Colombia · City Guide
Pereira
Pereira is the capital of Colombia's coffee region (Eje Cafetero), providing the most convenient access to the UNESCO World Heritage Coffee Cultural Landscape, the dramatic Cocora Valley with its towering wax palms — Colombia's national tree, the colourful colonial town of Salento, and outstanding coffee farm tours showcasing the production of some of the world's finest coffee. With a pleasant climate and central location within the coffee triangle, Pereira is an excellent base for exploring this beautiful region.
Elect's take
"Pereira's location at the heart of the coffee region makes it an ideal base, and the Cocora Valley — with its impossibly tall wax palms rising from misty green hillsides — is one of the most extraordinary landscapes I have seen anywhere in South America."
The Cocora Valley, near the town of Salento approximately one hour from Pereira, is home to the world's tallest palm trees — the wax palm, Colombia's national tree — rising up to 60 metres from misty cloud forest hillsides in one of the most visually extraordinary landscapes in South America. Salento itself is a colourful colonial town with traditional Paisa architecture, excellent restaurants and the gateway to numerous coffee farm tours. The UNESCO World Heritage Coffee Cultural Landscape encompasses the surrounding hills, where farms offer tours explaining the cultivation and processing of some of the world's most celebrated coffee. The Otún Quimbaya Flora and Fauna Sanctuary near Pereira provides excellent birdwatching including the Andean cock-of-the-rock.
Best time to visit
How to get there
What to expect
Cocora Valley
Home to the world's tallest wax palms rising from misty cloud forest hillsides.
Salento
A colourful colonial coffee town with traditional Paisa architecture and excellent restaurants.
UNESCO Coffee Landscape
The World Heritage Coffee Cultural Landscape with outstanding farm tours.
Otún Quimbaya Sanctuary
Excellent birdwatching including the spectacular Andean cock-of-the-rock.
Cloud Forest Hiking
Beautiful trails through the cloud forest landscapes of the coffee region.
Coffee Farm Tours
Outstanding tours explaining the production of some of the world's finest coffee.
