Salento is one of those Colombian towns that you’ll find in nearly every “must see” list for the country. It’s actually bewildering how many people head nine hours south of Medellin just to include it in their two week itineraries, totally bypassing wonders like Filandia and Jardin. But alas, we see why it’s attractive. It’s colorful, it’s happy, it’s tourist…
Filandia is a sleepy little treasure 50 minutes from Armenia dropped tenderly in the middle of Colombia’s coffee country. Despite its colorful facades, colonial architecture, fantastic shopping opportunities, rolling cafetera hills, warm locals and great restaurants, it is often upstaged by its touristic coffee sister of Salento and mostly undiscovered by travelers. It felt like a true local’s town…a bit…
Armenia, Colombia is probably not a place you'll find as a top tourist attraction in any guidebook. It's primarily a utilitarian city, amongst three major cities in Colombia's Eje Cafetera, or coffee region. Due in part to a disastrous earthquake in 1999, the city center is unfortunately a bit gritty and it's not loaded with colonial charm. However, one thing…
We live with the motto that, one can choose to be blind to the world, or to be an adventurer in search of its treasure. And, although we do believe in taking all necessary and proper safety precautions during this pandemic, we were not going to let COVID keep us from living and experiencing our nomadic lives. So we adapted. We…
Salamina, population 20,000, is one of those little woodsy wonders that is completely off the radar for most tourists, which is exactly the reason we went on an overnight trip from Manizales. We call it a woodsy wonder because its streets are accessorized with the legacy of woodcarver Tangarife Elisha, who in the mid-19th century promoted a woodworking school that…
After a string of go-go-go travel and cuteness overload, we were ready to “settle down” for awhile (aka two weeks) in green and mountainous Manizales, which is one of the three mid-sized cities in Colombia’s Eje Cafetera, or Coffee Triangle. We liked Manizales…a lot. More than we thought we would, and in fact, surprisingly more than Medellin. A lot of…
Many blogs, guidebooks and locals all proclaim that Jardin, 3.5 hours south of Medellin, is the “most beautiful pueblo in Colombia.” So, being that we’re into cute things and buckets of color, (you may have noticed), it seemed like a place we definitely wanted to check out on our way south to the Coffee Zone. Jardin is beloved by Colombians…
One thing we’re quickly learning about Colombians is they love traveling within their own country. As they should. They are blessed with a plethora of phenomenal options, year-round great weather, and a wonderful tourism structure. We’re also realizing because of this, that weekends can be a bit of a madhouse when traveling to the many charming pueblos, particularly on the…
