How to get from Bogota to Salento

Why visit Salento?

Salento is a charming and colourful town within the mountains and in the heart of Colombia’s coffee region. Despite its small size, it exudes beauty everywhere you go — so much so that the town even inspired aspects of the Disney movie Encanto!

There are two things you must do when in Salento: visit a coffee plantation and hike to the beautiful Cocora Valley, home to the tallest palm trees in the world. Whether you are a coffee lover or a nature lover, Salento is a great place to go.

There are 5 ways to travel the 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Bogota to Salento. You can choose between the bus via Armenia, private transfer, flight via Armenia, bus via Pereira and flight via Pereira . The journey takes 2 hours 30 minutes to 13 hours 30 minutes and the quickest way is by flight via Armenia. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by bus via Armenia with tickets starting at 63,000 COP ($15.10).

The bus is the cheapest way to get from Bogota to Salento. If you travel overnight, you can also save on a night of accommodation. Plus, you get a glimpse of Colombia’s rural landscape!

But there’s a catch: there are no direct buses operating from Bogota to Salento. You’ll have to make a bus transfer either in Armenia or in Pereira.

We think it is best to travel via Armenia. Thanks to the frequency of the buses leaving from Armenia to Salento, you won’t have to wait too long. Buses from Armenia leave every 20 minutes, while buses from Pereira leave every one or two hours.

Also, in case of delays, the chance of missing the last bus connection is lower when you travel via Armenia. The last bus departs from Armenia to Salento around 20:00, while the last one from Pereira to Salento leaves earlier around 18:30.

Whichever route you choose to take, we recommend taking a night bus for this long journey —preferably the bus with the latest departure time — so you don’t arrive too early in the morning in Armenia or Pereira. Alternatively, you can leave Bogota early in the morning so you can arrive in Salento before the end of the day.

Most buses operating from Bogota to Armenia depart from Terminal de Transporte Salitre, the main bus station in the city. If you’re coming from the tourist centre in La Candelaria, you can get to Salitre in two ways: by taxi for around 25,000 COP ($6) or by Transmilenio bus for 2,000 COP ($0.50).

Some buses on the Bogota-Armenia route also depart from Terminal del Sur, which you can get to by taxi for about 30,000 COP ($7.20). But for safety and convenience, we recommend taking one of the buses departing from Terminal de Transporte Salitre. We give more details on how to get to Salitre below.

Taking a taxi from La Candelaria to Terminal de Transporte Salitre is fast and direct. The taxi can even drop you off at the exact Module you want (there are five modules in Salitre), so you won’t have a hard time finding your way around the bus terminal.

A word of advice: don’t hail a taxi from the street when in Bogota. Taxi drivers in this city are known for their faulty meters. Sometimes, they also take the longer route with foreign passengers so you end up paying more.

A better way to get a taxi in Bogota would be to order one via Uber or ask your hotel to hail one for you. Taxi rates start from 25,000 COP ($6) and you can reach Terminal de Transporte Salitre in around 30 minutes.

Looking for a cheaper way to get to Salitre from Bogota city centre? A bus ride costs only 2,000 COP ($0.50), but the journey takes about 1 hour and includes a bit of walking. Not a great idea if you’re travelling with big luggage.

To catch the bus, head to Universidades Bus Station in La Candelaria. Take Bus #1 for around 45 minutes to El Tiempo-Maloka, the nearest Transmilenio bus stop to Salitre Terminal. From El Tiempo-Maloka, it’s a 15-minute walk across several pedestrian passes to Terminal de Transporte Salitre.

Kate’s insider tip: You need a Tullave card to pay for your fare on Transmilenio buses. If you don’t already have one, you can buy this card for 6,000 COP ($1.40) at any Transmilenio bus station in Bogota.

Terminal de Transporte Salitre is quite big and can be intimidating for first-time visitors. But don’t, there are signs everywhere and finding your way around is easy.

This bus station is divided into five modules. Buses operating on the Bogota-Armenia route depart from the blue Module 2.

Which company to take?

You can choose from a number of companies offering several trips daily. The most popular operator for this route is Expreso Bolivariano, which many consider as the most comfortable and safest bus company. Bolivariano offers large buses with toilets, AC, Wi-Fi, and sockets to charge your devices.

Other popular companies include Flota Magdalena and Velotax.

Buy tickets online for convenience

We recommend buying your tickets online beforehand for convenience. This way, you won’t have to arrive very early at the bus station or worry about not being able to secure a seat for your desired time.

Flota Magdalena and Velotax are available for online booking on BookAway. If you want to travel with Expreso Bolivariano, you can pre-book a ticket via BusBud. Bus ticket prices start from 55,000 COP ($13.20)

Some bus companies will tell you that the travel time from Bogota to Armenia takes only about 7.5 hours. But that’s not really possible. Given traffic conditions and the number of road constructions along the way, this bus journey takes around 7h 20m - 9h.

Terminal de Salitre

2G Gold

Terminal de Armenia

08:00

7h 50m

15:50

10:00

7h 50m

17:50

20:30

7h 50m

04:20

21:40

7h 50m

05:30

22:30

7h 50m

06:20

Expreso Bolivariano

From 55,000 COP ($13.20)

Compare prices

• 24/7 customer support

55,000 COP ($13.20)

08:00

7h 50m

15:50

10:00

7h 50m

17:50

Check on BookAway

Busbud

62,000 COP ($15)

20:30

7h 50m

04:20

22:30

7h 50m

06:20

Check on Busbud

• 24/7 customer support

63,000 COP ($15.20)

21:40

7h 50m

05:30

Check on BookAway

You will be dropped off at Armenia Bus Station (Terminal de Transportes de Armenia). Walk towards the parking lot until you find the sign saying “Salento.” Here you can catch your second bus.

Most of the time someone will walk through the station to call for and collect passengers to fill up the bus going to Salento.

This is a smaller, local bus that takes you to Salento Bus Terminal in 45 minutes. A bus ticket costs around 6,000 COP ($1.40).

There’s no timetable. The Armenia-Salento bus runs every 20 minutes or when full, from 05:00 in the morning until 20:00 in the evening. You can pay on the bus, to the driver or the attendant.

Travelling by bus from Bogota to Salento via Pereira takes a little longer than the Armenia route. The journey to Pereira takes around 10 hours 30 minutes to 13 hours 30 minutes, two hours longer than the bus to Armenia.

In Pereira, you’ll need to transfer to your second bus, which takes you to Salento in about 45 minutes. But unlike the frequent local buses from Armenia to Salento, buses from Pereira to Salento are available only every one to two hours.

Like buses bound for Armenia, Bogota-Pereira buses depart from Terminal de Transporte Salitre. As we mentioned above, you can get from Bogota city centre to Salitre in 2 ways: a 30-minute taxi for about 25,000 COP ($6) and a 1-hour bus for 2,000 COP ($0.50).

Getting to Pereira from Bogota is quite easy because there are buses leaving almost every hour from 06:30 in the morning to 23:00 in the evening.

We also recommend travelling with Expreso Bolivariano for this route, which has bus departures 14 times a day. If you want a more luxurious bus ride, you can travel with Flota Magdalena. Other good choices include Flota La Macarena, Velotax and Expreso Palmira.

Terminal de Salitre

2G Gold

Terminal de Pereira

06:30

8h 30m

15:00

08:00

8h 30m

16:30

16:10

8h 30m

00:40

17:10

8h 30m

01:40

20:50

8h 30m

05:20

23:00

8h 30m

07:30

Expreso Bolivariano

From 64,000 COP ($15.50)

Compare prices

• 24/7 customer support

64,000 COP ($15.50)

08:00

8h 30m

16:30

16:10

8h 30m

00:40

23:00

8h 30m

07:30

Check on BookAway

• 24/7 customer support

74,000 COP ($17.70)

06:30

8h 30m

15:00

17:10

8h 30m

01:40

20:50

8h 30m

05:20

Check on BookAway

For the second part of the trip (Pereira to Salento), Expreso Alcalá is the only bus operator.

It runs less frequently (once every one or two hours, from 06:30 to 18:30) in comparison with the transfer in Armenia (every 20 minutes, from 05:00 to 20:00). Make sure to check the bus schedules.

Buses depart from Pereira Bus Station, the same terminal you arrive in from Bogota. It’s worth noting that these buses depart on “latino times,” which means that delays are rather the rule than the exception!

Travelling by plane from Bogota to Salento is fast and easy. However, you will miss the beautiful scenery along the way. Also, you will still need to transfer as Salento doesn’t have an airport.

From Bogota Airport (El Dorado International Airport, BOG) you have two options, a 1-hour flight to Armenia or a 1-hour flight to Pereira.

Just like the bus, flying to Armenia is more convenient. The bus line from Armenia to Salento is more frequent than from Pereira to Salento.

TIP: If you decide to travel by plane, please consider including a carbon compensation fee to reduce your impact on the environment.

Bogota Airport (El Dorado International Airport) is 12 km west of Bogota city centre. You can get there in two ways: a 30-minute bus for 2,000 COP ($0.50) or a 1-hour private transfer for around 60,000 COP ($14.40).

When heading to Bogota Airport, we recommend asking your hotel’s staff if they can help you get a “white car.” White cars are more expensive than regular yellow taxis, but they’re also more reliable.

It’s not really a good idea to hail a regular taxi from the streets of Bogota. Not a lot of drivers offer a fair rate, and many try to overcharge tourists.

Rates start from 60,000 COP ($14.40) for a white car ride from the city to El Dorado Airport, which takes around 30 minutes.

Why we don’t recommend taking an Uber to Bogota Airport

Uber is technically illegal in Colombia. But because of a loophole in local laws, the ride-hailing app is still able to operate in the country. In fact, it is widely used in big cities like Bogota — except when travelling to/from the airports.

There is a strong police presence at airports and you risk police harassment for both yourself and the driver if you hail an Uber.

Do you still want to take an Uber to Bogota Airport? If yes, you can order a ride through the Uber hailing app. But don’t be surprised if the driver asks to drop you off a distance from the entrance to the airport’s departure gate.

Transmilenio buses are a cheap way to get from Bogota city centre to Bogota Airport. They’re quite convenient too, as long as you’re not travelling during rush hour or carrying bulky luggage. If you are, then we don’t recommend taking the bus!

Pickpockets are very common on these city buses. And if they’re overcrowded, it may be hard to keep track of your valuables.

To take a bus to El Dorado Airport from La Candelaria, head to Universidades Bus Station and hail Bus #1. If your hotel is in any of the northern neighbourhoods like Chapinero, take Bus K86.

Both buses will drop you off at Porta El Dorado, 4 km away from Bogota Airport. At Porta El Dorado, you can transfer to a feeder bus that will take you the rest of the way to the airport for free. These feeder buses are green in colour and have a sign in front that says “Aeropuerto.”

The bus ride from La Candelaria to Bogota Airport takes about 1 hour. From Chapinero, it’s about 30 minutes. A bus ticket costs 2,000 COP ($0.50).

Wingo, Avianca and Latam Airlines are the carriers offering flights from Bogota to Salento via Armenia. Wingo often offers the cheapest flight tickets, but it’s not available daily. You can check Skyscanner beforehand for its availability.

Airfares start from 120,000 COP ($29) – 160,000 COP ($38). Flight time is about 1 hour.

Flights arrive at Armenia Airport (El Eden International Airport). From the airport, a 15-minute taxi drive will bring you to the bus terminal for about 25,000 COP ($6).

As we discussed in the bus section above, you will find the local buses to Salento just outside Armenia Bus Terminal. A bus ticket costs 6,000 COP ($1.40).

If you opt for a taxi from Armenia Airport directly to Salento, expect to pay about 95,000 COP ($23) – 120,000 COP ($29).

Flying from Bogota to Salento via Pereira takes just about as long as the flight via Armenia. The only difference is that there are fewer buses operating on the Pereira to Salento route.

That means that there’s a chance you’ll be waiting a while for your connecting bus. And if you miss the last bus of the day, you’ll have no choice but to take an expensive taxi from Pereira to Salento.

As we mentioned above, you can reach Bogota Airport from the city centre in two ways: via a 30-minute taxi or a 1-hour bus. Fares start from 60,000 COP ($14.40) and 2,000 COP ($0.50), respectively.

Flights from Bogota to Salento via Pereira (Matecaña International Airport) are available several times a day. There are flight departures from 05:00 in the morning through 22:00 in the evening.

But keep in mind that the last bus from Pereira to Salento departs at 18:30. So it’s best to take one of the earlier flights if you want to arrive in Salento on the same day.

You can choose from three carriers: Avianca, Latham Airlines and EasyFly. Prices vary between 130,000 COP ($31) – 180,000 COP ($43). The flight takes around 1 hour.

From Pereira Airport, you will first need to take a taxi to Pereira Bus Terminal. This takes about 15 minutes and costs around 20,000 COP ($4.80).

From the terminal you can take a 45-minute bus to Salento. A ticket costs 8,000 COP ($1.80). You can get more details about this in the bus section for Pereira to Salento above.

Another option is to take a taxi from Pereira Airport to Salento. The journey time is about 1 hour and this door-to-door service costs about 140,000 COP ($34). You will find a taxi queue just outside the airport. Make sure to agree on a price before getting in the taxi! No driver in Pereira will agree to turn on the meter for this long-distance taxi journey.

Looking for a direct transfer from Bogota to Salento? Then booking a private transfer is the way to go. One important thing to note though is that this journey will take around 7 hours 45 minutes. Therefore we strongly recommend booking with a trusted driver.

If you have any local contacts, you can ask them. But otherwise, we recommend booking your private transport via BookAway.

BookAway offers professional drivers and nice cars (more comfortable and spacious than regular taxis). You can get a 3-seater private car with prices starting from 986,000 COP ($235).