Coffee triangle
Historic haciendas and the tallest palms in the world
The coffee region in Colombia is rich in fertile valleys and endless coffee plantations. The traditional wooden haciendas with brightly coloured balconies are very characteristic for the beautiful green landscape of this region. In 2011, this region with its world-famous coffee culture was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.
“ Coffee is the drink of love, loss, happiness, sadness, friendship and loneliness. ”
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Arabica coffee
The varied climate, which is between 8 and 24°C, the cloud forests of the Andes and the geographical characteristics are ideal for growing coffee. Coffee came from Africa to Colombia at the beginning of the twentieth century. The most famous coffee grown here is the world famous Arabica.
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Drink your cup of coffee
Although Colombia is known for its coffee, until recently it was not a country where you could easily order a nice cup of coffee. The best quality coffee went straight to Europe, the second best quality went to the U.S. and the remains were left behind in Colombia. In recent years, there has been a trend to open more and more coffee bars where you can order a delicious espresso, latte macchiato or cappuccino.
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Petra on a coffee plantation
During her trip through Colombia, Petra stayed in the coffee region and visited a small-scale coffee plantation. She will tell you about her experience in our blog.
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Parque los Nevados
The Parque Los Nevados nature reserve is a unique and protected ecosystem with cloud forests, which eventually turn into a Paramó landscape at an altitude of more than 3,500 metres above sea level. This area is home to many native animal species, such as various bird species that are found nowhere else, and special plant and tree species, such as the Wax palm tree.
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Valle de Cocora
The Valle de Cocora is located in National Park Los Nevados. This valley is known for the so called Wax palm trees that grow here. The palm trees can reach a length between 40 and 60 metres and are therefore considered to be the longest palm trees in the world.
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Picturesque villages
Salento is a village with white plastered houses whose window frames, doors and windows are usually painted in sweet colours. Stroll through the village and walk to the viewpoint from where you have a nice view over the village on one side and a green valley on the other side.
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Hacienda Bambusa
Bambusa is an authentic hacienda that is characteristic for this area. It is very beautifully decorated with a modern touch and cheerful colours. The accommodation has 8 spacious guest rooms, all situated around the central patio. All rooms have their own balcony or patio. It is a great place to relax with a good book in your hammock.
El Triangulo del Café
El Triangulo del Café, or the coffee triangle, is formed by 3 provinces; Caldas, Risaralda and Quindio. The varied climate, which is between 8 and 24°C, the cloud forests of the Andes and the geographical characteristics are ideal for growing coffee.
The capital of Caldas is Manizales. Manizales is about a 4-hour drive from Cali and typical for the city are the steep streets, a reflection of the rough landscape of the city's surroundings. Manizales, with a beautiful view over the top of the volcano Nevado del Ruiz, is known for being a rich cultural city life with many museums and monuments.
Pereira, the capital of Risaralda is located between Armenia and Manizales and was founded on August 30, 1863. Despite the colonisation, the communities here have managed to preserve their culture well. With the coffee culture and entrepreneurship at heart, you will be warmly welcomed and told passionately about the coffee from the region. In addition to coffee, there are also banana plantations and in the valley people earn their money with bamboo and sugar cane.
Armenia is the capital of the Quindío department and is about a 3-hour drive from Cali. This city was founded on 14 October 1889. The coffee culture is also an important part of daily life here. You can also see here how the traditional jewellery of the indigenous Quimbaya people are made. The surroundings of Armenia are beautiful; wonderful landscape with plenty of coffee and banana plantations.
Travel through Colombia?
Would you like to make a trip through Colombia yourself, including a visit to the Colombian coffee triangle, and are you curious about the possibilities? Then take a look at the travel itineraries that we have put together for inspiration. You can book these trips directly, but we also like to create a personal program based on your wishes and ideas.
Do you have a question? Feel free to contact us. Call +31 73 610 62 04 or send an e-mail to info@sapapanatravel.nl. We are happy to help.