Travel South from Medellin for four to five hours and one will discover the beautiful region known as the Coffee Country, or "Eje Cafetero". The climate is very pleasant, and the landscape consists of lush green valleys and spectacular snow clad peaks. This is still very much Paisa territory, with some of the prettiest Paisa towns and haciendas in Colombia.
The three main cities of Pereira, Manizales and Armenia all make good bases to explore the region, or you can opt for the rural option and rent a small villa / "finca" at very good value (see the final section for suggestions and links). In my personal opinion, the best two bases to explore this part of Colombia are Salento and Manizales. In Manizales, it's closest to (and easiest) to arrange a tour to the spectacular Los Nevados Park. Salento is a small beautifully located town near Pereira, and provides easy access to the Valle de Cocora, which is another real highlight of this region.
Exploring the lush coffee plantations, outdoor activities and hiking in the Andes are the main activities in Colombia's Coffee Country. There's plenty of outdoor activities available, including mountain biking, rafting and zip wiring in this scenic region of Colombia.
Manizales & Around
The Northernmost city in Colombia's Coffee Country, Manizales is the best staging post for trekking trips to Los Nevados National Park - this is the top travel highlight of the area. There's numerous tour operators in town that can arrange such tours for you.
Salamina is one of the oldest towns in the coffee country and maintains a typical pueblo paisa feel. The unusual cathedral will interest visitors to Salamina. The town makes an interesting day trip from Manizales, and combines well with a tour of the nearby Paisa town of Neira. Also closeby to Manizales is a nature park called Recinto del Pensamiento, where short walks are possible and whose highlight is the excellent butterfly enclosure. Alternatively, the Nature Reserve of Reserva Ecologico Rio Blanco offers excellent birdwatching.
There's also various traditional coffee farms that can be visited nearby, such as Hacienda Guayabal (accommodation and day trips are possible) and Hacienda Venecia (which has won many awards for it's coffee).
Pereira & Around
Pereira is a good city in which to stay to explore the Coffee Country as there are numerous nearby tourist attractions to discover. As the largest city in the Eje Cafetero, Pereira has the best nightlife. The actual city itself has little of interest though.
Nearby Marsella is a typical Paisa town with a quirky cemetery and beautiful botanical gardens. Santa Rosa de Cabal is a small town on the Pereira to Manizales road - nearby are thermal pools and and a spectacular 180 metre waterfall (see final section for accommodation suggestions). There's various pleasant walks and scenic waterfalls nearby.
Another great day tour from Pereira is a visit to the Santuario Otun Quimbaya, a nature reserve just outside of the town, which has various ecological paths in which to go hiking. In addition, visit the nearby beautiful Park Ucumari, a forested park where you might spot the Andean spectacled bear. From Ucumari, it's possible to hike all the way into Los Nevados National Park, though you'll need to allow days. Chivas depart for the Park Ucumari every morning from Pereira.
Armenia & Salento & Around
Armenia offers little of interest to visitors. However, there are various tourist attractions nearby. The Parque National de Cafe is a huge theme park in honour of the coffee bean. It's a little bizarre, and rather tacky, but but families might find it interesting. Another much visited nearby Park is that of Panaca, which is essentially a Farm Park, and is exceptionally boring and pointless to visit in my opinion.
Filandia is a small but beautifully preserved Paisa town just 30 km north of Armenia. Quimbaya is another small town, and specializes in offering full day balsa rafting tours. Various tour operators in the town can take you on traditional wooden rafts through the nearby scenic rivers.
The best place to base yourself around this part of the Coffee Country is the laid back town of Salento, which is a little less than an hour from Armenia - it's like stepping back in time into a tiny Paisa village. Various local crafts can be bought in the village, and the Alto de la Cruz hill nearby provides some great views over this stunning region. Valle de Cocora is a beautiful nearby National Park with some lovely hikes amongst high altitude giant palm trees - tours can easily be arranged locally, and it's easy to reach Valle de Cocora from nearby Salento. The most popular walk is the 5 hour round trip to Reserva Natural Acaime - no guide is needed as it's all signposted. Highly recommended.
Where to Stay? Rural Hotels & Haciendas of the Eje Cafetero
I'd advise travellers to stay in either Manizales (to focus on Los Nevados) or in Salento (to focus on Valle de Cocora and other attractions of the region). Although the cities of Manizales, Armenia and Pereira are convenient and worthwile travel destinations, the coffee country is all about experiencing traditional outdoor Colombian life, so it's better to stay somewhere rural if you can plan for it. There's some lovely rural haciendas and hotels to choose from:
Hotels in Salento
Hotel Flor de Belen (tel: 0057 3015969278) is a new hotel, with good clean rooms most of which are found around a courtyard. It's my pick of the hotels in Salento in terms of comfort. Cost is about 30,000 pesos per person.
Balcones del Ayer (website in Spanish) is another good clean option, close to the main plaza, and has decent rooms at about 30,000 pesos per person.
Hotels elsewhere in Colombia's Coffee Country
Mountain House is a high standard travellers hostal in Manizales. For a more upmarket option in Manizales, try the Varuna Hotel, which is more of a business hotel.
Abadia Plaza Hotel is a smart and stylish new hotel in Pereira. For a more budget alternative in Pereira, try Hotel Mi Casita, which is a highly rated hostal.
In Armenia, try the Armenia Hotel, which is probably the best in town. Budget travellers will struggle to find anything vaguely decent here - head straight on to Salento instead.
Hotel Campestre Portal del Sol is a resort style hotel near Armenia with packages costing from 300k pesos for a double for 2 nights. Website also in English.
All the other accommodation suggestions below are rural out of town options that don't have websites in English:
Hacienda Malabar (just outside of Pereira - no website) is remarkably good value and highly recommended by me personally. Malabar is a fantastic, traditional, well kept and peaceful Hacienda - similar ones in neighbouring Ecuador cost 5 times the price.
Termales de Santa Rosa is a nearby spa hotel, or consider EcoTermales San Vicente which has camping, restaurant, hotel, cabanas and more hot springs.
Haciendas del Cafe - lists a variety of different haciendas and "fincas" (or villas) that can be rented.
Santa Barbara Eco-Hotel - a hacienda style hotel near Armenia costing 200k pesos for a double.
El Eden Country Inn - great looking rooms from 165k pesos.
La Casa de los Nogales -a spacious hotel with swimming pool from 160k pesos for a double.
Hacienda Combia - a good looking Hacienda, again near Armenia, at a cost of about 150k pesos for a double.
Mirador Las Palmas - great setting and swimming pool, and smart rooms in this more modern hotel. Rooms cost from 190k pesos for a double.
Finca Hotel La Sofia - stylish looking traditional style rural hotel from 120k pesos for a double.
Termales la Quinta - while most haciendas and rural hotels are near Armenia, this one is in the more mountainous territory near Manizales. Hot water springs are nearby.
El Retiro, Hacienda Dinamarca, El Anhelo, and Finca Turista la Esmeralda are all cheaper options costing from 40k pesos for a double - great value.
