The coffee-growing zone is a geographic area that comprises three Colombian departments: Caldas, Risaralda and Quindío, with their corresponding capital cities of Manizales, Pereira and Armenia. Although the departments share a common coffee culture, beautiful landscapes, and the friendliness of their people, each city has its own characteristics: Manizales stands out for its cultural life and its famous annual Festival held during the first week of January (Bullfighting Season, Miss Coffee International, Concerts); Armenia as the heart of the region, and Pereira with its commercial activity, gastronomy, and nightlife.
Most coffee production in Colombia takes place here and for that reason the region is known as the Coffee Cultural Landscape, declared by UNESCO in 2011 as a World Heritage Cultural Site. The climate, with temperatures that vary from 8°C to 24°C; the geographic characteristics, a tropical Andean Forest ranging between 1,300 and 1,700 masl; and other geological factors yield top-quality coffee. Visitors will appreciate observing the fertile valleys with their seemingly endless coffee plantations, the traditional wooden houses with brightly colored balconies and constructions in guadua bamboo, the Wax Tree Palms, Colombia’s national tree, that mark the spectacular Cocora Valley, all of which blend together to create the typical and vibrant landscape of this region.
The coffee as the main commercial activity led the three departments to become a single region where the landscapes vary in shades of green due to coffee plantations, clusters of banana trees, and guadua. Other bright colors can be seen in the region, such as orchids, heliconias, hummingbirds, parrots, and rare butterflies; at Los Nevados National Park, which reaches heights surpassing 5,000 masl; and in the beautiful architecture of towns like Salento or Filandia.
