You can’t skip the Cerro Kennedy hike near Minca, the small, backpacker-favourite town just outside of Santa Marta, and this complete guide has all the information you need.
Hiking Cerro Kennedy (3,100 m) is the must-do activity in Minca; in fact, it’s 1 of my favourite experiences in all of Colombia.
It’s a a great hike best enjoyed at sunrise. When the conditions are right, the sky puts on a magical, colourful display, and golden light illuminates the country’s 2 tallest peaks, Pico Colón (5,775 m) and Pico Bolívar (5,760 m) in the distance.
The Cerro Kennedy hike is a special experience and in this detailed guide I cover everything you need to know to enjoy it yourself.
Cerro Kennedy hike overview
- Distance: 14 km (trailhead to summit) 28 km (round trip)
- Duration: 1 day (intense hike) 2 days (with night in hostel near summit)
- Elevation gain: 1,564 m
- Difficulty: moderate
Cerro Kennedy lies just outside of Minca and forms part of La Cuchilla San Lorenzo, a subsection of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, close to Santa Marta.
The hike is long and requires good stamina, but it’s not technical, so anyone with a decent level of fitness can tackle it.
The trail is obvious the whole way with no turnoffs making it practically impossible to get lost. You don’t need a guide nor any permits for this hike.
The trailhead is a fork in the road passing through a small hamlet called El Michi. The exact point where the fork is located is called La Y, pronounced La EE.
You can reach the summit and get back to La Y in a single day. However, most people split the adventure over 2 days, spending the night at either Hostal El Ramo or Hostal Donde Moncho to reach the summit for sunrise. This is what I did and it’s what I recommend you do.
You can’t reach the true summit of Cerro Kennedy (3,100 m) because there’s a communications installation here protected by soldiers. But you can go as far as the entrance to the facility around 100 m below the summit.
Unfortunately the very best views are from the true summit. But there are several spots not long before the entrance to the communications base where the vistas are great too.
That said, I was able to enter the military base. I had unrestricted views of the magnificent snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada and the seas of clouds swirling in the valley below.
I explain later in the guide how I managed this and give you tips to try and wing your way in too.
Cerro Kennedy trail conditions
The trail starts off steep as you leave La Y behind along a gravel road. After this initial steep section, the gradient becomes more friendly – albeit still moderately steep – and the road becomes rocky and more stable underfoot.
The trail continues like this for the majority of the hike and for the most part leads through a forest. The forest provides shade from the hot sun but it’s humid.
Around the midway point of the forest you pass through the ProAves El Dorado Nature Reserve. Aside from a few small signs with information about the reserve, you’d have no idea that you were now inside a haven for birdlife.
ProAves El Dorado Nature Reserve is a conservation effort to protect the habitats of endangered bird species, in particular the Santa Marta parakeet. While it’s difficult to spot any of these beautiful avians, with a bit of luck you’ll catch a glimpse of something colourful.
Further up the mountainside you pass by Estacion Experimental San Lorenzo, a research centre, before continuing on to Hostal El Ramo or Hostal Donde Moncho.
You’ll emerge from the forest between the research centre and Hostal El Ramo. With the tree coverage now gone, the hike becomes harder as the sun beats down on you. It’s a good time to stick on sunscreen if you haven’t already.
Covering the 10 km from the trailhead to Hostal El Ramo should take you between 3-4 h. Add on roughly an extra 20 min to reach Donde Moncho.
The last hour of the hike takes you from your hostel to the military base. As you near the base, the final few hundred metres of the trail become steep and are more tiring. However, by this point the road is smooth rock and is easier to walk on.
The trail ends just below the true summit at the makeshift barbed wire fence marking the entrance to the communications facility.
Hiking back to La Y from either of the hostels should take you around 2 h. I recommend having a good breakfast in your accommodation after returning from the summit before heading down.
Getting to the Cerro Kennedy hike trailhead
The trailhead is located in a hamlet called ElMichi and the specific point where you begin hiking is called La Y, pronounced la ee. This is a fork in the Cienaga-Minca road and here there’s a shop and cafe.
I’ve seen incorrectly stated in other Cerro Kennedy guides that the trailhead is located in El Campano. If coming from Minca, El Campano is before El Michi and you pass through it on the way to La Y.
I know this because I speak Spanish fluently and, when I asked the bus driver to drop me at El Campano, he explained that to hike Cerro Kennedy, you need to stay on until El Michi.
Buses to the trailhead
Small shuttle buses run from the bridge in the centre of Minca to La Y. The journey costs 10,000 COP ($2.5 US), lasts around 30 min and buses leave roughly every 2 h.
The schedule from Minca to La Y is: 6:00, 9:30, 11:00, 13:00. And the schedule from La Y to Minca is: 8:00, 12:00, 14:00, 17:30.
The bus is the cheapest transport option for getting to La Y, but it’s not the most convenient.
Mototaxis to the trailhead
The most convenient option is to take a mototaxi. MotoMinc, a mototaxi company, is located right next to the main bridge in Minca and it charges 30,000 COP ($7.5 US) to go to La Y.
While this is 3x more expensive than the bus, you don’t have to plan your hike around the bus schedule and you’ll also get to the trailhead faster.
I’d save MotoMinc’s number in your phone in case you want to take a mototaxi back to Minca after the hike. This way you can arrange a pickup time. You could also take your driver’s number directly.
Taking a mototaxi to the summit or hiking from Minca
You can also take a mototaxi to El Ramo or Donde Moche which means you’ll only have to hike the final hour between your hostel and the summit. MotoMink charges 100,000 COP ($20 US) to go to either of the hostels.
If you really don’t want to hike, then you can also go all the way to the summit with a mototaxi. For this, MotoMink also charges 100,000 COP ($22 US). Here’s the full list of MotoMink’s services and prices.
I only recommend paying for a mototaxi instead of hiking if you’re really short on time. The ride up the mountain takes around 2 h and I’ve read that it’s uncomfortable. Apparently holding on to the motorbike is a challenge and, having hiked the bumpy trail myself, I can understand why.
Another option is to hike Cerro Kennedy from Minca, which increases the trek to a gruelling 27 km and roughly 7 h each way. What makes this especially challenging is that on the way to the summit all 27 km are uphill.
If you’re a really strong hiker, then you could reach the summit on the same day and get back to either El Ramo or Donde Moncho before the sun goes down. You should set out from Minca early in the morning to guarantee this.
You could also tackle the hike from Minca over 3 days. If doing it this way, you could spend a night in 1 of the many fincas or other accommodations near the town and another night at either El Ramo or Donde Moncho.
Unless you really enjoy long, challenging hikes, then I also don’t recommend hiking Cerro Kennedy from Minca. The first 12 km from the town to La Y are entirely along a main road and uneventful. In my opinion, the trail only becomes interesting from La Y onwards.
Where to watch the sunrise at Cerro Kennedy
You can hike all the way to the entrance of the communications facility, but this isn’t the best place to watch the sunrise.
Unfortunately, at this point the summit itself and trees lining the road block much of the views. I was disappointed to find this out only after getting here.
However, a little further back down the road the way you come there are a few spots with clear views towards Pico Colón and Pic Bolívar in La Sierra Nevada. The true, indigenous names of these mountains are Shivindu’a and Gonavindu’a.
Also, there are points with good views towards Santa Marta and the Caribbean Coast in the opposite direction.
There’s also a wooden viewing tower which you’ll pass roughly 2 km from the summit that belongs to the ProAves El Dorado Reserve.
The tower looks towards the Sierra Nevada with unrestricted views of the mountain range and nearby valleys. To access the tower, you need to book a night at the ProAves El Dorado Reserve.
At Cerro Kennedy the sun rises around 5:30. Make sure to arrive with plenty of time to reach the end point of the hike and then find a good spot with clear views to enjoy the show.
However, you might get into the communications base if you speak Spanish
Although the end of the line is the entrance to the communications facility, you might be able to go a little further if you can speak the local lingo.
I arrived at the barbed wire fence while it was still pitch dark and unsuccessfully tried sneaking in. I made too much noise rattling the fence and within moments black silhouetted figures emerged from the darkness asking me what I was doing.
I explained I was a photographer (in Spanish) and wanted to snap pictures of the Sierra Nevada, but that trees were blocking my view on the other side of the fence.
After telling the soldiers this, 1 of them asked his superior if I could enter the base to take pictures from a point where there was a break in the treeline. By the grace of the gods, and that army officer…they let me in.
While I was chatting to the soldiers, 2 Austrian girls who were also at the summit caught on to what was happening. They stuck around while everyone else who’d hiked up that morning headed back down the road looking for a better spot.
As the crowds were leaving I went into the base and set up my camera. The Austrian girls, now the only other tourists at the summit, asked the guards if they could join me. The soldiers were in a good mood and the 3 of us watched the sunrise together with them.
Having a decent level of Spanish really helped me out as did being just a few people. That morning there was a group of us at the summit to begin with and if everyone had stayed I doubt we would’ve all been allowed into the base.
If you speak Spanish, then I recommend chatting with the soldiers to see if you and perhaps 1 or 2 other people at most can go beyond the barbed wire fence to where the views are better.
Accommodation for the Cerro Kennedy hike
The 2 most popular options are Hostal El Ramo and Hostal Donde Moncho which sit right on the trail. There’s a 3rd option too, Altos de La Sierra Guesthouse, which is more out of the way.
All of these accommodations offer breakfast, lunch and dinner and are just 1-1 h 30 min from the summit. All sit at an altitude of roughly 2,500 m on La Cuchilla San Lorenzo.
I recommend booking your stay at least a few days in advance, especially during the dry seasons (December – April & June – July) when hiking is more popular. To stay at Altos de La Sierra Guesthouse, you must book at least 3 days in advance.
Hostal El Ramo
I stayed at El Ramo and chose it simply because it’s the first accommodation you arrive at. It’s a small house with 2 shared dorms and a couple of private rooms.
There’s a small lounge with space for a few people to hang out and the kind owners offer free hot drinks. The showers have hot water, although it doesn’t last long.
You can reserve a night in Hostal El Ramo by contacting them directly. The rates are:
- Shared dorm – 50,000 COP ($12 US)/night
- Private room – 100,000 COP ($24 US)/night
- Breakfast – 15,000 COP ($3.5 US)
- Lunch – 20,000 COP ($5 US)
- Dinner – 20,000 COP ($5 US)
Hostal Donde Moncho
From the pictures I’ve seen and reviews I’ve read, Donde Moncho seems the better of the 2 hostels. Although it’s slightly more expensive, there are more sleeping options and also much better views of the surrounding landscape.
You can reserve a night in Hostal Donde Moncho by contacting them directly. The rates are:
- Shared camping – 25.000 COP ($6 US)/night
- Private camping – 60,000 COP ($14 US)/night
- Shared dorm (3 bunk beds) – 60,000 COP ($14 US)/night
- Shared dorm (5 bunk beds) – 70,000 COP ($17 US)
- Glamping pod 1 – 85,000 COP ($21 US)/night/per person
- Glamping pod 2 – 100,000 COP ($24 US)/night/per person
- Breakfast – 15,000 COP ($3.5 US)
- Lunch – 30,000 COP ($7 US)
- Dinner – 25,000 COP ($6 US)
Altos de La Sierra Guesthouse
This accommodation sits just below the summit of Cerro Kennedy at the opposite end of the coomunications base to El Ramo and Donde Moncho.
You can hike from the guest house to the summit in 1 h 30 min on an alternative trail and, from the property itself, the views of the Sierra Nevada look insane. From the pictures I’ve seen, the views look way better than from outside the communications facility.
You can reserve Altos de La Sierra Guesthouse by contacting them directly. It costs 280,000 COP ($67 US) per person per night and this includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and a hiking guide. The price is the same to sleep in a private room or shared dorm.
To get to Altos de La Sierra Guesthouse, first take a bus (10,000 COP/$2.5 US) or a mototaxi (45,000 COP/$12.5 US) from Minca to Vereda La Tagua (La Tagua Path). The journey lasts roughly 1 h.
Then you need to walk between 2-3 h along the trail from La Tagua to the guest house. Walking is the only way as there’s no road access.
When to hike Cerro Kennedy
The dry season in northern Colombia typically lasts from December – April and is the ideal period for hiking. During these months the weather is sunnier and warmer and trails are in better condition. There’s also a secondary, shorter dry season throughout June and July.
Hiking Cerro Kennedy is doable during the rainy season too but I don’t recommend it. While the stony trail isn’t technical and wouldn’t be much more challenging when wet, the chances of seeing spectacular views from the top are slim.
What to bring on the Cerro Kennedy Hike
This is a long, overnight trek so you’ll need plenty of snacks and water along with warm clothing. I recommend bringing:
- At least 2 L of water for the first day. You should be able to refill at your accommodation
- Snacks for the first day and early morning ascent to the summit
- Warm layers for the night and early morning
- A headlamp
- A warm hat
- Gloves
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Supportive shoes
- A rain jacket
- Cash to pay at your accommodation – at least 200,000 COP ($50 US) just in case
- A camera and tripod if you want to get some great pictures
Travel insurance
You’ll definitely want travel insurance if you’re hiking in the Andes (Cerro Kennedy is in the Andes). I never leave home for a rip without it, especially when hiking abroad.
My go-to provider is SafetyWing with its flexible, affordable and extendible policies. SafetyWing offers an essential and complete plan and mine keeps me covered during all my adventures including hiking.
Enjoy the Cerro Kennedy hike
Watching a glorious sunrise at Cerro Kennedy is an unforgettable experience. While you don’t have to hike the mountain this early, you’d be missing incredible scenes if you didn’t.
The logistics of hikes like this, such as bus fares and the cost of a night in a hostel, change all the time. So if you recently did the hike and found something has changed, please leave a comment below so I can update my guide.
If you’re looking for more hikes Minca, then you should definitely head up to Mirador Los Pinos. You can find all of my travel guides to Colombia here. And below are suggestions for other adventurous things to do in the north of the country.