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"The Coffee Trail"
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GENERAL INFORMATION:
In the fertile soils of the cultural mountain range known as the Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis “Eje Cafetero”, the smoothest coffee in the world is grown by country folks such as Juan Valdez; it is the Colombian region famous for the growing and production of the softest coffee in the world.
Traditional coffee haciendas appear amidst the plantations, of beautiful and colorful architecture and decorated with a profusion of flowers, at which the tourist can stay and explore picturesque villages, spectacular natural environments such as Los Nevados National Park and visit interesting venues such as the Park of Coffee Culture of Agriculture and Livestock.
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QUINDIO:
There are in this department about 1.845 km² of mountain landscapes, with many Rainforests and Guadua bamboo forests. The ground is enriched with ancient volcanic eruptions, rising its fertility, there are also many rivers and minor water streams, including the Quindio river and the Cocora valley located in this river origin. The weather has a wide range, given the variations on termic floors. Armenia has an average temperature of 60° F. In the city you can find the Coffee Park, outside Montenegro. The Coffee Park's carefully tended 128 acres are dedicated to coffee and other native plants, and feature a train, a museum and a cable car. RISARALDA:
The city of Pereira is the capital city of Risaralda. It stands in the center of the western region of the country, located in a small valley that descends from a part of the western Andes mountain chain. |
CALDAS:
Caldas is a department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. Its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 1,030,062, and its area is 7,291 km².The city of Manizales, capital of Department of Caldas, is described as having "abrupt topography"; it is built in a mountain region with a number of ridgelines and steep slopes. Combined with the seismic instability of the area, this has required architectural adaptations and public works to make the city safer. Even though Manizales has a very difficult topography, there are a lot of coffee plantations in these fertile lands. The city is located in the north of the Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis ("Eje Cafetero"), near the volcano Nevado del Ruiz, at a height of about 2153 meters.
The most important cultural events held there are the International Theater Festival, which is one of the mayor theater events in Latin-America and Feria de Manizales (Manizales Fair) which is the second biggest celebration in the country, after the Barranquilla Carnival. Manizales Fair is celebrated in the city of Manizales the first weeks of the year. Costume groups in fancy dress take over the city, a congeniality coffee queen is elected and bullfighting takes place.
A GLIMPSE OF WHAT TO DO AND PLACES OF INTEREST
El Parque del Cafe is a must if you're in the area. The colonisation and history of the entire area is explained as well as all the details of growing and processing coffee. In addition it features a botanical area (bamboo forest, coffee plants, etc) and an amusement park with various rides.
Los Nevados close to Manizales is where you have to go if you want to see snow or if you want to see that one can climb an altitude of 5,000 m by car.
Nevado del Ruiz - It's possible to hike to the snowline at 5,200m of this volcano. You can take a lechero to the park entrance and from there walk all the way with a guide. There are also organised tours which take you to 4800m to hike only the last few hunderd meters and visit a thermal afterwards.
Reserva Ecológica Río Blanco -- A permission is required to visit this cloudforest park, or you can try to bluff your way in. From the park entrance it is a 4 kilometer walk through the park to Fundación Ecológico Gabriel Arango Restrepo. There are two bears kept in captivity there and hunderds of hummingbirds sipping sugerwater at the finca. A few hunderd metres further is a mirador with views over Manizales.
Plaza de Bolívar - Very famous because of the "Bolívar Desnudo" – Naked Bolívar monument . It is located in the main square in the center of the city of Pereira in front of the cathedral, between 7th and 8th street. The area is the focus of commercial and financial activities. The most important activities in the city take place here.
