Salento is a great base for exploring the Cocora Valley and if you have the time, you can include a day trip to Filandia. This colorful town is just a one hour ride from Salento and offers a slightly different experience. While Salento can feel like it exists just for tourists, Filandia feels more lived in. Don’t get me wrong, it is a small town with not a lot to do, but it can still be a worthwhile day trip from Salento.
Here’s everything you need to know about planning a day trip to Filandia.
What to Do on a Day Trip to Filandia
Filandia is very light on sights, but it’s a very small town so that’s to be expected. But, if you’re planning a day trip to Filandia, here’s what you should focus on.
Wander the Colorful Streets
If you’re taking a day trip to Filandia from Salento, you’ve likely already experienced the colorful streets of Salento. However, that’s no excuse for not exploring the colorful streets of this small town. I think Filandia is just as colorful as Salento with some people arguing that it’s even more colorful.
Walk through the town and enjoy the bursts of color that seem to be everywhere.
Visit Mirador Colina Iluminada
Located just outside of Filandia, you’ll find a large structure. This is the Mirador Colina Iluminada and climbing to the top offers a nice view of the surrounding area. If you’re walking, plan about a 15 to 20 minute walk from Filandia’s main square to reach the Mirador. Then, you’ll have to pay your entrance fee (12,000 COP at the time of writing) and can begin your climb to the top.
Compared to other structures I’ve climbed (La Piedra del Peñol near Guatapé comes to mind), climbing the Mirador Colina Iluminada is pretty easy. Sure there’s stairs, but there’s fewer stairs and there’s opportunities for views at every level (with options to stop at every level for those views). Take your time and make sure to take in the views from all directions.
Note that if you arrive early in the morning, there may be fog covering the structure. You should be able to see the structure from a decent distance, so if you can’t, find something else to do for an hour and let the fog lift. Since the whole point of visiting is for the views in the surrounding area, it seems silly to go when it’s super foggy and the views will be minimal.
Shop for Crafts on Calle del Tiempo Detenido
It wouldn’t be a tourist town without some shopping and Calle del Tiempo Detenido is the best place to do it. Along the colorful street, you’ll find plenty of shops selling the typical tourist souvenirs, but also plenty of more unique handicrafts as well. If you’re looking for a souvenir from Colombia, here’s a great place to look.
People Watch in Bolivar Park
Bolivar Park is the main square in Filandia. Despite being a small town, the main square constantly feels busy. There’s people watching galore here and it’s nice to just find a bench and sit.
Along the square you’ll also find cafes (covered next) and Filandia’s church. Pop into the church for a quick peak. There’s also numerous street food stalls in case you want a tasty treat.
Relax in a Cafe
Filandia is light on sights, but it is not light on cafes. Join the locals and sit for a coffee (or juice or pastry) and relax. There are plenty of opportunities to do so and it seems silly to not take advantage of it on your day trip. And if you’re killing time before your Willy back to Salento, well, this is a great way to do it.
How Long Do You Need in Filandia
If I’m being honest, you need less time that you probably think. I took a day trip to Filandia and while I’m glad I went, I didn’t feel like there was a whole lot there (and another traveler I met at Mirador Colina Iluminada felt the same way). So what exactly does that mean?
I’d say give yourself about a half day for Filandia. That gives you enough time to stroll the streets, get some lunch, and visit Mirador Colina Iluminada all without feeling rushed.
How to Get to Filandia
Getting to Filandia is pretty easy on the surface, but can require some advanced planning. Here’s how to plan your transportation for your day trip to Filandia.
From Salento
From Salento’s main square, Willys leave every hour, on the hour bound for Filandia. They depart from the same place as the Willys for the Cocora Valley, so just get in that same line.
Now here’s the catch with the Willys. For the Cocora Valley, the Willys leave when they are full, but for Filandia, the Willys only leave once per hour. That means if the Willy is full, you’ll have to wait for the next available Willy, which might not be for another hour or more. This is what happened to me, when I showed up shortly after 9:00 am. The Willys were full and the next available Willy wasn’t until 11:00 am.
Luckily for me there was a family of three in front of me who were also trying to go to Filandia. We were able to hire a Willy for 100,000 COP to take us all to Filandia on the spot. Was this more expensive? Absolutely, though not terrible more expensive. The traditional, scheduled Willy costs 10,000 COP one way. The private Willy cost 100,000 COP total, so my share was 25,000 COP. Yes it’s more, but the alternative was waiting another two hours (and since it typically rained in the afternoon, I wanted to go early).
Note that if the Willys are fully and you don’t want to pay for a private Willy, the alternative is to use a series of buses. First, go to the Salento bus station and find a bus heading in the direction of Pereira and ask to be dropped at Las Cruces. From Las Cruces, orient yourself so you can get on the road heading to Filandia and wait for another bus to show up. It will be cheaper than the private Willy, but potentially more time consuming.
So how do you avoid all of this and make the journey stress free? Book your ticket for the Filandia Willy early. The evening before you wish to depart, stop by the stand and ask for a ticket for Filandia for the next day for whichever time you prefer (I’d recommend trying to take the 9:00 am Willy). Then the next day, you just have to show up right before 9:00 and you’ll be on your way without any issue.
From Armenia
Cootracir makes the journey from Armenia to Filandia numerous times per day. According to their website, they depart every fifteen minutes and connect Filandia with Armenia’s main bus station (though you can get on and off at other stops along the route). The journey costs 8000 COP.
From Pereira
Lastly, if you’re staying in Pereira, you can still make a day trip to Filandia. Expreso Alcala makes the journey from Pereira to Filandia every hour, starting at 6:00 am. The journey costs 12,400 COP.
How to Get Back to Salento from Filandia
When you’ve finished your day trip to Filandia, you’ll need to get back to Salento. Personally, I recommend booking your return ticket as soon as you arrive in Filandia. Yes, it can be limiting to have a fixed return time, but given that the Willys only run every hour, you’ll want to make sure that you are able to catch a Willy (otherwise you’ll be paying for an expensive taxi).
Unlike in Salento, it’s not obvious where you need to buy your ticket. Head into the El Coquí restaurant, which is located right on the main square and right next to where the Willys park. Towards the back of the restaurant and you’ll find a tiny ticket office on your right. Here’s where you can buy your ticket for the Willy. Like I said, it’s not obvious and I wouldn’t have found it if it wasn’t for a nice German guy who told me where to go.
Final Thoughts
If I’m completely honest, I expected to fall in love with Filandia, but I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed my day trip and am so glad that I visited, but it didn’t blow me away which leads me to believe that I had way to high of expectations. Does that mean that you shouldn’t visit? Absolutely not. Visit Filandia and experience this small town for yourself. Just have more reasonable expectations than I did.
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