4 / 5 - 2 reviews
How to get there
Eight hours from Bogotá by bus
When to go
From January through April
Minimum stay
3 to 5 days
Quindío Department (Colombia)
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Laure Alvarez
Practical information about Quindío Department
Reviews of Quindío Department
Quindío is located in the country's coffee-growing region and is one of Colombia's 32 departments. The capital of Quindío is Armenia. The lush, verdant landscapes of this area are quite wonderful: truly the stuff of dreams.
My suggestion:
Spend a few days in Salento and explore the astonishing Cocora Valley.
Summary:
Compared with the overall size of the country, I have to say that at only 1,845 km² in area this region is quite minuscule.
Together with Caldas, Risaralda and the Cuaca Valley, Quindío is one of the departments that make up the country's coffee-growing region: one of the essential places to visit when you're in Colombia. The local people here will be delighted to introduce you to their region and will have no hesitation in offering you delicious coffee, which is sometimes made using sugar cane water (and therefore already sweet).
I spent several days in Quindío, and despite it's small size the area is simply full of things for tourists to see and do. Firstly there's Los Nevados National Park, which contains the 4,800-metre high volcano Nevado del Quindío. Additionally, there's the pretty town of Salento and the Cocora Valley (also part of the Los Nevados National Park). If you want to see something other than natural landscapes, the National Coffee Park – a theme park created in 1995 by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia and the Departmental Committee of Coffee Growers of Quindío – is also worth a visit, with its famous orchids, its garden of coffees from around the world, its cable car, and … its roller coaster!
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Laure Alvarez
Quindío is one of Columbia's 32 departments. It's found in the coffee producing region of Columbia's mid-west.
My suggestion:
If you're in Quindío during your trip to Columbia, make sure you visit one of its coffee plantations.
Summary:
Quindío, the capital of which is Armenia, is a tiny department in Columbia; it only covers 2,000km2. Situated in Columbia's mid-west, it forms part of the Eje Cafetero or Coffee Triangle.
Among the host of things to do in Quindío is a visit to the Coffee National Park in the town of Montenegro. Columbians will tell you it's a cultural visit that explains the coffee production process, although in reality it's more of an amusement park. That said, between the fairground rides, dance shows and nature trails, it still makes for a fun day out.
Quindío's also the place where you can visit coffee plantations and learn about coffee production, from the time of harvest to the moment you pour yourself a cup! You should also check out the Los Nevados National Park , home to the 4,800m Mount Quindío, which bears the same name as this little department and is just one of many tourist attractions in the region.
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CIAT
89 travellers' photos
