La Carbonera: Colombia’s Best-Kept Secret (Better Than Cocora Valley?)

Author Carina Klein
Carina
· 5 min read · 0 comments

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TL;DR

La Carbonera vs. Cocora Valley: Who Wins?

Everyone’s heard of the Valle de Cocora – but have you ever heard of La Carbonera?

Tucked deep in Colombia’s cloud forests near Salento, La Carbonera (also known as Tochecito) is a hidden gem that most tourists miss. It’s home to the world’s densest forest of wax palms. With over 6000 wax palms and barely a human in sight, this remote valley offers a rare, wild version of Colombia that feels straight out of a dream.

Whether you’re a mountain biking enthusiast or a hiker, La Carbonera delivers an experience Valle de Cocora can’t match – and we’re here to show you why.

In our La Carbonera travel guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know: how to get there, what to do, where to stay, and whether it’s worth visiting compared to its more famous neighbour. Spoiler: it is.

Carbonera Valley Travel Guide

What Is La Carbonera Colombia

La Carbonera, also known as Tochecito, is a remote valley in Colombia's Tolima department, renowned for housing the world's densest forest of wax palms (Ceroxylon quindiuense), Colombia's national tree. This area is home to approximately 80% of the global population of these huge palms, which can reach heights of up to 60 meters (almost 200 ft!) and live for over 200 years.

Picture of La Carbonera Salento
La Carbonera Salento

Is La Carbonera Colombia Worth a Visit

Absolutely! La Carbonera is the place for you if you like nature and getting off the beaten path. It’s also the spot in Salento to go mountain biking!

How to Get to La Carbonera Colombia

The easiest base to visit La Carbonera is Salento.

The distance is only 30 km (18 mi) but the drive on the dirt track takes around 3 hours.

Picture of Viajero Hostel
If you’re looking for a place to stay in Salento, we can recommend Viajero Salento Hostel.

It’s great for a social vibe and optional activities. The location is central and the staff is lovely!

By the way: The Viajero in Salento is not a party hostel.

The Carbonera is not accessible by public transport taxi.

If you don’t have your own offroad capable vehicle, the easiest way to get there is to take an organised tour.

Tour Options for La Carbonera Salento

You have three main tour options to visit La Carbonera

  1. Mountain biking
  2. Horseback riding
  3. Hiking

We chose mountain biking.

💡
Bucketlist2life tip: We did not really find a lot of tours online but it’s super easy to book them at a local travel agency.
Picture of Mountain biking at La Carbonera
Mountain biking at La Carbonera

La Carbonera Vs. Valle de Cocora

La Carbonera No. of Palm Trees

Valle de Cocora No. of Palm Trees

Around 6.000 wax palms

Around 600 wax palms

La Carbonera Altitude

Valle de Cocora Altitude

Between 2300 and 3300 m

Between 1800 and 2400 m

La Carbonera Accessibility

Valle de Cocora Accessibility

Currently, only by guided tour or if you have your own offroad vehicle.

Jeeps leave every hour from the main square in Salento starting at 6:30 am. The round trip costs 11000 COP.

La Carbonera Touristyness

Valle de Cocora Touristyness

Only a couple of dozen tourists per day.

1000s of tourists every day.

La Carbonera Infrastructure

Valle de Cocora Infrastructure

Very little infrastructure. We only saw the restaurant we had breakfast in and no shops.

Many restaurants and shops. Loads of picture spots.

La Carbonera Budget

Valle de Cocora Budget

Our mountainbike tour cost around 60$

The jeep and entrance fees are around 10$

La Carbonera Things to Do

Valle de Cocora Things to Do

  1. Mountain biking
  2. Horseback riding
  3. Hiking
  1. Taking pictures
  2. Hiking the 10 km (5 hour) loop (optional hummingbird reserve)
  3. Hiking the 13 km Morrogacho Mountain route (more than 1000 m altitude gain)

Who Should Choose La Carbonera

Who Should Choose Valle de Cocora

La Carbonera is best for:

  • adventurous travellers
  • nature enthusiasts
  • people who like getting off-the-beaten-path

Valle de Cocora is best for:

  • people who want full tourist amenities
  • travellers who prefer to go independently without a tour
  • Instagram enthusiasts
Picture of La Carbonera
Picture of Valle de Cocora

Conclusion: Should You Visit La Carbonera or Valle de Cocora?

If you want comfort, convenience, and Instagram spots go to Valle de Cocora.

If you want adventure and nature head to La Carbonera – we even spotted a condor!

If you have the time to do both, do both 😉

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