How to Get from Salento to Pereira

The road from Salento to Pereira is only 24 miles (39 km), meaning you can get from the doorway of the beautiful Cocora Valley to the capital of the Risaralda department in around an hour. We recommend hiring a private car—since Salento is a small pueblo, it is not possible to rent a car from here. Taking the bus is a local option, which completes the journey in around 1.5 hours. 

Consider this 5-day tour of the Coffee Region to see some of its highlights, or commit to a full two weeks of fun on this trip that combines the coffee region and the Caribbean coast. 

By Private Transfer

Duration: 1 hour

Given the short distance and the popularity of Salento and Pereira, it is very common for people to hire a car to take them in between the two destinations. Private transfer is particularly convenient if you don't want to depend on bus schedules to make your itinerary. 

There are no major towns in between them, but there are plenty of roadside steak restaurants—a true Colombian tradition—that you can stop at if you so wish to. Just make sure that you let your driver know ahead of time that you want to get food on the way.

By Bus

Duration: 1:30 hours

Buses leave to Pereira from the Salento station around every hour, from morning to about 8 pm. 

Because Pereira is so close, these are usually small vans or mid-sized buses. The buses can get crowded on weekends or during the high tourist season. As is to be expected, there are no stops on this route—but that shouldn't really be a problem since the journey is quite short.