Salento is an idyllic mountain town in the coffee region of Colombia. About 250 km away from this quaint little town lies a big modern city of Colombia, Medellin.
Both Salento and Medellin deserve to be on your Colombia travel itinerary.
If you are wondering about the transportation options between these two places, let us share with you all the details and our experience of how to travel by direct bus from Salento to Medellin.
🗓️ We made the trip from Salento to Medellin in 2019, and went to Colombia again in 2025.
This blog post was first published in early 2020, and now, we have updated it with all the current information about this bus trip.
Direct Bus from Salento to Medellin: A Quick Overview
Do not have time now to read the whole thing? Here is what you need to know:
🎟️ Tickets: Book online on Bookaway. Use our promo code PARADISE5 and get a 5% discount.
🕰️ Timings:
| Salento to Medellin | 8:00 am, 9:30 am, 12:30 pm, 10:15 pm |
| Medellin to Salento | 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 2:00 pm, 12:30 am |
⏳ Journey Duration: About 8 hours, subject to traffic conditions.
Why Travel by Bus from Salento to Medellin?
Cheaper: Bus travel is cheaper than air travel, by at least one-third, in this case.
Limited Flight Options: Salento is not served by any airport. The nearest domestic airports are at Armenia, 26 km away and at Pereira, 36 km away.
There are limited options for direct flights from either of these two cities to Medellin. Of course, they are pricier and if you have check-in bags, they add up.
See More: Traveling by bus in a foreign land gives you the opportunity to pass by other regions of the country that you otherwise would not have seen. Why let go of this chance?
So, we chose to take the direct bus from Salento to Medellin. But, on the other hand, to optimize our time schedule, we took a domestic flight from Cartagena to Pereira to arrive at Salento.
Bus Service from Salento to Medellin
🚌 Bus Company: Flota Occidental is the only bus service provider that operates the direct bus from Salento to Medellin. They run their Principe Star Bus on this route.
🎟️ Ticket price: ~ 25 USD
🕰️ Salento to Medellin Bus Schedule:
Flota Occidental runs direct bus from Salento to Medellin 4 times a day every day, and the same frequency applies for bus from Medellin to Salento.
| Salento to Medellin | 8:00 am, 9:30 am, 12:30 pm, 10:15 pm |
| Medellin to Salento | 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 2:00 pm, 12:30 am |
🎟️ Check schedule and book tickets on Bookaway →
❗️ We recommend you verify the departure schedule with the Flota Occidental office once you arrive at Salento.
How to Book Tickets?
Online Ticket Booking
🆕 Update: For ground transportation in Colombia and in many other countries of Latin America, we now use Bookaway to compare providers, see schedules and book our tickets online in advance.
🎟️ Book your Salento to Medellin tickets here →
💰 Use our promo code PARADISE5 and get a 5% discount.
In 2019, we had booked our tickets online directly on the bus company website.
We made the payment online using credit card. The confirmation was almost instantaneous. Interestingly, the payment confirmation email was just that, a confirmation of successful payment!
The email did not include any detail about departure or arrival, neither place nor time. The online confirmation receipt did carry an authorization number, a reference number and an identification number (which was the passport number of the primary passenger).
How are these details relevant? Wait for it, until later in this post.
Offline Ticket Booking
You can also purchase your bus tickets from the Flota Occidental office at the bus station in Salento. The ticket sale hours are from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm.
But, remember there are not many options for direct bus from Salento to Medellin. Only one service provider (Flota Occidental) operates few times a day.
So, if you need to be strict with your schedule, we recommend purchasing the tickets online beforehand.
🚐 Book your transfer here on Bookaway →
💰 Get 5% discount by using our exclusive promo code PARADISE5
Salento to Medellin Bus: Our Experience
To give you a picture of what to expect from the Medellin-Salento bus journey, let us share our experience in detail.
Boarding the Bus from Salento
You can explore the town of Salento pretty much on foot. The same applies for going to the bus station. We simply followed the directions shared by our hotel reception manager.
After walking out of the main town, we saw a tiny board saying ‘Bus Station’. But that pointed towards an empty green field.
A bit confused, we still proceeded and later realized that we approached the bus station from its back side.
We went to the Flota Occidental office first for checking in. I showed the payment confirmation email on my phone.
Now, here comes the surprise! They were not able to trace our booking on their system.
🆕 Update: For convenience and peace of mind, we would recommend you to purchase the tickets on Bookaway.
Once at the bus terminal (bus stop), you just need to show your Bookaway confirmation voucher on phone at the Flota Occidental counter, and they will issue you the paper tickets.
💰 Use our promo code PARADISE5 and get a 5% discount.
Remember, the reference number and the authorization number? Nah, none of those were on their system! We started to get anxious. However, the guy behind the desk did not seem too worried though. He asked us to wait.
It was then that I noticed that my passport number was listed as the identification number on the payment confirmation email from Flota Occidental. We informed the guy about the same and showed our passports. Apparently, that solved all the problems.
He retrieved our booking on the system and told us to board the bus once it arrived. Was this a one time technical glitch? Was this plain simple inexperience of the office guy? We do not really know.
But in case you face a similar situation while taking the direct bus from Salento to Medellin, just inform the office about your passport number.
As the big luxury coach pulled up, we boarded the bus and started our journey towards Medellin.
🆕 Update: Now that we have seen and experienced the buses in Brazil, I would no longer call this Flota Occidental bus a “big luxury coach”. How travel changes perspectives! 😊
Rest stops on the way from Salento to Medellin
During the course of the journey from Salento to Medellin, the bus allows only one rest stop. It is a big cafeteria with different pre-cooked meal options. One area of the cafeteria also has a snacks counter.
This is the only chance during the bus journey to grab some food or to take a bio break. So, plan your food and water intake accordingly on the day of the journey.
Arriving in Medellin
The bus from Salento ends its trip at Terminal del Sur (South Terminal) bus station in Medellin.
This is actually convenient, compared to the North Terminal, as Teminal Sur is closer to the Poblado area. Chances are good that you may have chosen your hotel/ hostel/ Airbnb in Poblado or adjacent neighborhoods of Medellin.
As you exit the Terminal Sur bus station, take a cab and head towards your destination in Medellin. Check out our recommendations on things to do in Medellin and what not to do!
What We Did Not Like about this Bus Trip
The journey by direct bus from Salento to Medellin was supposed to take about 7 hours. But in reality, the journey lasted 9 hours! That is almost a day gone in traveling from one place to another that are just 250 km apart.
🌚 If you wish to optimize your time, take the overnight bus. But you will miss the views.
What We Liked about this Bus Trip
When you spend morning to evening sitting in a bus, your body may become uncomfortable and your mind may feel restless. However, we did not at all get annoyed with this 9 hour long bus journey. Various factors played a part in making this journey enjoyable.
- Clean bus coach
- Air-conditioning with the right temperature setting
- Comfortable reclining chairs with good head support
- Power charging outlets
- WiFi on board (the ultimate winner in today’s times, ain’t it?)
- Beautiful moving scenery of Colombian countryside
Should You Take the Direct Bus from Salento to Medellin?
🆕 Update: Salento to Medellin was our first long distance bus travel in South America.
Interestingly, now, after several 10-20+ hours bus trips, that 9 hour bus travel from Salento to Medellin doesn’t feel that long.
Would I ever repeat a bus journey that lasts for 9 hours, despite the schedule of 7 hours? We did not put much thought about it after arriving in Medellin. We had already switched our brains from Salento to Medellin by then.
But now, at the time of writing this during the age of self isolation (update: you know year that was!), I am fondly reminiscing that long bus journey, and actually craving for another such!
The bus ride was cheap yet comfortable, traveling through the lush green countryside of Colombia. Of course, you should take the direct bus from Salento to Medellin! Who knows, this bus trip might constitute your memories that you will cherish later.
Plan Your Salento and Medellin Trips
- Things to Do in Medellin
- Medellin Itinerary
- More than Escobar Tour
- Why Avoid a Pablo Escobar Tour
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Travel Resources
- Flights: Skyscanner
- Hotels: Booking.com | Expedia
- Tours: Viator | GetYourGuide
- Travel Insurance:
- Heymondo (get 5% off)
- SafetyWing Nomad Insurance
- eSIMs:
- Transfers: Bookaway. Code PARADISE5 for 5% off
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