Ecohotel Alma

Number one on your Quindío bucket list may well be a guided tour of the coffee region, where you will visit a coffee plantation, drink some exceptional coffee and maybe buy some coffee to take home with you. A side trip might take you to the colourfully painted houses of Filandia (45 minutes’ drive), where you have a choice of coffee shops on every corner. If you’re travelling with the kids, be sure to treat them to a day at Parque del Café (40 minutes), a coffee-themed amusement park with interactive and educational exhibits as well as high-octane rollercoaster rides. There’s more learning to be done at Quindío Botanical Garden (10 minutes), where you can explore the butterfly house and watch minuscule hummingbirds flit among jungle greenery. If you’d prefer to go exploring on foot, head for the Cocora Valley (about an hour), where you can hike among super-tall, spindly wax palm trees in the spectacularly beautiful cloud forest. Alternatively, hire a guide to point out the birdlife of Acaime Nature Reserve (an hour and 15 minutes), where nature trails take you across precarious bridges hanging above river gorges.