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If you’re looking to go off the beaten path in Colombia’s Coffee Region, Pijao makes the perfect choice. Often referred to as “Salento without the tourists”, Pijao is gaining more recognition as one of the region’s most beautiful towns.
Included in UNESCO’s Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, the small town features the same traditional architecture as Salento, complete with the colorful doors and windows. A breath of fresh air for many visitors is that you won’t find a souvenir shop – and most likely another tourist – while enjoying the town.
Plaza
The obvious place to start exploring Pijao is the main plaza. There, you can see how the town is surrounded by green mountains.
The plaza is surrounded on all sides by the most colorful buildings in town.
The most important buildings on the plaza are the church of San José de Pijao and Town Hall (Alcaldía). The Town Hall displays antiquities made by the indigenous Pijao people for whom the town is named. The Pijao actually called themselves “Pinao” but because the Spaniards encountered them naked, they called them “Pijao”. In old Spanish it means having their sexual organs exposed.
Architecture
There are a few streets in town where you can find the most colorful architecture outside of the plaza. To the north of the plaza is La Planta.
To the south of the plaza is Calle Real.
There are also some beautiful buildings just off Calle Real.
If you walk east of the plaza, there are a few colorful homes. The street leads to a bridge over Río Lejos.
Café La Floresta
Finally, if you want to try some of the best coffee in the entire region, visit Café La Floresta. It’s a tiny place with just a few tables, but they produce an excellent coffee. The owner was happy to tell us about their finca and what sets their coffee apart.
We had their honey coffee in a Chemex and could say it’s the second best coffee we’ve tried, behind Café San Alberto in nearby Buenavista. We had a Chemex and a pintadito (coffee with milk). Café La Floresta is located just off the plaza.
Getting There
To get to Pijao, there are frequent buses from Armenia. It takes about 90 minutes. If you have enough time, it’s a good idea to combine a visit to Pijao with Buenavista to try the coffee. Your taste buds will thank you.
