Minca Day Trip from Santa Marta: Coffee Farm and Waterfalls

From $172 USD per person

Minca is less than an hour from Santa Marta and around 650 metres up, which is the whole point of going. The village sits in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, the highest coastal mountain range in the world, and the temperature drops enough on the way that people come for the air as much as the waterfalls. It has earned a reputation as Colombia’s ecological capital.

Eight hours door to door: a coffee farm in the morning, lunch in the village, and cold mountain water in the afternoon. Our own Santa Marta to Minca guide covers the road itself, the colectivos and the moto-taxis that handle the steeper tracks above the village, and where that altitude figure comes from.

Check live availability and prices — or read on for how the day unfolds.

How the day works

• Early pickup and the drive up (about 2 hours including arrival). Your driver and guide collect you from your hotel in Santa Marta in the morning and take you up to Minca, under an hour on the road, into green hills and cooler air.
• Hacienda La Victoria coffee farm (about 2 hours). One of the pioneer coffee farms in Colombia. Your guide walks you through the whole production process, cherry on the tree to roasted bean in the cup, and you taste Sierra Nevada coffee made fresh. Entry included.
• Lunch and time in the village (about 2 hours). A traditional Colombian lunch in Minca, not included, and time to walk the town and sit in the cool before the afternoon.
• Pozos Azules and the Marinka waterfalls (about 2 hours). Blue Wells and the falls, both fed by cold mountain water, both swimmable. Then your driver takes you back to Santa Marta.

What’s included

• Private English-speaking guide
• Private hotel pickup and drop-off in Santa Marta
• Entry to Hacienda La Victoria coffee farm
• All-risk insurance

Not included

• Breakfast and lunch
• Extra purchases

Good to know

• Bring a swimsuit and a change of clothes. Pozos Azules and the Marinka falls are both swimmable and the water is cold. A dry set for the drive down makes the evening better.
• Walking shoes with grip. The trails and the farm are uneven and often damp.
• Sunscreen, insect repellent, sunglasses and a cap. The repellent is not optional in the foothills.
• No vegan meal options on this itinerary. Plan lunch accordingly.
• The coffee farm visit is private, but other groups may be at La Victoria at the same time. The farm is a working one, not a private estate.
• The tour runs rain or shine. In the Sierra Nevada foothills, some rain is normal rather than exceptional.

Frequently asked questions

Why not just take a colectivo or a moto-taxi up?

People do, and for getting yourself to the village it works. This is a full day with four stops spread around Minca, some of them above the village, and it runs to an eight-hour window with a driver waiting at each one. We wrote up the road, the colectivos and the moto-taxis in our Santa Marta to Minca guide if you would rather do it yourself.

Is eight hours a lot for Minca?

It is the honest length once you include the drive, a working coffee farm, lunch and two water stops. The alternative is picking two of the four and rushing them.

How cold is the water?

Cold. It comes off the Sierra Nevada. Most people get in anyway, which is why the change of clothes is on the list.

What makes La Victoria worth two hours?

It is one of the oldest coffee farms in the country and it still runs the whole process on site, so the tour is the actual production chain rather than a tasting room with a story attached.

Can we stay overnight in Minca instead?

Plenty of people do. If that is your plan you want transport rather than a day tour; ask us and we will quote the run up.

Just need the ride, not the tour?

Our private transfers cover Santa Marta to Minca with the same vetted driver and no itinerary attached. Start with the route guide or the full list of transfers.

Ready? Check your date and lock it in