Colombia Coffee zone Quimbaya | Quindío, zip code: 634020
The department of Quindío offers innumerable tourist attractions from the natural, cultural and scientific point of view. The coffee culture, its architecture and the hospitality of its people make traveling Quindío an unforgettable experience. Among the tourist sites representative of the region are the Quimbaya gold museum in Armenia, the national coffee museum in Montenegro, the museum of photography BCH, in Calarcá, the coffee basket museum in Filandia and the PANACA Agricultural Theme Park.
Quindío has scenarios of great natural beauty such as the Los Nevados National Park, the caves in Genoa, the Cocora Valley, where you can see the wax palm (national tree), the Santo Domingo waterfall, the Navarro forest reserve, In addition to the beautiful architecture of urban centers such as Finland, Circasia, Armenia and Calarcá, as well as the coffee farms that present beautiful contrasts for the variety of crops and the design of the houses.
Quindio-Risaralda Departments Map
Armenia City
Eden Airport (AXM) is 20 minutes from the city center.
There are flights to Medellín Jose Maria Cordoba Airport and Bogota, with Avianca and ADA. Spirit Airlines have two flights per week to Fort Lauderdale. The airport has a food court in one of its sides were you can enjoy tropical fruit juices like Maracuya, Mango and Guanabana; also do not forgett to try some Coffee cookies and the special caramel spread with coffee ready to go. There are other places with magazines and always display some typical art in the walls. The washrooms are very clean and in general the people are very warm. Bus Terminal – The bus terminal is located near the center of town.
Places of interest:
- Museo del Oro Quimbaya. Avenida Bolívar # 40 Norte-80 Free. A mini version of Bogota’s Gold Museum.
- El Parque de La Vida. Avenida Bolivar. Free. A beautifully design garden/oasis very near the city centre. Just next to Cafe Quindio Gourmet.
- Restaurante Cafe Quindio Gourmet (www.cafequindio.com.co), Carerra 14, #7N (Ave. Bolivar) (Adjacent to the Parque de laVida, and across the street from Hostal/Hotel San Martin in the upscale university area)
- Salento : little town close to the Valley de Cocora. It is a very special place were you can appreciate the houses architectura, the colorful and Spanish style balconies full of plants and the climb roads, the dark green landscape full of fog thats embrace this magic place. All around the central park you can sit down at any of the Fondas or Taverns to have a Pola or beer or an Aguardiente which is the typical liquor from Colombia.
Calarca City
The city is 7 km from Armenia.
The name of the town that put in honor to a legendary and brave indigenous Pijao that for a long time fought to avoid the Spanish invasion and the uprooting of the natives. The village of Cacique, Calarcá is the second municipality of the department is just five minutes from Armenia. Arriving from Ibagué, this town is the first Quindian destination once the descent of the Alto de la Línea ends. In the center of Calarcá there are some colorful and large houses with multiple windows and large balconies that identify their urban style.
Places of interest:
- Botanical Garden of the Quindío and Mariposario.
- At the end of June, coinciding with the festive bridge of San Pedro and San Pablo, the National Coffee Reign.
- The remains of Calarcá indigenous cacique, are the Peñas Blancas hill and the eco-park built for the development of ecotourism and extreme sports activities. 1 km from the path La Virginia.
- Old viaduct that linked Calarcá with Armenia, appreciable from the Mirador de la 18 or La Secreta in the Quindiana capital. In addition to the structure, the panoramic view of the Quindío River is surrounded by bamboo trees.
La Tebaida City
The city is 15 km from Armenia
La Tebaida With a warm climate, flowering rooms, chalets set by bird songs, country restaurants, agrotourism farms and well-marked streets, this town is the tropical Eden of Quindío. In La Tebaida there is El Edén International Airport, which is why its landscapes are the first impression of travelers who use the air route to get to Quindío. The town is on the road to the Valle del Cauca, where the fertile lands are convenient for a permanent pantry for the region; while its natural landscapes such as the Maravélez Valley for hiking fans and horseback riding, among other activities. Like all the towns of Quindío, this was the land of the Quimbaya tribe, in which they buried their dead in tombs that, until very recently, prized for the treasures they housed.
Places of interest:
- Parque Bolivar epicenter where tourists, regional transport vehicles and local inhabitants who prefer it as a regular place for meetings and encounters pass.
- Gastronomico Corredor Plaza Nueva or Parque Luis Arango Cardona a meeting with the typical food. There are arepas, chorizos, tamales, patacones, chicharrones and fresh fruits, among other delicacies.
- Valley of Maravelez favorite flat for travelers to hike, ride a bike and organize entertaining horseback rides, thanks to which guaduales, extensive meadows and some shallow sectors of the La Vieja river that crosses the valley of Maravélez.
Circasia City
The city is 40 km from Armenia
Founded in 1884, it is located on 1,777 meters. SNM is a quiet town with a coffee tradition and an important agricultural vocation where everything is grown a bit thanks to the variety of its thermal floors. The nature reserve Bremen is one of the most important environmental heritage of the municipality and recognized at the regional level; it is shared with the municipality of Filandia, biodiversity makes it rich in fauna and flora, guided tours are offered by experts and it is recognized as the environmental cathedral of Quindío. It occupies an area of 91.34 km. square and is at a height of 1,772 m. s. n. m. with a temperature of 19 ° C. Contrary to what happened with the names of many municipalities in the coffee region, which were inspired by indigenous chieftains.
Places of interest:
- Cemetery Free idea was of a group of freethinking men who decided to make a cemetery for the people in general. It is unique in Latin America and is cataloged as a monument to freedom, tolerance and love. At the entrance there is a bust in honor of its founder, Braulio Botero Londoño. The holy field was born in response to the impositions of an era in which “only allowed to think on their knees before the clergy and caciques.”
- Alto de la Cruz Tourist Lookout construction in wood of approximately 15 m height which can be accessed to get a nice view of the town and its surroundings.
- The Cipriano Echeverry Historical Museum began activity in the Republican era, between 1880 and 1930, in an old house. It conserves its walls in bahareque, an ancient technique that mixes bamboo, mud and straw.
Montenegro City
The city is 10 km from Armenia
Montenegro is a municipality in the western part of the department of Quindío, Colombia. It was named for the dark green color of the trees that originally covered the hill above the site where the center of this village is now, and which was visible from other parts of the region, as it rose above the forests of surrounding guadua. Between 1897 and 1904, Montenegro was officially known as Villa Quindío. Montenegro has a population of approximately 45,000 inhabitants. The city is at an average height of 1300 meters above the level of the river. The municipality of Montenegro has a total area of 148.92 km2 The borders of Montenegro are mainly formed by three rivers.
Places of interest:
- The National Coffee Park started in 1995 by the National Federation of Coffee Growers and the Departmental Committee of Coffee Growers of Quindío. The place is a sum of fun, culture, knowledge and tasting of Quindiana gastronomy and sweets.
- La Casa Campesina, the Indigenous Cemetery, the Interactive Coffee Museum, the bambusario and the garden of coffee varieties. They are more than 30 attractions.
- It is famous the accommodation of rural tourism with more than 99 rural farms.
Quimbaya City
The city is 20 km from Armenia
The National Agricultural Culture Park, PANACA, is 7 km west of the main municipality. The 47-hectare park contains a variety of interactive exhibits, including more than 200 species of animals. Together with the National Coffee Park in Montenegro, the theme park is one of the main tourist attractions of the department. The most important cultural event is the National Festival of Lighting with Candles and Lanterns, which began in 1982 and is celebrated every year on December 7 and 8 (Velitas Day). Each of the neighborhoods in the municipality compete to produce the most spectacular lighting arrangements, and many visitors come from all over Colombia and the world to admire the show.
Places of interest:
- Quimbaya Gold Museum 13.6 km from Armenia.
- La Divisa Theme Estate 8.2 km from Filandia.
- El parque recreativo ecoturistico (el parque arvi).
- El Paraiso del Bambu and La Guadua 12.3 km from Montenegro.
- Jardin Botanico del Quindio 17.1 km from Calarcá.
- Founders’ Park 13.9 km from Armenia.
It is a very beautiful region as are the other beautiful regions to visit in Colombia.