Minca Madness

After our gruelling journey from Cartagena, we know we’ve made the right call pushing to get here as the morning sun beams through the netting to our room and illuminates all the nature around us.

We start the day fresh with a tasty fruit salad, eggs, coffee and toast in the glamping site’s communal area. It’s very quiet here, deep in the jungle away from the already quaint village of Minca. The friendly hostel worker explains there are only three guest cabins on the site and we have two of them! We make a plan to head back into Santa Marta and find Lottie some new hiking boots, that is top priority. We agree taking a taxi will be easier than taking a collectivo so we can still make the most of our time in Minca even if it’s the more expensive option.

We retrace our steps back to Minca, the jungle isn’t half as scary during the day and the bamboo bridge crosses a fast flowing stream, not a gushing river as it sounded like the night before. A small yellow taxi picks us up and we’re thrilled to be dropped off at Goyo’s house, our taxi driver from last night. He even introduces us to his pet parrot sat on his driveway!

Alex and I work out the maths in the back of the car and agree a fee for Goyo to drive us around Santa Marta, take us back up into Minca and continue onwards to the La Victoria coffee farm. He’s just as jolly as the night before and tells us more about his family and life in Santa Marta as he drives us to the mall. Hilariously, he even comes shopping with us and helps us find a good shoe store in the mall. Lottie finds the perfect pair of boots and we’re back in the cab heading up the mountain again towards Minca. Arriving at La Victoria, we say our goodbyes to Goyo and wish we could have someone like him to rely on for the rest of our trip!

We relax in the small cafe at the coffee farm and enjoy an organic coffee and some cake made on site while waiting for the next tour to start.

It’s a much quicker tour than the one Tim gave us, but it gives Lottie an introduction to how coffee is grown and processed without going into too much detail. We get given an overview of this 130 year old coffee farm. Our guide explains how the location of being built on the hill means they can benefit from gravity in two ways. One is for coffee pickers to be able to decant their pickings into tubes that feed all the way down to the processing plant. The other is utilising the natural water flow to wash, process, and power the hydro-electric generator that hasn’t stopped for 130 years (except for maintenance). We circle back to the cafe and enjoy a second cup of coffee alongside some beers from their new microbrewery, Nevada Cervecería. Alex goes for a coffee stout whilst I’m talked into the Oktoberfest IPA. Alex’s actually tastes like coffee, and with much caffeine consumed we’re all buzzing slightly.

Despite her best efforts to avoid it in the build up to this trip, Lottie has picked up a bit of a cold. We figure it’s best to prioritize getting her some rest with the Lost City Trek looming. It’s a two and a half hour walk back to town… Or a motorbike taxi… Sorry Mum! Time is of the essence so Lottie and I jump on the back of two bikes and begin a new experience for both of us. I only made it onto a moped in Asia so this is new for me too. These local drivers ferry people from Minca to this coffee farm and elsewhere multiple times a day. Needless to say, they know the dirt road like the back of their hand and ensure we’re safe and comfortable on the way down.

It’s a smooth journey and in 15 minutes we’re back at the gates to camp. I take Lottie back to her lodge and suggest she rests up and we’ll see how she is later. While all of this is going on, Alex has started walking from the coffee farm back to town. We agreed earlier that I will try and meet her at the Pozo Azul (Blue Lagoon). I hike back to town and quite tired from all of this back and fourth I spot the same motorbike driver standing by the side of the road with his buddies. “Cuánto es para Pozo Azul?” I ask in my caveman Spanish, “Cinco mil pesos” comes the reply. For one pound I save myself an hour of walking uphill to meet Alex at the entrance to the lagoon. In one of those bizarre coincidences, I arrive at the entrance at the exact same time that Alex does. Perfect.

We don’t have to pay an entrance fee as it’s so late in the day that the lifeguards are off duty. We’re more just in the mood for a wander and a look at the lagoon rather than jumping off waterfalls so we say we’ll be careful and head on down. The lagoon is a nice spot and local families play with their children in the refreshingly cool water. We make time for some lunch as by this point it’s getting on for 4pm. We have a bit of a paddle but reason it’s best to save ourselves for the big trek.

On the way back, we discuss all of the possible outcomes of what we do if Lottie is too ill to manage the trek. Renowned for being a very difficult task even for hikers at full health. We arrive back at camp and I nervously make my way up to Lottie’s lodge. I’m relieved to see her sitting out on her terrace in the swing chair, enjoying the view. “Hey Lottie, how are you feeling?” I ask, “I’m alright” she says, sounding bunged up but chirpy, “I’ve packed my bag ready for the trek”. I wonder if she is being a typical Northern (especially a Collins) and putting on a brave face but she reassures me she is up for the challenge to find the Lost City, “Yeh I’m sure it’ll be fine” she says. Greenlight. No matter what, we’ll all find a way through this 60+km trek through the jungle!

On our way back earlier on, Alex and I picked up some medication to treat a cold as well an electrolyte drink to get Lottie back on track. I pass these over and I’m thrilled to hear her say she is hungry, always a good sign when a Collins is hungry, the illness can’t be too serious! I find some Oreo cookies to keep the girls going while I head back into town, now once again in the pitch black to bring back a takeaway meal for us as the glamping site only offers breakfast. I’m pouring with sweat in my raincoat I’ve worn to keep the bugs off. Processing all of the days thoughts and worries in my head as I make my way down to the river crossing using my phone torchlight I realise something… SHIT, I’ve forgotten to bring a set of keys with me to get out the locked gates. No signal to ask Alex to meet me halfway with them. Back up I go.

Having already walked around 20,000 steps today I once more head off for town in the sticky evening air. I arrive drenched in sweat at The Lazy Cat and ask if they do takeaway as Alex really wanted their stir fry. Luckily they do. I grab a bottle of coke from a local Tienda and start my final journey for the day back up to camp. Today has not been ideal prep for the Lost City Trek but nothing ever goes to plan, does it.

I meet the girls back at camp and Lottie already sounds much better than she did earlier. The medicine out here is usually stronger than in the UK and even after just one tablet I can tell they are doing the job. We eat our food and arrange with the camp owner to let us out of the gate at 6.30 in the morning. The glamping site staff have been very generous to us considering we arrived in the dead of night and now want to check-out first thing in the morning. Colombia has a bit of a bad reputation for hostility and aggression yet considering how kind and helpful most people we’ve met out here have been, that is unfounded.

We’ve not had a huge amount of time here in Mince but it still leaves a lasting memory. The beautiful sights and sounds of waking up in the peaceful jungle will stay with us all.

The next morning, the alarm goes off at 6am, all three of us are packed up and ready to go and find the Lost City. Check back soon for our mission report 😉

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Lottie’s thoughts

The glamping site in Minca was an incredible place to stay if not slightly tricky to get to in the dark! The beautiful jungle scene in the morning more than makes up for the night before. Goyo our taxi driver really makes our time here special and unforgettable. I very much enjoyed coming down the mountain on a motorbike, the closest I’ll ever get to in real life DK mountain from Mario Karts and something off the bucket list I didn’t know was on it.

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Adventure – Driving around with Goyo. Alternative views on coffee farm specifics. Trying to find bits of gold in the lagoon water (unsuccessful).

Excitement – First ride on a motorbike (two in one day!). Staying in a remote jungle lodge. Testing out the cold water of the lagoon.

Trauma – Forgetting the keys to get out. Pre-trek nerves.