Which Town Is Better To Visit In Colombia, Salento Or Filandia?

Planning A Trip To Colombia And Looking For The Best Small Towns To Visit, But Not Sure Which Option Is Better In The Coffee Region, Salento Or Filandia?

When signing up to move to Colombia to teach English, I had to put a preference city of where I wanted to be placed, and although I didn’t get my preferred location, I was placed in the Coffee Region which turned out to be even better because I got to easily travel to all kinds of beautiful places like Salento and Filandia, so I can help you figure out which one will be best for your next trip to Colombia.

🇨🇴 Which Is Better To Visit, Salento Or Filandia, Colombia?

I’ve been to both Salento and Filandia, and although I loved the adventurous times I had in each of these locations, I do think one is better to visit than the other for most travelers, but they’re not terribly far from each other so you could check them both out, it just depends on how much time you have and what your interests are.

🌴 Why Visit Salento, Colombia?

Salento is worth visiting to see what a typical small town in Colombia looks like.

Out of all the small towns and big cities I visited during my time living in Colombia (more than 20 locations), Salento is still my favorite place that I visited because of how incredibly beautiful the surrounding nature is here.

Whenever anyone asks me what places they should visit in Colombia, Salento is always my number one recommendation.

What Is There To Do Here?

Salento is my favorite natural destination in Colombia and I highly recommend adding it to your itinerary.

Although there’s usually more to do in the big cities, the small towns in Colombia are cute, quaint, and usually have some kind of interesting and beautiful nature-related activity nearby so I think they can be even more exciting to visit.

Best Things To Do In Salento:

Cocora Valley Hike – I did the hike alone, following the Valle de Cocora to Acaime loop trail counterclockwise (skipping the Hummingbird House), and didn’t have any issues, but there are guided hiking tours available if that makes you feel more comfortable, plus there are many other hiking trails in the area

Calle Real – the cute and colorful main street through Salento that’s fun to just wander around

Cerro Mirador & Mirador de Salento – viewpoints in town that give you beautiful views of the town and the surrounding nature

Coffee – I’m not a coffee drinker (everyone here thought I was crazy), but Salento is in the heart of the Coffee Region so it’s the perfect place to explore some coffee farms

Adventurous Activities – other than hiking, Salento also has some other adventurous activities like mountain biking and horseback riding (I didn’t ride here but I saw lots of horses that did not look well taken care of so be sure to choose reputable companies)

Is It Easy To Get To?

The cocora valley hike is the main reason why I think Salento if better than Filandia if you have to choose one over the other.

Small towns like Salento aren’t exactly convenient to reach from bigger cities like Bogota, Medellin, or Cartagena, but when you fly into Pereira, the capital city of the Coffee Region, Salento a pretty simple and easy place to get to:

Uber’s are available and safe, but a fairly expensive way to get to Salento
Taxi’s are available, but typically more expensive, not as nice, and not as safe
Private transfers are safe, easy, and usually really nice
Day trip tours from Pereira are the easiest and most convenient
Busses from Pereira are cheap, safe, and easy
driving yourself in Colombia is not typically recommended

Are There Any Downsides?

Salento is one of the most beautiful places in Colombia that's definitely worth visiting for nature and hiking lovers.

I think there are really only two things that would be considered downsides to visiting Salento:

➡️ it’s not as easy to visit compared to places like Medellin or Bogota; it does require some extra effort to reach, which not everyone has the time or interest in doing

➡️ over the years, Salento has continued to be a very popular and touristy place to visit so it might not feel quite as “Colombian” as you’d hope for in a small town

💧 Why Visit Filandia, Colombia?

I think Filandia is beautiful but compared to Salento, there's not as much to do.

Filandia is not anywhere near as well known as Salento unless you live in the Coffee Region so it definitely gets a lot less tourists in comparison, but I think it can still be a really cool place to visit if you have the time.

What Is There To Do Here?

Although it’s not quite as eventful or well known as Salento, there are still a few things to see or do in Filandia:

Bolívar Park – the main town center that’s nice to wander around

Cascadas Dobles Hike – a not super well defined, but still really beautiful double waterfall hike, pictured above

Mirador Colina Iluminada – a big observation deck viewpoint of the area

Calle del tiempo Detenido – a colorful street similar to the Salento one, but not quite as famous

Is It Easy To Get To?

Filandia itself is pretty easy to get to but the double waterfall is a little more difficult.

Like Salento, Filandia is relatively easy to get to when you start from somewhere like the capital of the Coffee Region, Pereira. It’s easy to get an Uber, taxi, or bus ride from Pereira to Filandia, but the best option is probably a guided tour that takes you to Salento and Filandia so you can see a bit of both.

Are There Any Downsides?

Although I think Filandia is a really cool place and I really enjoyed my time here, I think most travelers will enjoy Salento more.

Although a huge plus of Filandia compared to Salento is that it’s a much less traveled and touristy place to visit, one of the main downsides is that it’s less traveled because there isn’t quite as much to do here.

The surrounding nature is still pretty, but it’s nothing like the Cocora Valley in Salento so it might not be worth going out of your way to visit, which is why a combo tour to both Salento and Filandia is a great option if you still want to check both out.

☕️ Are There Any Other Interesting Places To Visit In The Coffee Region?

The Hot Springs in Santa Rosa de Cabal are beautiful.

The Coffee Region is one of the most beautiful places to visit in the entire country in my opinion, so a few other nearby areas that might be worth adding to your itinerary include:

Santa Rosa de Cabal – hot springs, waterfalls, and beautiful nature

Los Nevados Park – hiking, glaciers (yes, even snow), and cool views

Parque del Cafe – a coffee themed theme park

La Florida – a hike I did just outside of Pereira where I saw waterfalls and a monkey up in the trees

Cali – a close-ish city famous for Salsa music and dancing

🔁 Sum Up: Salento Or Filandia, Colombia?

I think any part of the Coffee Region is worth visiting because the nature here is so incredibly beautiful, but when it comes to choosing between Salento or Filandia, I would say that Salento is the best place to visit (despite it being more touristy) because of the Cocora Valley hike, although there are some guided torus that go to both Salento and Filandia so you could check them both out if you don’t want to miss either.