t offer this since it would make it so much easier for travelers to reach Minca. But it is what it is.
When you arrive at Santa Marta Bus Terminal, there are three options to choose from:
Not a lot of travelers know about this but, when we returned from Minca to Santa Marta by Cootrasminca minivan, they made a stop at Mamatoco first. There is a small office there that operates buses and apparently, it’s also a stop for Cootrasminca.
This stop is much closer to the Bus Terminal of Santa Marta. You can find its location on Google Maps here. The little office is located on the outskirts of town on Avenida el Libertador and is called Transportadora Sierra Mar Sas Minca.
It’s also very close to the popular The Dreamer Hostel if you would happen to stay there.
Here is another thing to keep in mind when you arrive at the Santa Marta bus Terminal at night. The Bus Terminal will be deserted. There are no taxis around anymore, not even people and you will need to look for accommodation to spend the night around the bus terminal.
Note that this is very hard to find if you haven’t booked anything beforehand. We arrived at 1 A.M. and went by all the hotels around the bus terminal and they were all fully booked. It was the least fun experience of our 2-month trip through Colombia.
We wandered around for an hour until we found a free room in Hotel Colombia Real on the other side of the Troncal del Caribe for $30. If I would travel this route again and arrive at night, I would make arrangements with an accommodation in the center of the city to pick me up. That way, you can easily board a Cootransminca minivan the next day!
Here are the websites I use when I travel to Colombia:
Booking.com: For the best guesthouses, homestays, or small hotels
Hostelworld: To find the best hostels located in the cities
Homestay: For a unique immersive homestay experience in the big cities or the countryside
Busbud and Redbus: The best transport websites for long-distance buses in Colombia. Note that 12Go also works in Colombia but the tickets they will buy for you are open-seat tickets and don’t guarantee a seat on the bus you book online.
Uber: Uber is a convenient and cheap ride-hailing app that can be used in the bigger cities of Colombia. Other apps are Cabify or Didi.
Skyscanner: For affordable flights to Bogota and intercity flights in the country.
Viator and Get Your Guide: book all kinds of activities from the Ciudad Perdida trek to a guided private tour of Comuna 13 in Medellin.
Citizens of many countries, including the United States, Canada, the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand, do not require a visa for short tourist stays (typically up to 90 days). However, this can vary, so it’s always best to check iVisa for the specific requirements for your nationality.
If you’re looking for travel insurance, the one with the best benefits online is undoubtedly Heymondo! It’s very easy to ask for a quote on the website and, if you book with this link you’ll get 5% off!
Access mobile data immediately when entering the country with a Colombian E-sim or a Latamlink E-sim when traveling through multiple countries. If you are already in Colombia, the best local prepaid sim card is Claro.
If you have little time on your hands and don’t plan to spend the night in Minca, then there are a variety of day tours to Minca you can choose from. Most of these tours include at least one waterfall and a coffee or cocoa tour of a local finca.
Marinka Waterfalls, Minca
Here are some interesting tours to Minca that start from Santa Marta and get good reviews online:
You can find more tours on the websites of GetYourGuide and Viator.
A great deal of accommodation in Minca offer giant hammocks
Minca offers many accommodation options, some with giant hammocks, others with a pool, and a lot of them are operating eco-friendly! Here are my recommendations for places to stay in Minca:
This cute guesthouse with only four rooms offers a great retreat from the hustle and bustle of the center of Minca. Akainoie is located on a tranquil dead-end street only a 10-minute walk from the center of Minca.
The rooms are peacefully decorated and the accommodation offers a huge kitchen, a large fridge, free tea and coffee, and a lovely terrace overlooking the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Considering the price and the quality, you can’t go wrong here!
If Akainoie doesn’t have availability, another good budget option is Minca Seasons.
This ecolodge is located on the way from Santa Marta to the center of Minca and is truly stunning! The architecture of Sol de Minca is one of a kind. The rooms are built in earth-ship style with the aim to reduce the pressure on the environment as much as possible.
Furthermore, Sol de Minca Eco Lodge offers delicious vegan food, a picnic area, an à la carte included breakfast, and a yoga shala with lessons on request. The center of Minca is only a short walk away. This is heaven if you ask me!
The crème de la crème of all the accommodation options in Minca is located half an hour’s walk from the center and is called SelvaMinca. Here you can connect with nature, nurture your well-being, and go for quiet bathing sessions in the nearby river.
The one-bedroom chalets come with a big living room and your own kitchen but the real eyecatchers at Selvaminca are the open-air bungalows that resemble treehouses. Yoga classes are available and the restaurant serves delicious plant-based food.
French bakery “La Miga” in Minca
There you go! I hope this post about how to get from Santa Marta to Minca was useful to you!
Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or drop me a message through my contact page.
Also, don’t forget to check out my resources page with my favorite booking platforms and tips to start planning your trip. Additionally, have a look at my favorite travel gear if you want to pack more consciously!
ENJOY!
Disclaimer: This post may include affiliate links. If you click on them, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Hi! I am Annelies and this is Travelers & Dreamers, a blog about conscious travel which means traveling in a more mindful way, with a positive impact on the world and yourself!
On this website, I cover different topics like slow travel, plant-based food guides, responsible travel, sustainable packing, eco-travel, and more!
Latest Posts
15 Best Things to Do in Nong Khiaw, Laos (2024)
Santa Rita, Salento: All You Need to Know
La Playa de Belen, Colombia: An Easy Travel guide!
Do you want to receive my latest finds on conscious and sustainable travel directly to your inbox? Subscribe here!
© COPYRIGHT TRAVELERS&DREAMERS, 2023.