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How to get from Santa Marta to Minca

BySara & Ryan

So you want to know how to get from Santa Marta to Minca, huh? Well actually the 40-minute journey through the mountains can be made very easily and affordably. To save you some time, we’ll let you know that the cheapest mode of transport is by bus. But we actually think the easiest way is to just grab a taxi!

We took both modes of transport. We actually hired a taxi from Santa Marta to Minca and then took the affordable bus option back to Santa Marta after our trip. So in this travel guide we’ll go into detail about all the different options, how much they cost and more!

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Bus from Santa Marta to Minca

The most popular and affordable way to get from Santa Marta to Minca is by bus. This is definitely the cheap option preferred by budget backpackers and travellers alike.

Driver handing bags in the rain to backpackers who have just arrived on the bus from Santa Marta to Minca.
Backpackers disembarking the bus

How cheap is it? Well we’re glad you asked! We took the bus back from Minca to Santa Marta with the company Cootrasminca. It cost just a measly 9,000 COP, or about $2.26 – not too shabby for a 45-minute bus journey!

Cootrasminca is a colectivo bus company and the main one that runs between Santa Marta and Minca. If you’re heading from Santa Marta to Minca, their office is located at the Mercado Publico de Santa Marta. If you’re returning from Minca to Santa Marta, then the Cootrasminca office you need to head to is right by the bridge in the centre of town.

People waiting outside the Cootrasminca bus service office in Santa Marta.
The Cootrasminca office in Santa Marta

In both cases, you just show up at whatever time suits you. Once you’ve purchase dyour tickets at the office, the bus will leave once it’s full. So there’s no daily schedule and you can expect a possible wait of up to 20-minutes to leave. We personally had to wait 15-minutes, which wasn’t so bad!

One last thing to mention about the bus, the journey winds through the mountains and the bus itself is pretty cramped. It was a bit of a sweatbox and resulted in us getting quite a bit of travel sickness. Actually, we usually don’t get travel sick! So prepare for a stuffy and twisty ride!

Ryan and Sara taking a selfie inside the Cootrasminca bus waiting to go back to Santa Marta.
Waiting in a hot and muggy bus, ready to go back to Santa Marta!

Don’t travel without 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!

Taxi from Santa Marta to Minca

If you’re not travelling on a budget, we definitely think that taking a taxi from Santa Marta to Minca is the way forward! When we went, we left pretty early at 7am. We couldn’t be bothered to mess around with buses that early in the morning. 

Ryan and Sara taking a selfie in the taxi from Santa Marta to Minca.
In our taxi en route to Minca!

So we ordered a cab on InDrive (an app used in Santa Marta, like Uber!) and had a driver come to us instead. The 40-minute taxi ride was pleasant and flew by quickly. It only cost us 40,000 COP ($10.25), which when split between Sara and I, wasn’t that much more expensive than the bus!

Alternatively, the yellow servicio publico taxis are always driving around Santa Marta. It’s easy enough to flag one down and catch yourself a taxi that way. The price may be a tad more expensive than InDrive but not too much more.

View out the front of the taxi looking at another yellow taxi driving from Santa Marta to Minca.
These yellow taxis are incredibly affordable!

If you’re looking for a simple and easy way to get between Santa Marta and Minca, and you’re not on a strict budget, then we fully recommend a taxi.

What to expect in Minca

Minca is an absolutely stunning little village in the middle of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains. As you can imagine, being in Northern Colombia, the unorthodox mix of rainforest and mountain environments come together to offer a unique climate experience.

Ryan and Sara hugging while overlooking the mountains and Santa Marta from Los Pinos viewpoint.
Overlooking Santa Marta from Los Pinos viewpoint at sunrise

Being in the mountains, there are tons of hikes in the area to undergo. We embarked on a hike from town up to Cascada Oído del Mundo and Marinka Waterfalls on one day, and the next morning hiked from our hostel to the Los Pinos viewpoint. We also walked from Minca centre to Pozo Azul which wasn’t a bad little hike either!

In terms of attractions, you can expect many coffee and chocolate farms in the area. We visited Finca La Victoria and learned all about the coffee industry in Colombia, from planting the seed to delivering the final product.

Ryan and Sara taking a selfie while standing in front of Marinka Waterfall.
Enjoying the fresh water at Marinka Waterfalls

Finally, it’s worth noting that taxis can only take you so far in Minca. A lot of the roads are not paved and instead you’ll need to rely on either the mototaxi network, like we did, or you can hire either your own dirt bike, or a 4×4 to get yourself around.

Best tours in Minca

There’s so much to see in Minca and we managed to pack a whole lot of exploring into our trip to this beautiful town. So we wanted to round out a few of our favourite activities for you and provided the best tours in Minca below:

  • Minca Full Day Tour – a great way to see Minca if you only have limited time available. This tour offers pick-up and drop off in Santa Marta and will take you to a coffee and cocoa farm, for a traditional Colombian lunch and offers you a dip in the Minca River.
  • Discover Minca – another day tour from Santa Marta, but this one also takes you to Pozo Azul, a popular waterfall to visit in Minca, as well as the coffee and chocolate finca.
  • Minca Motorcycle Tour – a unique experience where you get to ride your own motorbike around Minca. Starting at Pozo Azul, this experience takes you all the way up the mountain to La Tagua and then to Hostel Sierra Minca for lunch – which is where we stayed!
  • Birdwatching Minca – birdwatching is a very popular activity in the areas surrounding Minca and one of the best things to do. Full of tropical species and birds of paradise, head out with an expert who will tailor the tour around your own birdwatching experience.
A tour guide holding pre-roasted coffee beans at Finca la Victoria.
Pre-roasted coffee beans on out Finca la Victoria tour
Ryan and Sara paddling in the river at Pozu Azul waterfall.
Get excited to stop by Pozo Azul!

Where to stay in Minca

Finally, if you’re heading to Minca, we have a few recommendations on where to stay based on our own experience:

  • Hostal Sierra Minca – this is a must! This hostel is situated around 1600m above sea level in the mountain range. We loved our time here and they offer 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 – when we were looking for accommodation in the centre of Minca, this was the best budget option! At just $17/night for a double room, we were pretty happy about our value for money here and the location is amazing!
  • 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.
Aerial shot of Hostal Sierra Minca amongst the Colombia forest at sunrise.
The whole of Hostal Sierra Minca
Ryan and Sara cuddling while standing on giant white hands made of rope at Hostal Sierra Minca.
A unique viewpoint at Hostal Sierra Minca

Check out our other Minca guides!

We hope that our guide covered everything you need to know about getting from Santa Marta to 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!

We are Sara and Ryan - a couple from Switzerland and the UK respectively.

Travel is a passion for us, but not only that, it's also our jobs. We've been digital nomads in the travel industry for almost three years and full-time traveling together for almost two of them.

With over 10 years of combined travel experience to over 40+ different countries, we're here to bring you the most comprehensive and information worldwide travel guides on the internet. Our main goal is to make sure our guides prepare our readers for whatever trips are planned ahead.

So lets cross every border together!

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