Medellín to Salento
Salento is reached from Medellín by bus from the Terminal del Sur, by a flight to Pereira or Armenia and then 50 km (31 miles) or 25 km (16 miles) by road, or by car south on Ruta 25. Coffee farms in Fredonia, near Manizales and around Salento can break the trip.
| Bus | Flota Occidental from Medellín's Terminal del Sur, ticket office 13, sells Medellín to Salento |
|---|---|
| Fly | Medellín to Pereira: Avianca and LATAM from JMC, Clic from Olaya Herrera. Medellín to Armenia: Avianca from JMC |
| Pereira to Salento | 50 km (31 miles), about 1 hour 10 minutes by car |
| Armenia to Salento | 25 km (16 miles), about 40 minutes by car; minibus every 20 minutes, about 1 hour |
| Road south from Medellín | Ruta Nacional 25: 72 km (45 miles) to La Pintada, 109 km (68 miles) on to Cauyá, 56 km (35 miles) to Cerritos, west of Pereira |
By bus
Medellín's Terminal del Sur serves the coffee region. The terminal operator lists Flota Occidental at ticket office 13 with routes to Pereira, Armenia and Salento. Flota Occidental's own site did not show fares or times when this page was written; ask at the office or by WhatsApp.
If you go via Armenia, minibuses leave its bus terminal for Salento every 20 minutes from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM and take about an hour (Finca El Ocaso's directions). From Pereira, buses to Salento run less often; confirm the times locally.
| Operator | From | To | Fare | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flota Occidental | Terminal del Sur, Medellín (office 13) | Salento | not listed by the operator | not listed by the operator |
| Flota Occidental | Terminal del Sur, Medellín (office 13) | Pereira, Armenia | not listed by the operator | not listed by the operator |
By air, then road
Avianca and LATAM fly from Medellín's José María Córdova airport (JMC) to Pereira, and Clic flies from the city's Olaya Herrera airport to Pereira. Avianca also flies JMC to Armenia. Routes are as Wikipedia lists them on 5 October 2026.
Pereira's Matecaña airport is 2 km (1.2 miles) west of the city, and Salento is 50 km (31 miles) or about 1 hour 10 minutes by car from Pereira. Armenia's El Edén airport is 13 km (8.1 miles) southwest of Armenia, near La Tebaida, and Salento is 25 km (16 miles) or about 40 minutes from Armenia, turning off the Armenia to Pereira road at Boquía.
By car
Ruta Nacional 25 runs south from Medellín: 72 km (45 miles) to La Pintada, 109 km (68 miles) from La Pintada to Cauyá, and 56 km (35 miles) from Cauyá to Cerritos, just west of Pereira, by the segment lengths listed for the road. That is 237 km (147 miles) from Medellín to Cerritos. For the last stretch, Finca El Ocaso's directions from Armenia take the Autopista del Café toward Pereira and turn right about 12 km (7.5 miles) on, after an Éxito gas station, onto a rural road toward Salento.
Several farms warn about their access roads: Café de la Cima recommends a high-clearance 4x4 or its transfer from Fredonia, and Finca El Ocaso's last stretch is unpaved.
Farms along the way and in Salento
Café de la Cima is in Fredonia, in the hills of southwest Antioquia; its day tour of about five hours includes lunch, and it sells round-trip transport from Medellín.
Hacienda Venecia's directions say direct buses from Medellín stop at the San Peregrino bridge on the Autopista del Café, where the farm picks guests up for free. Hacienda Guayabal is at km 3 on the road from Chinchiná to Pereira. Both have rooms, so the trip can be split over two days.
In Salento, Finca El Ocaso and Finca Buenos Aires take walk-ins for their standard tours.
Café de la CimaCoffee
Fredonia
A small family coffee farm at 1,800 m (5,900 feet) in Fredonia, southwest of Medellín, open to visitors since 2014.
Finca El OcasoCoffee
Salento
A coffee farm and small hotel 5 km (3 miles) from the main square of Salento.
Finca Buenos AiresCoffee
Salento
A coffee farm near Salento with a two-hour coffee tour along trails and viewpoints that ends with a tasting.