The UTP Botanical Garden (Jardín Botánico UTP) is located in Pereira. It’s operated by Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira and is situated on their campus.
I had no intention on visiting Génova until I read an article on The Culture Trip mentioning it as a one of “11 stunning alternatives to Salento“. I thought there must be some truth to it, so we set out one afternoon and took the three hour drive from Belén de Umbría.
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.
Barcelona is the nearest town to the touristic Recuca coffee plantation in the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia. There’s no real reason to visit but we decided to stop and check it out while passing through on our way to the towns of Buenavista and Pijao.
The small town of Tinjacá, which is located between Villa de Leyva and Ráquira, has a unique artisan craft that makes the town worthy of a detour.
An easy day trip from Villa de Leyva, colorful Ráquira is the pottery capital of Colombia. Handwoven goods and other Colombian souvenirs can also be found there. We visited in the morning and combined it with a trip to La Candelaria.
El Infiernito is just outside Villa de Leyva. It’s an archaeological site related to the indigenous Muisca people who once lived in Boyacá.
The Convent of Santo Ecce Homo (Convento de Santo Ecce Homo) is a Dominican monastery founded in 1620. It’s located near Villa de Leyva and makes for a great day trip combined with other attractions outside of town.
A tropical country like Colombia doesn’t exactly top the list of wine producing countries, but near the town of Villa de Leyva, a few Colombian winemakers think they’ve found the perfect balance to make good wine.