GO TOMinca Choose a room
Open-air room and terrace surrounded by greenery at Casa Canela in Minca

STAY IN THE SIERRA NEVADA DE SANTA MARTA

A small family-run guesthouse in Minca, Colombia.

Comfortable rooms a short walk from Minca's cafés, with river swimming spots and mountain trails close enough to reach on foot or simply wander toward.

Choose your room
2rooms
~10 minwalk to Minca
nearbyriver + trails
family-runsmall by design

THE HOUSE

Meet Casa Canela.

Casa Canela sits about a 10-minute walk from Minca, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

The ochre-walled house is built from mud and dark timber, with high ceilings, open spaces and cacao trees growing just outside.

Come in for a while.

From 10 am to 7 pm, guests are welcome in the living room for coffee, music, books, board games and Tarot decks. The White Bathroom is also available for an indoor shower and a comfortable place to change.

AROUND THE HOUSE

Terraces, shared spaces, cacao trees and the corners that make Casa Canela feel lived in.

CHOOSE YOUR ROOM

Two different ways
to stay here.

El Cacao is about breeze, height and mountain views. El Jardín is more tucked-in, personal and close to the everyday life of the house.

UPSTAIRS · MOUNTAIN SIDE

Habitación El Cacao

An airy, screened room designed to let Minca in.

Two comfortable beds with quality mattresses, high ceilings and screened walls invite the mountain breeze, birdsong and surrounding greenery into your stay while keeping mosquitoes out. The room has its own entrance, plenty of natural light, excellent cross-ventilation and a good fan for warmer afternoons.

Just outside is your private elevated terrace overlooking the mountains, a place for morning coffee, a little stretching before the day begins, or simply sitting while Minca wakes up around you.

El Cacao feels somewhere between a bedroom and a covered terrace: open to the landscape, but still entirely your own.

Room details & amenities⌄

In the room

  • Two comfortable beds with quality mattresses
  • Private entrance
  • Private mountain-facing terrace
  • Screened walls
  • High ceilings
  • Natural cross-ventilation
  • Good fan
  • Small refrigerator
  • Coffee maker
  • Wi-Fi

For your stay

  • One towel per guest
  • Toothpaste
  • Environmentally gentler soap

Check-in & check-out

Times are confirmed with your Airbnb reservation and arrival instructions are sent before your stay.

Bathroom & shower

El Cacao has its own private toilet. For showering, guests can use the open-air shower outside. If you prefer an indoor shower, or the outdoor shower is occupied, the White Bathroom in Casa Canela offers another shower and plenty of space to change.

A small water note 🌿

Our water comes from the river and our greywater is managed here on the property, so we try to be thoughtful about what goes back into the water and soil. We provide soap that works well with our system. If you bring your own toiletries, biodegradable or environmentally gentler products are very welcome.

Good to know

El Cacao is naturally ventilated rather than sealed off from its surroundings. You'll hear the place around you: birds, the river, roosters, rain and sometimes the ordinary sounds of nearby village life. That connection to the outside is part of the room.

GARDEN SIDE · ORIGINAL STUDIO

Habitación El Jardín

A small, personal room tucked beside the garden.

Originally a little studio, this compact room has been turned into a cozy place to stay without losing its private, creative feeling. It has a real bed with a quality mattress, a small desk, patterned tile floors with a Mediterranean feel, good Wi-Fi, a fan, coffee maker and a small fridge.

Step outside and you are immediately in the garden. A little sitting area gives you a place for coffee or reading, and nearby a simple terrace shaded by cacao trees offers a hammock for slow afternoons.

It is smaller and more tucked-in than El Cacao, making it a good choice for someone who prefers something grounded, intimate and close to the everyday life of the house.

Room details & amenities⌄

In the room

  • Real bed with quality mattress
  • Private entrance
  • Small desk / workspace
  • Wi-Fi
  • Fan
  • Small refrigerator
  • Coffee maker
  • One towel per guest
  • Toothpaste
  • Environmentally gentler soap

Outside your door

  • Garden sitting area
  • Terrace shaded by cacao trees
  • Hammock for the afternoons

Check-in & check-out

Times are confirmed with your Airbnb reservation and arrival instructions are sent before your stay.

Bathroom

The bathroom is outside the bedroom, just behind it, and the short path is illuminated at night. Guests can also use the larger White Bathroom in Casa Canela until 10 pm for an indoor shower and a comfortable place to change.

Shared spaces

From 10 am to 7 pm, you're also welcome in the living room at Casa Canela for coffee, music, books, board games and Tarot decks.

A small water note 🌿

We manage our water systems here on the property, so we provide gentler soap and ask guests to avoid unnecessarily harsh products. Biodegradable or environmentally gentler toiletries are very welcome.

HOW THE HOUSE LIVES

Water doesn't disappear here.

Our water comes from the river and is stored here at the house. Greywater and toilet waste are managed separately through simple systems on the property.

Living this close to the water cycle makes us careful about what goes back into the soil and river. We provide gentler soap and welcome biodegradable toiletries. What we use has to go somewhere.

GETTING HERE

From Caribbean coast
to mountain air.

One of Minca's pleasures is how quickly the landscape changes. The Sierra Nevada rises from the Caribbean coast, so the road from Santa Marta climbs from sea-level warmth into greener foothills, dense vegetation and remarkable birdlife.

View across the Caribbean coast and mountains near Santa Marta
Sea below, mountains ahead.
01

Start in Santa Marta

Arrive at Santa Marta Airport or start anywhere in the city. If you prefer, we can help arrange your pickup.

02

Climb up to Minca

From Santa Marta, it is about a 30-minute drive into the foothills to Minca village.

03

Walk home from the village

Casa Canela is about an 8–10 minute walk from Minca. If you have heavy suitcases, we can arrange local transport for the luggage while you walk the short path to the house.

A FEW USEFUL THINGS

Before you pack.

Short answers to the questions that tend to matter before deciding if this is your kind of place.

How far is the house from Minca village?

About an 8–10 minute walk, depending on your pace and what you're carrying.

Is it quiet?

Not in the sealed-resort sense. You may hear the river, birds, roosters, voices and other everyday sounds of nearby village life.

Are the rooms air-conditioned?

No. The rooms are naturally ventilated and have fans. El Cacao is especially open to the mountain breeze through its screened walls.

Why do you ask guests to use gentler soap?

Because the house manages its own water systems on the property. What goes down the drain stays much closer to us here, so we try to treat the water and soil thoughtfully.

Still not sure about something?

Send us a note below. The oddly specific questions are often the useful ones.

ASK US

Didn't find your question?

Send us a note about the rooms, arrival, the house or anything you want to know before choosing.

Prototype only. Connect this form to your final contact method later.