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We were ready to check out of the hostel at 6.30am, however as in true Colombian style we didn't leave until 8 as everything seems to take a long time. We took one of the collectivo buses to Santa Marta and then eventually found the right corner for the buses to Minca - we always have to ask several people until we get closer and closer to where we should be! We are quite glad we didn't stay in Santa Marta itself as it is extremely busy, noisy, and a lot of traffic - not the kind of place you want to be in this heat!
Minca is a lovely small village at the foothills of Sierra Nevada, about an hour away from Santa Marta. We walked for about two hours through rainforest on a stony path, surrounded by bamboo and hundreds of brightly coloured butterflies. We could hear loads of birds but they were too high up to spot with the naked eye! We passed quite a few small houses and a couple of hostels amidst the peace and quiet. The landscape surrounding the waterfall was stunning, with loads of different flowers, more butterflies and some bright pink dragonflies. The scenery was probably more impressive than the waterfall itself which was definitely no match for iguazu! We enjoyed the walk anyway and went back the same way we had come to then go an hour in the opposite direction to Pozo Azul, part of the river with natural pools that you can swim in. The pool was quite busy when we arrived with a lot of locals who were diving in from the rocks on the side and trying to ride their bikes through the river! Kat had a quick paddle in a quieter part of the river but I decided not to get wet for the walk back. We stopped for another fresh orange juice before getting the bus back, coincidentally as we were leaving we saw the two Argentinians from the home stay who were really friendly and asked how we were getting on! The journey back was incredibly bumpy as the roads are so bad, somehow Kat still managed to sleep although it didn't look comfy!! We past the house we had stayed at previously (realising now how far away it is from where we should have been!). We spotted a large bright green and yellow iguana at the side of the road, unfortunately we were too slow to get a picture but it looked like it had been sprayed luminous green!
We decided to stay another night in Taganga instead of rushing off to Cartagena, this meant we could relax for the evening after a long day of walking in the heat and we got handmade pizzas and ice cream by the beach! Casa Felipe was full for the night but we were offered a private room belonging to the hostel just down the road, fully equipped with a TV and en suite so we couldn't complain.
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