Best things to do in Murillo, between wax palms, thermal baths and hiking

Nestled at the foot of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, whose snow-capped peak can be seen from the village, Murillo is for us one of the best alternatives to the (very) touristy Cocora Valley and Salento.

If you want to see the wax palms without the crowds and the selfie buildings, if you like hiking in spectacular landscapes, if you want to discover a traditional village, if you want to recharge your batteries in natural thermal waters, welcome to Murillo!

As you can see, Murillo is a destination we warmly recommend! Easily accessible from Bogota or Manizales, it’s for us one of the best places to see the wax palms and enjoy a village and region far removed from mass tourism.

Culture and traditions in Murillo

Things to do in the mountains

Murillo is a traditional Colombian village, still largely untouched by tourism. You’ll find very few souvenir or craft stores for tourists, like in Salento or Filandia.

No, Murillo still has a very rural atmosphere, a cultural crossroads between the paisas cultures (region between Medellin and Pereira) and the cundiboyacenses cultures (Cundinamarca and Boyaca).

Novices may not realize it, but it’s all summed up in the traditional garb that can be seen locally: a sort of “ruana paisa”, a mix between the typical Boyaca ruana (wool poncho) and the typical cotton poncho of the paisa region.

The main economic activity in Murillo remains agriculture, and in particular dairy cow breeding, and thus the manufacture of dairy products.

Every Saturday, a large market is held in the main square, bringing together all the farmers in the area. A real rendez-vous for those who want to feel the authentic atmosphere of the Colombian countryside.

El Bosque, a journey through time

For our part, we were lucky enough to visit the El Bosque market, which takes place every Wednesday. As mentioned above, the road to the hamlet is sublime, and when you arrive, you’re in for a surprise.

The El Bosque market is the closest thing to a traditional market in a Colombia you’d think had disappeared. Local farmers come down to the village by mule to buy and sell food products. In the square, it’s not a parking lot, but a mule park!

Outside of market day, el Bosque is a ghostly hamlet where nothing happens. But on Wednesdays, the atmosphere is completely different! It’s a day when all the locals get together to chat, drink and play Tejo outdoors in the most traditional way you’ll ever see in Colombia.

Wax palms in Murillo

Murillo’s most beautiful landscapes

To be quite honest, we had no idea you could see so many wax palms in Murillo, and it was a real pleasant surprise!

Every time we went out, we were able to admire spectacular mountain scenery featuring wax palms and even rather well-preserved wax palm forests.

On our first excursion around Murillo to discover the traditional market of El Bosque, a small hamlet 2 hours from Murillo, we were literally hallucinating! We’d never seen wax palms in such an impressive landscape.

And the Nevado del Ruiz volcano was obviously not to blame.

In the Murillo region, the Nevado del Ruiz is always somewhere on the horizon. But when you turn a bend and discover a landscape of wax palms, mountain ridges and a snow-capped volcano in the distance, you can’t believe your eyes.

Further on, when we arrived at El Bosque for this very special market day, we were also so surprised to discover that all around the square, the landscape was nothing but wax palms!

The next day, as explained below, we headed off to enjoy the La Campanita thermal baths.

And here again, nothing prepared us for the scenery that awaited us… Nestling in the hollow of a deep valley, where a river flows with crystal-clear waters, we were able to relax in the warm waters of the natural thermal baths, with a breathtaking view over a veritable forest of wax palms.

The best view we’ve ever had in a Colombian spa!

Having visited various places in Colombia where wax palms can be seen outside the Cocora Valley, we can assure you that Murillo is a top destination!

In fact, Murillo is surely the best place in Colombia to see wax palms. After all, it’s not just a question of seeing them in one place: they’re everywhere!

You can see them on hikes around the village, on the way to places to visit, when you visit the thermal baths, and enjoy seeing them in truly different landscapes and forms: dense wax palm forests reminiscent of the Carbonera Valley, but also grassland landscapes where the wax palms have nothing to envy to the Cocora Valley, not to mention palm trees overlooking the Nevado del Ruiz… incredible.

In short, if you want to see the wax palms, head for Murillo!

Spa in Murillo

What to do in Murillo, Tolima

Murillo is renowned for its thermal waters, due to its proximity to the Ruiz volcano, and there are numerous thermal baths in the countryside around the village.

Not all of Murillo’s thermal baths are equal, but there are some “real” ones (or at least really hot thermal waters) where you can relax amid spectacular scenery.

La Cabaña Spa

Currently closed to the public

Murillo experienced a tourist boom a few years ago, when social networks went into a frenzy over photos showing spectacularly colored thermal baths in the middle of a páramo.

What visitors didn’t realize at the time was that the thermal baths were thermal in name only, as the water is cold (or at least not hot).

Given that the La Cabaña thermal baths are located at an altitude of 4,000 m, and that it can therefore be very cold, putting on a bathing suit in half-warm water was far from the relaxing moment that travelers could have imagined when admiring the photos.

In any case, the “damage” had been done, and the uncontrolled influx of Colombian visitors from Manizales and Bogotá caused a series of environmental problems (plastic pollution, non-compliant sanitary evacuations, etc.) that led to multiple reactions from the authorities:

• Closure of La Cabaña spa
• Closure of El Sifon spa
• Restrictions on access to the Manizales-Murillo road at weekends.

Today, the authorities are in discussions to implement standards before allowing the reopening of the thermal baths.

La Campanita Spa

We were particularly lucky to discover the La Campanita thermal baths, which left us breathless! No páramo here, but a forest of wax palms hidden at the bottom of a valley where a river AND thermal waters flow!

There are several options for getting there: a long hike from the village takes in the mountain scenery around the village, before descending through a small forest of wax palms to the thermal baths. Or, organized transport to get closer to the path that descends from the roadside.

We’re lucky enough to have a sunny day, and make a quick (1h) descent to the hut of the spa’s “keeper”, who offers us a homemade fermented drink which we’ll honor out of respect for our host, but, as a trek to the Nevado del Santa Isabel awaits us in the next few days, we’d rather avoid taking any gastric risks!

Once you reach the bottom of the valley, the scenery is simply magical. A magnificent forest of wax palms covers the entire mountainside. In a corner at the foot of the rocks, a small natural pool has been dug out, from which thermal waters flow.

Rejuvenating in the natural hot springs, with a view of the wax palms, is priceless. And being able to take a refreshing dip in the cold water of the nearby river makes the experience all the more exceptional.

Hiking in Murillo

Things to do in the mountains

Murillo offers an astronomical number of hiking possibilities around the village, but also in connection with Los Nevados Natural Park.

Murillo and its lakes trek (3 days)

A 3-day trek around Murillo to observe different ecosystems, including the volcanically colored rivers of the Nevado del Ruiz, high mountain lakes, páramos and their frailejones, and Andean forests.

Trek Murillo y ses thermes (3 days)

A 3-day trek to discover Murillo’s natural hot springs while walking through the páramo, Andean forests and wax palm forests around the village. What could be better than relaxing in the thermal waters at the end of a good day’s walking and sleeping in the middle of nature? This trek includes the Canaan and La Campanita thermal baths.

Trek from Murillo to Salento (4 to 6 days)

Depending on your abilities and desires, this crossing of Los Nevados Natural Park between Murillo and Salento can be done over 4 to 6 days. This trek takes in some of the park’s most spectacular scenery, with views of the Ruiz and Tolima volcanoes, passing among the frailejones and sleeping on park farms or in bivouacs. For the more adventurous, it’s possible to add a climb to the summit of Nevado del Tolima.

Colombia’s most beautiful road

Colombia’s most beautiful road

If there’s one thing you must do at least once in your life, it’s to take the road between Manizales and Murillo (and vice versa).

The road between Murillo and Manizales

For us, this is quite simply the most beautiful road in Colombia. It’s also the highest asphalted road in the country, with a passage at an altitude of over 4,000 m!

The scenery along the way is simply breathtaking. We drive through páramo and fields of thousands of frailejones, catching glimpses of high-mountain lakes and canyons of volcanic sulphur water, with the imposing Nevado del Ruiz towering over our heads.

On the way, we can stop off for an excursion to the Nevado del Ruiz to discover its history, its lunar landscapes and all this effortlessly, since this discovery is made by vehicle for environmental reasons and to control the flow of tourists.

Restricted access at weekends

For a long time, this road was difficult to negotiate. Its altitude and unpredictable weather made the journey complicated. It was paved a few years ago, and this has created a real tourist draw.

During public holidays and Holy Week, the authorities had to deal with public order and environmental problems, with huge traffic jams caused by motorists who parked to go walking in the páramo, or who took the frailejones to plant them at home…

As a result of these problems, the authorities have decided to apply traffic restrictions every weekend of the year, according to license plates (Pico y Placa). You can find the dates of traffic restrictions on the Manizales – Murillo road on the Colombian Natural Parks website.

That said, if you need to go from Manizales to Murillo and vice versa, and you have a hotel reservation, the accommodation will be able to provide you with a kind of “pass” so that you can get around. Don’t hesitate to ask your hotel about this.

The alternative to Salento and Cocora

Away from mass tourism

We left Murillo with one thing in mind: to convince you that Murillo is surely the best alternative to Salento and the Cocora Valley.

Murillo has all the advantages of Salento without the disadvantages. It’s still an authentic village, and the surrounding countryside is totally unspoilt. No construction, no tourist facilities, no ridiculous staging…

To a certain extent, Murillo could be compared with Salamina, an authentic village where you can also see the wax palms in the Samaria Valley. Except that in Murillo, the scenery is clearly more spectacular, and you can also go hiking and take advantage of the many thermal baths…

In short, we loved our stay in Murillo; the village ticks all the boxes to become a first-class destination for lovers of nature and authenticity.