The guide
Horses are part of everyday life around Salento, and several people in town and in Cocora offer rides. Formats, durations and prices vary a lot, so treat everything here as a starting point for questions.
The Santa Rita falls are a different kind of outing: a walk into Reserva Natural Santa Rita, 170 hectares of cloud forest in vereda Boquía, on the road between Salento and the highway.
Before you saddle up
Ask who runs the ride, how long it really is, whether it’s guided, what the horses carry and what happens if it rains. In the rainy season horse and mule traffic breaks up mountain paths, so routes can be rough.
If something feels off about how the animals are treated, walk away — there’s always another way to see the valley.
Santa Rita without a horse
Hikers describe taking a bus towards the highway, getting off at Boquía and walking about a kilometre to the Santa Rita farm, paying the entry, then about another kilometre on a good path to the falls.
At weekends, buses back from Boquía can be hard to catch late in the afternoon — plan your return before about 4 pm.
Saddled up in Cocora Destination photo — not the hostel Río Quindío near Salento — not the Santa Rita falls Destination photo — not the hostel
