Getting from Medellin to Salento can be very difficult and exhausting…

…if you don’t know the best routes to get to and from the beautiful Colombian cities.

Salento, Colombia is a popular travel destination in Colombia. The famous Valle del Cocora is located in Salento which is home to the tallest palm trees in the world. Once you reach Salento, you’ll need to hike to reach the break-taking palm trees in the valley. You should definitely add it to your list of places to see in Colombia (if you haven’t already).

The journey to get from Medellin to Salento is not as easy as you think. It requires a little more planning and patience to get to the popular town.

But it’s certainly worth it if you love nature, hiking and the great outdoors. This is especially great if you are looking to escape city life for a little while and enjoy the Colombian scenery.

Here are the best ways to get from Medellin to Salento without much hassle.

QUICK ANSWER: How To Get From Medellin To Salento

Summary: The best way to get from Medellin to Salento is by plane to a small town called Pereria. From there, you can take a bus to Salento which only takes an hour. This is the fastest way to get from Medellin to Salento and you can easily book tickets online here.

The cheapest way is to take the Medellin to Salento bus which only costs $15 USD but it takes 8+ hours of driving. This is the fastest way to get to Salento from Medellin and Getting From Medellin To Salento – All You Need To Know

Looking to travel from Medellin to Salento? It’s not the easiest journey and certainly not for the faint-hearted!

Both choices are great and it just depends on the amount of time you have, how comfortable you want your journey to be and how much you’re willing to spend to visit the famous Valle del Cocora.

I’ll be sharing the fastest way to get there and cheapest way to get there.

From Medellin To Salento: The Fastest Way

Short on time and want to get from Medellin to Salento as quick as possible? This is the best, quickest and smoothest option for you.

Option #1: Fly Into Salento From Medellin

Your best option is to fly from Medellin to a nearby airport (Pereira) and take a 1-hour transfer from there. The flight duration is only about 45 minutes and the transfer is around 1 hour, ultimately getting you from Medellin to Salento in 2 hours (if all goes well).

Other than this option being the fastest, it is also the smoothest journey. The road option can come with complications you might not want to encounter (traffic, police and roadblocks). With the route, you will easily get from Medellin to Salento with little to no delays (other than flight delays which aren’t as often as the roadblocks).

Flights are starting from only $25 USD for a one-way ticket which is very affordable. too!

From Medellin To Salento: The Cheapest Way

Got some time on your side and want the cheapest option for getting from Medellin to Salento? This is the most relatively inexpensive option that will get you from point A to B.

Option #2: Take The Bus To Salento From Medellin

Taking the bus will cost much less than a flight. The one-way ticket price is around $15-$20 USD depending on your route and it will take around 6.5 hours. Or so they say…

…If you take the bus, don’t trust the duration it’ll take to get you from Medellin to Salento. While they usually say 5-7 hours (as Google claims), with buses in Medellin it’s not always accurate. The best thing to do is to add 2-3 hours to the time they claim to get there. Why the delay?

In Colombia, it’s anything and everything – roadblocks, police checks and possibly some traffic too. Sometimes it’ll be one or the other and other times, it’ll be all three! That’s just how it goes and you’ll learn to enjoy the ride/journey over the destination.

Direct Bus From Medellin To Salento

• Company: Flota Occidental
• Price: $68,000 COP ($15 USD)+
• Departure Point: Terminal de Transportes del Sur
• Departure Times: 8am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm

Make sure to head to Terminal del Transportes del Sur (main bus terminal) to catch the direct bus from Medellin to Salento. The company you’re looking for is Flota Occidental.

This company has direct and indirect buses to Salento depart from as early as 8am till 2pm. We highly recommend getting the early bus because it’s best to arrive in Salento before it gets dark.

How To Book Your Bus From Medellin To Salento

You can book your bus from Medellin to Salento in 2 ways:

1. In-person at the counter
2. Online booking system

If you want to buy it in-person, you need to go to Terminal del Sur Medellin. You can easily take a Uber here and they will drop you off at the entrance. Once you enter, look for the company or ask around for Flora Occidental. They will show you which ticket counter to go to and buy your ticket. We suggest buying in advance to ensure you have a reserved seat, otherwise you can also buy it on your departure day but it’s a little riskier.

The most convenient option is the 2nd one because you can easily book it in advance. There’s no need to go to the terminal ahead of time and it secures your spot on the bus! Some people will book on the spot but you may not always get a seat – you’d be surprised how often it can happen.

One of the most trusted online booking website is Bookaway. We highly recommend booking a day time bus because you don’t want to arrive in Salento at past night time (at least we didn’t)! You can book the exact Medellin to Salento bus route here. The cost on the site is $16.63 USD for the entire 7+ hour journey.

You will have to add your passport number when booking. This seems like the norm around Colombia, we had to show our ID cards when we bought tickets for any of our day trips from Medellin!

Indirect Bus From Medellin To Salento

Couldn’t get a ticket on the direct bus? You’ve got another way to get to Salento, still and that’s via the indirect bus. Flota Occidental also offers an indirect bus to Salento which takes you from Medellin to Armenia. From Armenia, you can transfer and take a bus to get to Salento itself – this will be about an hour-long journey.

Where Is Salento Anyway?

Salento, Colombia is located in the department of Quindo.

This small town is located 154 miles (248 km) away from Medellin. Salento is about the same distance from Bogota as Medellin. The drive will take about 6-8 hours if you travel from Bogota to Salento.

Is There An Airport In Salento?

No. There is no airport in Salento. The closest airports nearby are Pereira, Manizales or Armenia.

From these towns, it will take approximately 1-2 hours of driving time to get to the beautiful town of Salento. There’s no point in flying to Bogota even if it looks closer than Medellin on the map – they are almost the same distance apart.

How Long Is The Journey From Medellin To Salento?

The length of the journey depends on how you get from Medellin to Salento. There are certainly faster ways to get there and slower but cheaper ways. It’s up to you based on how quickly you want to get there and/or if you’re staying in Salento for more than a couple of days.

Here’s how long it roughly takes each transport option from Medellin to Salento:

By Plane: 45 Minute Flight.

It only takes 45 minutes in the air to get from Medellin to Salento – making this the fastest way to get there.

You do have to get to Medellin Airport and land in a nearby town (Pereira, Manizales, Armenia). Once you land, it takes about an hour’s drive to get to Salento!

By Bus: 8+ Hour Drive.

You might be searching it on Google Maps and it says it only takes 5-6 hours which in theory works but… It’s Colombia time and there will be things along the way that stop and deter the bus journey.

Just expect never to arrive on time while traveling the countryside of Colombia and you’ll be better off! Expect more like 8+ hours and it’ll be a more accurate representation of the journey time.

Is A Weekend Trip From Medellin To Salento Enough?

Yes! A weekend trip is enough time to get from Medellin to Salento, hike the Valle del Cocora, visit coffee plantations and all of that! You can definitely spend longer if you want to get the small-town vibes, immerse yourself in nature and truly explore the coffee region.

You can also do a quick round-trip journey. Lots of people go down just for the Valle del Cocora and stay for only 1 night. This is way too fast for our taste, but it’s definitely possible! We would only recommend this if you’re short on time and don’t think you’ll ever come back to Colombia. Otherwise, make sure to plan in advance to see the Valle del Cocora so you have the time to actually enjoy it.

Looking for a quicker trip from Medellin? Check out our favorite day trips from Medellin here.

Is It Easy To Get From Medellin To Salento?

Yeah, we think it definitely can be if you plan ahead!

You have two options to get from Medellin to Salento: by plane or by bus. We highly recommend the plane if you want to get to Salento quickly and it’s also the most comfortable option. The bus ride will take all day long but it is the cheaper option if you want to save some cash.

Whichever way you decide to get from Medellin to Salento, we know you will enjoy your time in this beautiful region of Colombia. The beautiful mountainous landscape, interesting coffee region and famous wax palm trees will make the journey more than worth it!