Largest Hammock in the World
Minca is a particularly lovely spot for a day trip. It’s up in the mountains and the view there really is stunning. The area boasts a nice waterfall, unique birds, and jungle trails for hiking. One cool thing we got to do in Minca is venture up to Casa Elemento to visit the largest hammocks in the world! We were tired from our excursion to Parque Tayrona the day before and wanted a relaxing day before heading off to Medellín, and Casa Elemento was perfect for this.
We took a bus from the public market in Santa Marta to Minca. Like the buses to Parque Tayrona, these leave every half hour, so we slept in a bit and decided to catch an 11 a.m. bus. When we arrived the bus station in Minca, we looked up how far Casa Elemento was and found it that it was half an hour by walking up the side of a mountain. We usually always did our research before hand, but since this was a lazy day we had decided to wing it, and a half hour walk did not sound fun to our exhausted bodies.
We asked how much it would cost for a taxi up to Casa Elemento and found out it was crazy expensive. The guy said the cheaper and more popular option was to take a motor bike up. I froze and widened my eyes upon hearing this. Motor bike!? For some reason, I imagined having to drive this contraption up the mountain myself. We spent close to five minutes debating whether or not to take the motor bike, and eventually decided we had no choice because we literally could not afford the taxi in cash. After another minute of convincing ourselves we could definitely operate a motor bike after being shown how to in a foreign language, the guy pointed us to two men standing next to motor bikes. Phew - we would just be passengers!
The motor bike ride up the mountain was exhilarating. I had been on the back of my grandpa’s motorcycle as a kid, but this was entirely different. We would accelerate up the bumpy dirt roads and honk as we made tight turns around winding corners. The drivers all seemed to know each other and would honk or wave at the ones coming down the mountain. And on the ride up, we passed little cafes, some hostels and buildings mid-construction, and gigantic twisting bamboo trees. Looking out into the mountains with the sun shining through all the trees and foliage with the wind running through my hair, I couldn’t help but feel a little giddy inside.
The motor bikes took us right up to the entrance of Casa Elemento, the highest hostel on the mountain. What’s cool about the hostel is that you don’t have to stay there to visit the hammocks — a day pass is extremely affordable around $10 and includes a free drink from the bar. People were gathered around the bar, which was playing music you could hear all over, and little kids were running around and dancing by the pool. To the left was the second largest hammock at the hostel and a swinging hammock. Looking out, you can see little houses dotting the mountain, the tall trees, the haze up by the clouds. And of course, the view sitting on the hammock is extremely picturesque and people were waiting their turns to get a picture, but it was also a great place to lay down, lean back, and just hang out. Some people were reading, others were dozing off with an afternoon nap. One group of British friends were even bouncing an avocado around and trying to catch it. And if you’re scared of heights, don’t worry because the hammock is only a couple feet above the ground below it!
We ordered lunch at the small restaurant around mid-afternoon. It was absolutely delicious. I chose a cup of Colombia coffee for my free drink and ordered carbonara pasta after seeing some kids at the table eating it. Despite being in Colombia, the carbonara was some of the best I had ever had! After lunch, we walked around a bit and tried out the swinging hammock, which was a bit of a struggle to get onto. We befriended two Irish guys also on the hammock and ended up talking for an hour or so, mostly about our respective college and travel experiences.
Before heading back down the mountain, we went to the bathroom. Bathroom, you say? Why would you want to hear about that? Well, because it was one of the coolest bathrooms I have ever been into. You walk over to the few bathroom stalls and open the door, thinking it is just another regular bathroom. But no, it is a room perched on the mountain top looking down into the jungle! There is literally a huge cut out in the wall opposite the toilet so you can literally look out into the jungle while you do your business. Definitely a little strange at first, considering the hostel has jungle trails, but I didn’t see anyone walking around thankfully. I just heard the birds Minca is known for chirping away. The walls of the bathroom are also painted with all the different types of birds you can see in Minca, which was cool.
We then set off for a motor bike ride back down the mountain, which after having experienced the ride up, I was confident enough to record with my phone. The bus back to Santa Marta was absolutely steaming, and when we got back to our hostel, we decided to cool off with a swim in one of the several pools there. After a shower, we headed up to the rooftop bar for some dinner and ran into our friend Hugo who joined us.
So all in all, it was the perfect relaxation day with just enough adventure! Most people who visit Santa Marta stay over at Minca for a few days, and there is certainly things to do up there, but for me, this day trip was just what I was looking for. Would you visit!?