After three nights in Salento, we took a willie (Jeep) to the nearby town of Filandia. The folks in Filandia think their town is better, though the folks in Salento say the same. They’re both nice mountain towns centered around a traditional central square. The church on the square in Filandia:
We hiked about 90 minutes out of town to see a double waterfall. The first half of the hike was on paved roads, then we followed dirt roads. We passed lovely scenery and plenty of animals including bunnies (not pictured) and a pig.
We finally came to a property that fronted the creek that had the double waterfall. We paid a small entrance fee and hiked the last 10 minutes down a fairly well maintained but steep and somewhat muddy and slippery trail.
The double waterfall:
The main channel on the left:
Right as we arrived, a group of six came walking up the creek in knee-high boots. Their guide was very surprised to see anyone else at the waterfall. We chatted with the guide and he convinced us that the path in/out that they’d taken, on the other side of the creek, was much easier. He also offered us lunch and a tour back at his coffee finca for about $2.50 each. Even though we had to start by carefully crossing the creek in just sneakers (we did not have knee-high boots), we trusted him and followed him and his group out.
Well. It was not easier. We went up just as steep and muddy and slippery a bank as the other side, though there were some ropes to use for balance and leverage. But then we started following the creek upstream and it became clear why the guide had brought a two-foot machete.
This is looking ahead at the “trail” with the muddy creek at the bottom of the slope.
There’s a trail in here somewhere.
We continued along the steep and muddy banks of the creek for almost an hour. The footing was dicey and we had to cross the creek another four times. It was also super muggy. When we finally got to the finca, we opted out of the coffee tour (we’d done one just two days before) and instead did our best to clean our shoes in a sink behind the house.
Yet, the guide’s wife made a wonderful and hearty lunch (delicious carrot soup, salad, chicken, rice, fried plantain). We chatted with them on the front port he after lunch while enjoying their coffee and making friends with their small dog Quito.
They told us that a willy would be by after dropping kids off coming home from school and we caught a ride back to town when it came by.
Filandia also features a mirador, and theirs is topped by a 27m fall circular building that you can climb to see the view in every direction. It looks like a spaceship on the horizon.
We headed over and took in the views of Filandia and the surrounding countryside.
Finally, a couple of shots from a street in Filandia with a sign stating Calle del Tiempo Detinido, or the Street of Stopped Time.
