Palomino Natural Pool Hike to Los Coquitos (Shared)

From $79 USD per person

Los Coquitos is a freshwater pool in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, fed by mountain streams, about an hour’s walk from where the motorbike drops you. There are no crowds and no vendors, which is the whole reason to go: Palomino’s beaches are good, but they are not quiet, and this is.

Five hours, shared, and the shape of it is unusual. Roughly an hour of walking in, around four hours at the water, then the walk back. It is a day built around doing very little in a good place rather than covering ground.

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

How the day works

• Motorbike to the trailhead (about 15 minutes). Your guide collects you from your hotel in Palomino and you ride out together along a rural track to where the walking starts.
• The hike and the pool (about 5 hours). An hour on a forest path under tropical canopy to Los Coquitos, then around four hours to swim, float, or sit by the water.
• Back the same way (about 15 minutes’ ride). The trail back to the pickup point, then the motorbike to your hotel.

What’s included

• English-speaking guide
• Hotel pickup and drop-off in Palomino by motorbike
• All-risk insurance

Not included

• Breakfast and lunch
• Extra purchases

Good to know

• Transport in Palomino is by motorbike, not by car. That is not a downgrade, it is the only way these trailheads are reached. You ride pillion with a driver. If that does not suit you, this tour will not work, and we would rather say so here than at your hotel door.
• The hike is moderate and suits most fitness levels, which makes it a reasonable choice for families and for people who are not looking for a hard day.
• It is a shared tour, so you may be walking with other travellers.
• Bring swimwear, a towel and water, plus sunscreen and insect repellent. Lunch is not included and there is nothing to buy at the pool, so carry food if you want it.
• Pack light. Everything you bring goes on the bike and then on your back.

Frequently asked questions

Why a motorbike and not a car?

Because there is no road to the trailhead. Palomino runs on motorbikes for exactly this reason, and every tour here starts the same way. We drive you to Palomino; inside it, the bike is the vehicle.

How hard is the walk?

About an hour each way on a forest path, moderate, with shade most of the way. Most people manage it comfortably. It is the heat rather than the gradient that catches people out.

Four hours at a pool sounds like a lot.

It is, deliberately. This is not a circuit of stops. If you want a day with a schedule in it, the river tubing and forest hike moves more.

Is there anywhere to buy food or water?

No. That is part of why it is quiet. Bring what you need.

How is this different from the Valencia waterfall tour?

Same idea, different water. Valencia is a waterfall dropping into pools, about 25 minutes’ walk from the road. Los Coquitos is a pool an hour in. Both are five hours and both are shared.

How do we get to Palomino in the first place?

That part we do drive. Our Santa Marta to Palomino transfer is the usual way in, and we also run Cartagena and Barranquilla.

Ready? Check your date and lock it in