Last updated on February 10, 2024.

Umbría Valley, located halfway between Belén de Umbría and Mistrató in the department of Risaralda, Colombia, has a couple places to visit.

While there’s nothing of interest in the village itself, there are a few recreational areas that provide several different activities as well as an amazing restaurant. Umbría Valley is located within the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia.

 

Getting to Umbría Valley

To get to Umbría Valley from Belén, it’s possible to take either a Cootransbel bus from the bus terminal or a Flota Occidental bus from the main plaza heading to Mistrató.

 

Balcón del Valle

Balcón del Valle is by far my favorite reason to drive out to Umbría Valley. They serve delicious meals among a spectacular setting overlooking the valley. It’s a true gastronomic experience with creations you won’t find anywhere else.

View from the restaurant at Balcón del Valle near Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
View from the restaurant

Balcón del Valle is run by chefs Javier and Cristina, who do everything to make their guests feel happy and at home throughout their culinary experience. Javier spent several years as a chef overseas and speaks fluent English, and has created a handful of interesting Colombian-Thai fusion dishes. These dishes are unique and I haven’t tried anything like them. They also serve up a few traditional Colombian favorites.

One of our guests tasting a dish prepared by Javier at Balcón del Valle near Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
One of our guests tasting a dish prepared by Javier

Furthermore, all of the vegetables, fruits, and spices Javier and Cristina use as ingredients are grown right on their property. It doesn’t get any fresher than that!

Javier knocking some mangos off a tree at Balcón del Valle
Javier knocking some mangos off a tree

 

Visiting Balcón del Valle

Balcón del Valle is open Wednesday to Monday. To visit the restaurant, you have to make reservations as well as choose your meal in advance. They’ll send a menu via WhatsApp and you can send your order back at least a day in advance. If you’re in the area, contact me and I’ll be happy to help you make a reservation.

Balcón del Valle
Balcón del Valle

To get there without a private vehicle, you can take a bus heading from Belén to Mistrató and ask the driver to drop you off at the road leading up to the restaurant. You’ll have to walk up a long gravel road to get to their home, which doubles as the restaurant.

Dining area at Balcón del Valle near Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
Dining area

 

Dishes at Balcón del Valle

You can’t go wrong with any of the dishes at Balcón del Valle. Each one comes with a drink, starters, and soup. At the end of the meal, they’ll offer homemade chai. Some of the starters and soups include:

Toast with baba ganoush at Balcón del Valle
Toast with baba ganoush
Zucchini soup at Balcón del Valle
Zucchini soup
Sweet and sour chicharrón at Balcón del Valle near Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
Sweet and sour chicharrón
Pumpkin soup at Balcón del Valle
Pumpkin soup
Tortilla soup at Balcón del Valle
Tortilla soup

Javier and Cristina used to run Salsa y Sazón, which was my favorite restaurant in Belén, until they closed it in 2017 and moved to the Umbría Valley. They serve up all my old favorites from that restaurant, including:

Arroz tres delicias (rice with shrimp, chicken, and pork) at Balcón del Valle near Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
Arroz tres delicias (rice with shrimp, chicken, and pork)
Rico y dulzón (seafood and vegetables cooked in a coconut broth) at Balcón del Valle near Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
Rico y dulzón (seafood and vegetables cooked in a coconut broth)

Some of the newer creations on the menu include:

Tarifa (octopus, shrimp, and mussels) at Balcón del Valle
Tarifa (octopus, shrimp, and mussels)
Achiote shrimp at Balcón del Valle
Achiote shrimp
Vallísimo (ceviche, octopus, and shrimp) at Balcón del Valle near Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
Vallísimo (ceviche, octopus, and shrimp)
Seafood stew with coconut milk and chontaduro sauce at Balcón del Valle near Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
Seafood stew with coconut milk and chontaduro sauce
Shrimp and chicken quesadillas at Balcón del Valle near Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
Shrimp and chicken quesadillas
Ceviche at Balcón del Valle near Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
Ceviche

A couple of the traditional Colombian dishes available are:

Churrasco at Balcón del Valle
Churrasco
Grilled salmon at Balcón del Valle
Grilled salmon

 

San Juan del Valle

San Juan del Valle has a swimming pool, fishing pond, go-karts, motorcycles, paintball, football fields, zip line, paragliding, camping, and a farm. They also have guided ecological walks in the area to waterfalls and for birdwatching in groups with a minimum of 10 people.

Fishing pond at San Juan del Valle
Fishing pond
Go-kart track at San Juan del Valle
Go-kart track

There’s a restaurant serving typical Colombian food. The food is decent but the service is a bit slow. Reasonably priced cabañas are also available at San Juan del Valle. The price includes a few of the activities available in the park.

Restaurant at San Juan del Valle in Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
Restaurant

 

La Granjita de Ethan

Just past San Juan del Valle is La Granjita de Ethan. This is a great place to go as a family or group of friends to grab an ice cream. There’s a trampoline, an aviary with peacocks and parrots, and a pond with koi.

La Granjita de Ethan in Umbría, Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
La Granjita de Ethan
La Granjita de Ethan in Umbría, Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
La Granjita de Ethan
Birds at La Granjita de Ethan in Umbría, Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
Birds
Tables at La Granjita de Ethan
Tables

You can also take a walk through the fields where you can see several fruit trees and vegetables being grown, including guanábana, avocado, chili peppers, passionfruit, and more.

Farm at La Granjita de Ethan in Umbría, Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
Farm

There’s a small menu with food, drinks, and ice cream. The ice cream is very good, but the food is terrible.

Ice cream at La Granjita de Ethan in Umbría, Belén de Umbría, Risaralda, Colombia
Ice cream

 

Funvallu

Funvallu is another recreational area. It’s more focused on relaxation but also has several fun activities including ecological walks to waterfalls, paddle boats, fishing, bike tours, presentations and walks about the indigenous population, camping, river rafting, and zip lining. The grounds at Funvallu seem much nicer than San Juan del Valle but overall it’s not well run and much less organized.

Pond at Funvallu
Pond
Chapel at Funvallu
Chapel
Funvallu
Funvallu

The restaurant serves typical Colombian food. We ate lunch and it wasn’t that great.

Restaurant at Funvallu in Umbría
Restaurant

Funvallu has a small hotel with a spa, gym, hammocks, and swimming pool along with a few cabañas for rent. The price is all-inclusive but many of the activities are extra.

Cabañas at Funvallu in Umbría
Cabañas
Cabaña at Funvallu in Umbría
Cabaña

 

Map of Umbría Valley

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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