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Umbría Valley (Valle de Umbría) is located halfway between Belén de Umbría and Mistrató in the department of Risaralda, Colombia. There are only a few places to visit, but it’s still worth a stop if you’re in the area.
Overview of Umbría Valley
While there’s nothing of interest in the village itself, there are a few recreational areas nearby that offer different activities, along with an amazing restaurant. Umbría Valley is located within the UNESCO World Heritage listed Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia.
How to Get 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 in a spectacular setting overlooking the valley, and it’s a true gastronomic experience with creations you won’t find anywhere else.
Balcón del Valle is run by chefs Javier and Cristina, who do everything to make their guests feel happy and at home. Javier spent several years working as a chef overseas and speaks fluent English. He’s created a handful of interesting Colombian-Thai fusion dishes that are totally unique, and unlike anything I’ve tried before. They also serve a few traditional Colombian favorites.
All of the vegetables, fruits, and spices Javier and Cristina use are grown right on their property. It doesn’t get any fresher than that!
How to Visit Balcón del Valle
Balcón del Valle is typically open Wednesday to Monday. To visit the restaurant, you have to make reservations and choose your meal in advance. They’ll send a menu via WhatsApp, and you send your order back at least a day ahead. If you’re in the area, contact me and I’ll be happy to help you make a reservation.
If you’re going without a private vehicle, you can take a bus from Belén to Mistrató and ask the driver to drop you off at the road leading up to the restaurant. From there, you’ll have to walk up a long gravel road to get to their home, which doubles as the restaurant.
Dishes at Balcón del Valle
You can’t go wrong with any of the dishes at Balcón del Valle. Each meal comes with a drink, starters, and soup. At the end, they’ll offer homemade chai. Some of the starters and soups include:
Javier and Cristina used to run Salsa y Sazón, which was my favorite restaurant in Belén. They closed it in 2017 and moved to Umbría Valley. They still serve all my old favorites from that restaurant, including:
Some of the newer creations on the menu include:
A couple of the traditional Colombian dishes available are:
Unnamed Restaurant with Carne a la Llanera
While I can’t remember the name of the place, I can tell you exactly where to find great carne a la llanera and arepas de queso. Take the road from Belén to Mistrató, and you’ll find it at the corner of the turnoff to Guática. Until I get the name, I’ll leave it like that.
The carne a la llanera is excellent, and the arepas de choclo are generously stuffed with cheese. It’s popular with locals and can get crowded on weekends and holidays, so service can feel a little disorganized, but it’s still worth the stop. Behind the restaurant, there are fishing ponds, though they’re not always open.
San Juan del Valle
San Juan del Valle has a swimming pool, fishing pond, dirt bike track, paintball, football fields, zip line, paragliding, camping area, and a farm. They also offer guided ecological walks to waterfalls and birdwatching for groups of at least 10 people.
There’s a restaurant serving typical Colombian food. The food is decent, but the service can be a bit slow. Reasonably priced cabañas are also available if you want to stay the night. The price includes a few of the activities in the park.
La Granjita de Ethan
Just past San Juan del Valle is La Granjita de Ethan. It’s a great place to visit with family or a group of friends to grab an ice cream. There’s a trampoline; an aviary with peacocks, chickens, and parrots; and a koi pond. Kids get a kick out of feeding the animals.
In the past, it was possible to walk through the fields and see several fruit trees and vegetable gardens, including guanábana, avocado, chili peppers, passionfruit, and more. Unfortunately, this is no longer possible.
There’s a small menu with food, drinks, and ice cream. The ice cream is very good, but in all honesty the food in my experience is terrible.
Funvallu (Closed)
Funvallu is an indigenous-themed recreational area that focuses more on relaxation but also offers several activities. These include ecological walks to waterfalls, paddle boats, fishing, bike tours, presentations and walks about the local indigenous people, camping, river rafting, and zip lining. The grounds are much nicer than San Juan del Valle, but overall it’s not well run and feels much less organized.
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 cost extra. The restaurant serves typical Colombian food. We ate lunch there and it wasn’t that great.
