Salento
The oldest town in Quindio, painted in strong colours, and the gateway to the Cocora valley wax palms.
Updated 21 October 2026
Salento was founded in 1842 on the old road over the Quindio Pass between Popayan and Bogota, which makes it the oldest town in Quindio, and its Calle Real is a run of two-storey houses with balconies and doors painted in strong contrasting colours - the most photographed street in the coffee region. It sits within the UNESCO Coffee Cultural Landscape. Willys jeeps, left over from postwar American surplus and kept running for decades, are the transport up to the Cocora valley, leaving from the plaza when full. Tejo, the Colombian game of throwing metal discs at gunpowder charges buried in clay, is played in courts around the town. Coffee farms nearby run tours. Salento has become very busy, and residents note the change.
History
In colonial times the main road from Popayán to Bogotá crossed the Quindío Pass through the site of today's Salento, and in 1830 Simón Bolívar travelled it and ordered it improved. The town was established on 5 January 1842, when prisoners were sent to upgrade and keep up the road and were given land once their sentences ended; their families settled at Boquía, where the Boquía stream joins the Quindío River, and farmed up the Cocora valley. After a flood of the Quindío around 1854 destroyed Boquía, the survivors rebuilt on the site of the prisoners' camp, Barcinales; a census of 1864 counted 581 people, and in 1865 the place became a municipality as Villa de Nueva Salento, named after the Salento region of southern Italy (Wikipedia, Salento, Quindío).
What you'll find
- A painted Calle Real - the coffee region's most photographed street.
- Willys jeeps to Cocora - postwar surplus still running.
- Tejo courts - the game with gunpowder charges in clay.
- The oldest town in Quindio - founded 1842 on the Quindio Pass road.
When to go
Year round; weekends and holidays are very busy. A full day.
Practical notes
It has become extremely popular and weekends are crowded to the point of queues for jeeps. Prices have risen sharply. Rain is frequent in this region. Cocora needs an early start to avoid the crowds.
Nearby
The Cocora valley is north; Filandia is west.
Key facts
Source: Wikidata, item Q1576707, read on 18 October 2026.
What to pack for Salento
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
- Comfortable walking shoes - Sightseeing means kilometres of pavement and cobbles daily. Find on Amazon
- A slim anti-theft daypack - Zips that close properly; keep it in front in crowds and on transit. Find on Amazon
- A refillable water bottle - Many cities have public fountains; save money and plastic. Find on Amazon
- A light layer + compact umbrella - For museum air-con and a sudden shower. Find on Amazon
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