If you find yourself in Ibagué, you have to try a tamal tolimense. This specialty can be found all over town but there’s one place we recommend in particular.
The absolute best thing we did in Ibagué was visit the San Jorge Botanical Garden (Jardín Botánico San Jorge). It’s an impeccably maintained and incredibly beautiful botanical garden with three trails.
Chinchiná is a large town located about halfway between the cities of Manizales and Pereira. It’s part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia.
These two small coffee towns in the department of Caldas, Neira and Aranzazu, are both part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia. Neither one are particularly worth visiting, but they both have beautiful settings and its an enjoyable ride through lush green mountains.
Recinto del Pensamiento is one of the best attractions in Manizales. It’s a peaceful nature park with a very relaxed and easy guided walk that can be done by people of all ages. Recinto del Pensamiento is located within the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia.
Los Yarumos Ecopark (Ecoparque Los Yarumos) is a nature and recreational park near the city center of Manizales. Admission was free when we visited and there were great views of the city, but the rest of the park was kind of a waste of time. The easiest way to get there is by taxi.
The most important building in Manizales is the Manizales Cathedral (Catedral de Manizales). It’s located on Plaza de Bolívar.
Manizales, a university city in the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, isn’t very touristy but does have a few sites of interest, including a few nature parks just outside of the city.