Cascada Oído del Mundo in Minca: A hidden waterfall!
Cascada Oído del Mundo, or Ear of the World Waterfall in English, is a lesser known tourist destination in the small Colombian town of Minca. It’s a small two-tier waterfall with a fairly large swimming hole, perfect to escape the Caribbean sun for a few hours!
When we visited Minca, we almost missed this waterfall because the pathway down from the road is super hidden. We don’t want you to make the same mistake! So in this article we’ll cover where Cascada Oído del Mundo is exactly, the best time to visit and what to bring!
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Where is Cascada Oído del Mundo
As we mentioned, Cascada Oído del Mundo is in Minca, but where on earth is Minca?
Minca is a small village in Northern Colombia settled within the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range. As the name of the mountains suggests, the closest city to Minca is Santa Marta. So for starters, you’ll need to get yourself from Santa Marta to Minca.
Cascada Oído del Mundo itself is located just under 2km south from Minca, up into the Sierra Nevada mountains. You can find it on google maps here.
How to get to Cascada Oído del Mundo from Minca
There are a couple of ways to get from Minca to Cascada Oído del Mundo. One is more strenuous than the other, but it’s also more safe!
Moto taxi
The easiest and quickest way of getting from Minca to Cascada Oído del Mundo is by moto taxi. We found that there were a lot of moto taxis around Minca, especially in the centre. All the drivers work for the same company for set prices, so you know you won’t be ripped off!
A moto taxi from Minca centre to Ear of the World will only set you back about 10,000 COP ($2.53) and takes less than 10-minutes.
Some things to remember are that you need to take the number of a moto taxi driver when you arrive as they don’t stop at Cascada Oído del Mundo too often. Also, we weren’t given helmets when riding and we doubt you’ll be given one either!
Don’t forget travel insurance!
Sara and I have been using Safety Wing for over two years now! They specialise in nomad travel insurance, so whether you’re travelling long-term or on a short trip, they got you covered!
Hiking
The longer, more strenuous yet safer and cheaper option is to hike! We actually decided against hiking because it’s quite an incline and it’s super humid – two things Sara hates while hiking!
The trek from Minca to the Ear of the World is just over 1.7km and should take roughly 40-minutes. The roads are very uneven though and if you go in the rainy season, be careful of landslides and deep puddles.
Things to know about Cascada Oído del Mundo
Cascada Oído del Mundo is a great place to chill out for a few hours, but we’re sure you have some burning questions about visiting. Don’t worry, we’re here to answer them all for you!
Entrance fee
You can leave your wallets at home because visiting the Ear of the World waterfall is free!
We just turned up on our moto taxis, which dropped us right at the trailhead, and walked down. There were a couple of locals at the trailhead offering drinks and snacks but other than that, you’re good to go!
The trail to Cascada Oído del Mundo
The trail from the main road to Oído del Mundo is super simple. It’s quite a sharp hill to walk down to start with but it soon levels out. As you get closer to the waterfall you’ll have a very small technical rock scramble to conquer. Luckily, there’s a nice bamboo railing for you to hold on to.
Overall, it only takes about 5-10 minutes to get to and from Cascada Oído del Mundo, so it’s very easy and short!
Best time to visit
As with every visitor attraction, ever, we recommend getting to the Ear of the World waterfall as early as you can. However, generally this particular waterfall is never too busy as it’s competing for visitors with places such as Pozo Azul and Marinka Waterfalls.
We arrived around midday to Cascada Oído del Mundo and, although there were a few tourists around, overall it was pretty empty. There were only a few people actually swimming and there were plenty of places to leave your stuff!
What to pack
Here’s a list of a few things we’d recommend bringing based on our own experience:
- Swimmers & towel – a very obvious recommendation, but whack it on the packing list just in case!
- Mosquito repellent – ideally you’ll have some on you everywhere you go in Minca. Despite being in the mountains, Minca is also in a tropical rainforest and mosquitos are rife.
- Lunch & snacks – why not use Cascada Oído del Mundo as an excuse to have a picnic! At the very least some snacks would be useful, especially if you hike.
- Adult beverages – after visiting Cascada Oído del Mundo I can confidently say it’s a great place to crack open a couple of cold ones with friends and enjoy the day.
- Sturdy footwear – yes you can probably get down to the Ear of the World waterfall in flip flops, but honestly we wouldn’t recommend it. At the very least wear trainers!
Where to go in Minca after Cascada Oído del Mundo
The Ear of the World waterfall isn’t the only place to visit in Minca, here are a few of our other favourite places that we enjoyed!
Cool off at Marinka Waterfalls
Marinka Waterfalls is another attraction that’s significantly more popular than Cascada Oído del Mundo. Further up the same road another 2km or so, it would be a great place to head to after!
This establishment is a lot more developed than Cascada Oído del Mundo. At Marinka Waterfalls, it cost us 10,000 COP ($2.53) each to enter. There’s changing rooms, toilets and even a restaurant. Around the waterfall itself, they’ve built chairs and a decking to make navigating the area a lot more comfortable.
This is another place that you’ll want to get to early though, as it fills up fast!
Admire Santa Marta from Los Pinos Viewpoint
We went on a sunrise mission to Los Pinos viewpoint from Hotel Sierra Minca, and we were the only ones there! It’s another 2-hours of hiking south from Cascada Oído del Mundo and it’s steep. So if you’re not a keen hiker, we’d highly recommend a moto taxi journey to get there!
From Los Pinos, we had an amazing view across the forest all the way to Santa Marta and the Caribbean sea. The area itself is nothing special, so don’t expect too much, but if you love a viewpoint then this is the spot!
Enjoy a swim Pozo Azul
Pozo Azul is the most popular visitor attraction in Minca. It’s to the east of Minca instead of the South, but it’s incredibly easy to reach. We hiked from Minca to Pozo Azul and we covered the 3.25km distance in just 1-hour.
Similar to Cascada Oído del Mundo, Pozo Azul is a tiered waterfall with a giant swimming hole. Actually, you can trek up the side of Pozo Azul to a second, less busy swimming hole too!
As mentioned, Pozo Azul is popular, thus it gets busy quickly. Tour groups start arriving from Santa Marta at 9am, so we recommend heading around 7-8am instead!
Take a coffee tour at Finca La Victoria
Colombia is well known for its coffee exports, and Minca is a great place to learn about the process! After much research, we landed on a coffee tour at Finca La Victoria as it had the best reviews – we were not disappointed!
For just 25,000 COP ($6.40) each, our guide took us around the entire finca and explained the coffee making process from beginning to end. We learned about how they plant the seeds, how they harvest the beans, how they clean and roast them and more!
Where to stay in Minca
You may be wondering where to stay in Minca? Well we have a few recommendations on where to stay based on our own experience:
Hostal Sierra Minca – we loved our stay here! At 1600m above sea level in the mountain range, this hostel offers both dorm and private rooms, three meals a day, a cheap bar and a pool and hammocks with a view all the way back to Santa Marta.
Hotel Minca Express Relax – the accommodation we chose in the centre of Minca, this was by far the best budget option! At just $17/night for a double room, we were very content and we couldn’t argue with the location!
Masaya Casas Viejas – for a more boutique stay in the mountains, Masaya Casas Viejas offers an infinity pool, massages and views of a lifetime. It’s 30-minutes outside of Minca though so only book this hotel if you’re looking for a jungle retreat with hiking, waterfalls and more!
Mini Cabaña TANOA – for a more unique stay, booking a night or two in these beautiful forest cabañas. Only a 15-minute walk outside of Minca and near Pozo Azul, it’s a great compromise between being close to town and in the middle of nature.
Final thoughts about Cascada Oído del Mundo
Cascada Oído del Mundo (Ear of the World waterfall) is a great alternative to more popular areas like Marinka Waterfalls or Pozo Azul. It’s within easy reach of Minca by walking, is easily accessible by a short trail and offers a nice deep swimming hole to enjoy.
Out of all the places we visited in Minca, we would definitely be looking to head back to Cascada Oído del Mundo again!
Check out our other Minca guides!
- 19 Epic Things to do in Minca: A Complete Guide!
- Cascada Escondida: a guide to Minca’s hidden waterfall
- Los Pinos Minca – A complete guide to the hike and more!
- The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Pozo Azul in Minca, Colombia
- Visiting Finca La Victoria: The Best Coffee Tour in Minca
- How to get from Santa Marta to Minca
- Marinka Waterfalls in Minca: The Ultimate Guide
- 29 Must-Do Things to do in Santa Marta: An Ultimate Guide
- Is Colombia safe to visit in 2024?
We hope that our guide covered everything you need to know about visiting Cascada Oído del Mundo in Minca. We always strive to offer the most accurate and up-to-date information we can but if you think something we’ve said is wrong, please let us know!
