Destination · Magdalena Caldense

Samaná

A volcano crater turned into a lagoon.

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20 °C average · 7 places to stay · 3 places to eat

Samaná is the largest municipality in Caldas and the one that holds water in all its forms. Here the eastern part of Caldas opens into four corregimientos (rural townships), Florencia, San Diego, Berlín and Encimadas, and into a territory where the green turns thermal, river and waterfall.

What to expect

Sleep inside a volcano In the corregimiento of San Diego, a lagoon awaits you that is no ordinary lagoon: it is the flooded crater of an ancient volcano, classified by the Servicio Geológico Colombiano as the maar of San Diego, with the Morro de San Diego rising beside it. It is the largest natural wetland in Caldas. You will navigate its warm waters, walk its trails and find hot springs and the Quebrada Cristalina on the same route. Hot springs among the mountains In the rural district of Santa Marta, corregimiento of Florencia, the Termales El Escondite open their natural outdoor hot spring pools, with rest areas and a restaurant serving typical dishes. Viewpoints that reach five departments The Ecoparque los Palenques, in the cabecera, brings together bridle paths, natural pools, waterfalls and viewpoints from which five departments of central Colombia can be seen. And at the Alto del Abejorro, next to the source of the río Moro, the viewpoints open toward the Selva de Florencia.

Water born in the rainforest The Manso, Moro and Tenerife rivers are born in the Selva de Florencia ecosystem and flow down to form the basin of the La Miel river. The Parque Nacional Natural Selva de Florencia, most of which lies within Samaná, is not open to visitors, but it is the source of this water and can be viewed from the municipality's viewpoints and from its rural districts. Birds, coffee and panela In the corregimiento of Encimadas, the students of the Club Sasiri have been going out to watch birds since 2019, and in Guacamayal the trapiches continue to turn sugarcane into panela. There are also local operators who fly paragliders over the territory. Churches and memory of the countryside The Templo de San Agustín presides over the plaza of the cabecera; in Florencia there is the Templo de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, of Gothic architecture, and in San Diego the casa museo del padre Daniel María López. Every October the Festival de los Palenques pays tribute to the indigenous communities, and in September the Concurso del Cuento Breve brings together writers from all over the department. ¡Caldas es Natural y Samaná te va a sorprender!

Samaná is part of what Caldas offers visitors, in the Magdalena Caldense subregion. Caldas es Natural lists 10 registered tourism providers in the municipality and 1 experiences to enjoy.