SALENTO

Salento is a town and municipality in the north-east of the department of Quindío, Colombia. The municipality covers an area of 377.67 km2.[2] It was the first settlement in Quindío of the modern era, and the first municipality founded in the department. The town of Salento itself is located 24 km northeast of the departmental capital Armenia. In 2005 the municipality of Salento had an estimated population of 7247, of which 3597 lived in the main urban zone.[1]

The main route from Popayán and Cali to Bogotá used to pass through Salento (see below), but when the route was diverted the town became isolated and did not develop as rapidly as the rest of the region. For this reason it has retained more of its traditional colonial architecture than almost any other town in the eje cafetero, along with a quiet and relaxed way of life, and as a result the town and nearby Cocora valley are among the most popular tourist destinations in Colombia.

PANACA

PANACA is located in the heart of the Colombian coffee axis, exactly in the Kerman village in Quimbaya, Quindío department, only 40 minutes from the city of Armenia and you can get there so take the 19 race south and turn to The right on 25th Street to Montenegro (in the old Train Station), continue along this road until reaching Montenegro and then to Quimbaya. In the roundabout that is at the entrance of Quimbaya you will find a sculpture of a giant poporo, there you have to take the deviation to the left, then to 600 meters turn again to the left and from there in a route of 7 kilometers you arrive directly towards the Park PANACA and being in the city of Pereira, you have two ways to start the tour which will take you approximately 1 hour: You can take the Avenida de las Américas or Avenida Sur to the neighborhood Cuba, where you must pass through the underground station of the Integrated System of Mass Transportation then at the last traffic light next to a Gasoline Station take a left towards the road that leads to the municipality of Alcalá - Valle del Cauca, and from there take the route to Quimbaya. Take the 30 de Agosto Avenue, passing the Matecaña Airport, to the Cerritos sector to take the road to Cartago - Norte del Valle, being in Cartago you must follow the double road until you find a roundabout and take the road to Quimbaya, at To reach Quimbaya you must take the deviation to the right and then just 500 meters turn right again from where you can reach PANACA after a 7 kilometer journey.

ALUMBRADO QUMBAYA

The most important cultural event is the Candles and Lanterns Festival (full name in Spanish: Fiesta Nacional del Concurso de Alumbrados con Velas y Faroles), which began in 1982 and is held each year on 7 and 8 December (Día de las Velitas). Each of the barrios in the township compete to produce the most spectacular lighting arrangements, and many visitors come from throughout Colombia to admire the displays. The festival is held in honor of the Catholic holy day, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, on 8 December. 

RECUCA

Recuento is a place where the tourist is welcome with a coffee prepared in water and then transformed into an actor: In typical costume, basket and machete at the beginning of a long journey that transports you, first, for the history of the grain from Ethiopia, Arabia and Holland coming here to America. Recuencia is located in the farm La Chapolera, sidewalk Calle Larga, corregimiento of Barcelona, ​​jurisdiction of Calarcá. 

Entering a thick coffee plantation full of green and panorama, await a series of seasons that reveal how the coffee crop spread for our country, once it harvests its grains, to earn the "bogadera", cold aguapanela with lemon that Removes The thirst and the necessary forces for the next stage.

 To finish, it plays to despulpar and to dry the grain, toasting and grinding, to prepare and to delight with a pleasant coffee that leaves to you impregnated of all the aroma of our traditional coffee culture. 

JARDIN BOTANICO DEL QUINDIO

The Botanical Garden of the Quindío was founded in 1979 by Alberto Gómez Mejía. Participated members of the Organization Oikos and the Gardening Club of Armenia, and professors of the University of Quindío. It was structured as a non-profit foundation, and the legal status of a non-governmental organization was recognized by the Governor of Quindío by Resolution No. OJ 037 of June 5, 1979. It is registered in the Chamber of Commerce of Armenia. The Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute and the National Botanic Gardens Network provided a favorable concept under Law 299 of 1996 and consequently the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Quindío (CRQ) granted the environmental permit by Resolution No 968 of October 30, 1998, which made it the first botanical garden in the country to be duly legalized. The CRQ subsequently lent to the Garden eight hectares of natural forest located in the vicinity of Filandia and Circasia, which are part of the Forest Reserve of Bremen, and the Bosquinsa S.A Society did the same with two additional adjacent hectares. In 1988, a cooperation agreement was signed with the University of Quindío, which was approved on October 25 of that year (Acta No. 007 of the Superior Council). In 1989, with contributions from the National Planning Department, through the CRQ, the Department of Quindío, the Departmental Committee of Coffee Growers and the Municipality of Calarcá, which amounted to $ 58 million (equivalent then to US $ 150,000, approx. Acquired in the municipality of Calarcá a redoubt of natural forest, where the main headquarters of the entity is located.

PARQUE LOS ARRIEROS

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In the village of Santana, Quimbaya (Quindio), between coffee plantations, banana plantations and two crystalline ravines, a park was born to complement Quindío's tourism offer and the coffee-growing area. It is Los Arrieros, an area of ​​23 blocks where you can recreate the day to day of the emblematic campesinos that gave life to the people of this region. "To see" Yipaos "people have to wait until June, at parties in Calarcá; To see lanterns, they must wait until Christmas in Quimbaya.

PARQUE DE LA VIDA

Just 100 meters from Los Fundadores Park, on Avenida Bolívar, the most significant of Armenia, is El Parque de la Vida. An extraordinary gift that made the coffee association to the town of Armenia for its 100th anniversary. It has an area of ​​eight hectares, a leafy area, trees and large green areas, a lagoon with fish, ducks and geese, paved roads to transit and several falls of water in the form of a ladder. 

MUSEO DE ORO QUIMBAYA

Armenia has among its most important architectural works, the Coliseum del Café, a sports arena with a design that seems to have the shape of a flying saucer, surrounded by green areas. The coliseum has a capacity for approximately 9000 spectators. In El Coliseo del café, sporting events are held for basketball, volleyball, table tennis, dancing and porrasmo, among others. Although it was also the usual venue for concerts and art events, before the arrival of the Metropolitan Convention Center. .