Day 497 – Minca to Paso del Mango
Goodbye relaxing in Minca
Today was our last day relaxing at the beautiful Siembra Boutique Hostel. Despite all the things I didn’t like at the hotel, it was definitely growing on me. Mainly the amazing location, pool and tranquil atmosphere.
Siembra Boutique Hostel private room
After breakfast we packed our bags and checked out. We were served by a different receptionist, which resulted in a smooth check out. Over the last 3 nights we had splurged, making the total food and drink bill come to a little over 300,000 COP (~$119 AUD). We left our two large 65L backpacks behind as we left the hotel at around 10.20am.
Minca to Paso del Mango hike
As we walked down the road towards Minca, we saw a staff member from Finca Hostal Bolivar. She was super friendly as always and we chatted for a while.
For the next hour we walked uphill, past the turn off to Finca San Rafael Coffee and Chocolate Farm (Day 472). We also came across the grounds keeper, from Finca Hostal Bolivar, who was running an errand on his motorbike. After chatting for a while, we continued uphill.
At 12.15pm, we reached the highest point during the hike. We were expecting to walk through thick bush, but so far a 4×4 could follow the road. At the top, and even along the way, there were views of a distant Santa Marta. The highest point was only 3km into the 15km journey!
For 15 merciful minutes the hike was relatively flat. We walked past several coffee farms with a handful of people picking fruit.
Around 12.30pm, we saw a sign that said ‘Paso del M’ which pointed into thick bushes and coffee plants. A quick look on Maps.Me confirmed that this was the route.
The foliage was thick in parts. After a while we came across a gate without any signs. We opened it and continued into thicker foliage. The pathway was not well travelled.
After almost an hour of this, we arrived at another gate. We went through and took a sharp left to follow a flat and wider path. Along this path we saw a few abandoned houses, two wild horses, and a few barking dogs.
The worse encounter was at what looked like a stable. While walking past, we heard a dog howl from behind a wall. Then we heard several dogs barking. We quickly armed ourselves with rocks but we never saw any dogs. Even from a distance we could hear them barking though.
By this stage, the hike was all downhill. But it just kept going on and on. Around 4pm, we stopped near a small cascading waterfall to have a light lunch and a dip in the river.
Paso del Mango
From the river it was a short hike to the edge of the town, Paso del Mango. There was another river crossing. We just followed the road into the river, trying to stay dry by stepping on the stones along the edge. I eventually slipped off a rock, into the calf deep water. My boots got saturated. On the other side the river we saw a sign for a footbridge!
Close to 5pm, we arrived at our accommodation, Sierra San Juan. We were exhausted after hiking for 6.5 hours. The owner gave us such a warm welcome with delicious cold lemonades. We were then taken to the beautiful garden that doubles as the best dining room I have even seen.
The owner went through the various sights in Paso del Mango. These include waterfalls, a cocoa farm, Caoba Reserve and the guest house’s own viewpoint. Then he walked us to the river to show us the swimming spot, which was full of locals.
We went to the room to settle down and shower. The twin room is nice with a private en suite. The bathroom is large and full of hooks! The cold shower was initially a shock, but felt so good.
The nearby river is surprisingly loud. It sounded like fan was constantly on. Outside of the rooms there are a few seating and relaxing areas with comfy chairs, rocking chairs and hammocks.
At 7.30pm dinner was served which included a vegetable soup, a main of chicken, mash potatoes, salad, water, strawberry juice and a tea or coffee. The meal was pre booked when we made the booking on booking.com.
Then we retired to sleep. The bed sheets were nice and light. We started watching a movie on my phone, but I felt tired, so we slept at maybe 10pm to the sounds of the river. The temperature was very comfortable that we didn’t even need to turn on the fan in the room. Our initial thoughts were that we will enjoy Paso del Mango.
Travelled January 2020