These two small coffee towns in the department of Caldas, Neira and Aranzazu, both have rural areas included in the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia. Neither one are particularly worth visiting, but they both have beautiful settings and it’s an enjoyable ride through lush green mountains.
Caicedonia is a town located in the department of Valle del Cauca. It sits only 45 minutes from Armenia.
Alcalá is a small town located in the department of Valle del Cauca.
All my life I’ve been used to jam packed churches for Greek Orthodox Easter, no matter where I’ve lived. In Northwest Indiana and Chicago, the churches are so full it’s nearly impossible to find a spot if you don’t show up super early. It was the same in Melbourne and Istanbul where I even had to stand outside of the church. In all these places, the familiar smell of burnt hair from someone’s stray candle was always in the air. This Easter, my first in Colombia, was completely different.
Supía is a small town with a pleasant plaza, just a half hour from Riosucio. Some rural areas are part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia.
Riosucio is a town known for its biennial carnival, the Carnival of the Devil (Carnaval del Diablo). It’s one of the most popular and important carnivals in all of Colombia and takes place every January of odd-numbered years. Some rural areas of Riosucio are included in the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia.
Covering 519 km² of area of Colombia’s western Andes Mountains is Tatamá National Park (Parque Nacional Natural Tatamá). This lesser-known park is spread out over the departments of Risaralda, Chocó, and Valle del Cauca and is one of the more inaccessible national parks in the country.
The small town of Pueblo Rico, located about three hours from Pereira, has almost nothing to offer. I visited on a short trip with my girlfriend Marisol and spent about an hour there.
Several Colombian friends had suggested I visit the town of Quimbaya, about 40 minutes from Armenia. I decided to take their advice and visit. Some rural parts of Quimbaya are located in the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia.