Minca is a little town of two thousand inhabitants surrounded by stunning nature in the park of Sierra Nevada, Santa Marta.
Cosy, biodiverse and colourful, very colourful; that is Minca. It’s undeniable this natural paradise catches your heart as soon as you get there.
Reaching the town, a few main streets seem to gather the principal shops and restaurants, but after, the place stretches over the hills in a labyrinth of paths and trails that connects houses and other secret sites. The surrounding of Minca is not the most accessible places in the world, so local people made the motorbike the main transportation.
Minca is the entrance door to the Sierra Nevada natural park, the highest mountainous coastline in the world, with 5,775 meters above sea level, which also makes it one of the most attractive tourist attractions in this region of Colombia.
the sound of joyful music always flies among the trees and bamboo to reach wherever you go.
Tourist offers of hostels, restaurants and activities for nature lovers will not be lacking when you come here. One of the peculiarities that Minca has is that it had been able to grow its touristic popularity, but at the same time preserving its essence and original people and culture.
Lina, a local friend, explained to us that only ten years ago, the people of Minca almost didn’t know what tourism was. During the ’80s, as Minca was located in a post-war region, the parents of Lina decided to move to the capital city of Bogotà, where they could establish their family far from the violence. But towards the end of the 90s, when she was two years old, her family came back where they belonged. After growing up in the most rural Minca, Lina remembers how everything changed since she was a child. But as long as those who enter with due respect, Minca will continue to be the natural sanctuary it has always been.
“I feel that Minca is the magic of having it all: surrounded by mountains, with a great variety of endemic birds and an incredible biodiversity”, Lina explains. “Here we find people from all over the world because I think we all come for the same reason. This is a place where we can connect and share in harmony together”.
She’s right when saying the “minqueros” (people who live in Minca) are homey, happy and united. The first day when we arrived, Diana, from the host organization Mision Gaia, took us to an introduction walking around the town. She knew every single person we crossed and everybody was so cheerful. We were amazed.
And the food, hmm… all an experience. In our first meal, they showed us how to prepare the fantastic patacones! Is this kind of big green banana, that cannot be eaten crude, instead they fried it and give them the shape of a cup, to fill them with tasty sauces.
But, the best experience so far, and we’ve only just arrived, has been discovering the Bullerengue traditional dance. Bullerengue is an Afro-descendant dance and song native from the Colombian Caribbean, preserved by oral tradition and instrumented with traditional handmade drums. Diana invited us to a friend’s house -a place that looked more to something like the Edden more than a private garden-, and there, when arriving, those group of black men and women were standing on the stage, on their traditional bright dresses, ready to start.
I think we fell into a trance state between those powerful voices and the crazy beating of the drums; we couldn’t stop dancing and laughing!
And this has been only the first days we are here, but Minca has a lot more to discover. It is also a land of indigenous knowledge, sacred places and coffee plantations. There is a lot of trekking with stunning views to do, and it’s one of the best spots for birdwatchers due to its high density of species.
In addition, we are already preparing a lot of activities with the local community so stay connected because very soon you will know about them and much more.
