Coffee Villages and the Botanical Garden of Quindío

The first stop of the day is the small town of Circasia. There, leave the car around the main square (Parque Bolivar) and get ready for a stroll. Around the square you will find colorful facades, as in other villages of the coffee-growing region, mostly belonging to bars and restaurants.
If you are travelling on a weekend, you can enjoy the handicraft fair that is set up in the square.
If you want, you can start tasting coffee early in the morning at one of the stands in the square, while you watch the people going about their daily business.
You can also try "cortado de leche", a typical Colombian dessert.

Then, very close to the square, you will find the Casa Museo Cipriano Echeverri, a house with traditional architecture where you can learn about the history of the municipality and why the city's slogan is that it is a "city of free men".
You will also be able to see some of the objects that were saved from the fire that destroyed the main church in 2009.
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Friday: 08:00 – 12:00, 14:00 – 18:00 Saturday – Sunday: 10:00 – 18:00

After visiting the house museum, you can walk a few more minutes to the Circasia Free Cemetery.
In the village, the cemeteries were controlled by the church and only those who complied with the laws of the church could be buried there.
As several people were denied burial, it was decided to create this cemetery so that all people could be buried, regardless of their beliefs, origins, political ideas, etc.
Opening Hours: Monday – Friday: 02:00 – 05:00, 08:00 – 12:00 Saturday – Sunday: 09:30 – 16:30

One of the most outstanding places to visit in the entire Quindío region is its botanical garden. There, you can see a collection of palms, with all the original palms of Colombia, enjoy its famous butterfly garden, hike through lush vegetation, across mazes and bridges, and go bird watching.
In general, the whole visit can take about two hours. The garden is very beautiful, peaceful and ideal for strolling around and taking pictures. Of course, it can always last more or less time, depending on your interests.
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday: 08:00 – 15:30
For more information, you can visit the official website.

You can stop at a restaurant on the road near the town of Barcelona. You will see many of them and almost all of them have parking spaces.
One of them is Super Forcha Barcelona, where you can try a typical drink of the area, the forcha, and eat some Colombian empanadas or carne asada.
Opening Hours of Super Forcha: Sunday – Friday: 09:00 – 19:30 Saturday: 06:30 – 19:30
If you leave the Botanical Gardens hungry and prefer to eat nearby before getting back in the car, you can do so at Amore Mio, next to the Botanical Gardens. It's a very nicely decorated, open-air place with lots of greenery and details.
Opening Hours of Amore Mio: Monday - Sunday: 11:00 - 21:30

Welcome to another of the towns of the Eje cafetero: Córdoba. You can stroll around the main square, visit the church and look around some minutes.

The next suggestion is to go to Soñarte, where you can enjoy a coffee in one of the best viewpoints in town – Terraza café. Keep in mind that dinner will be early, so don't be tempted by everything there is to eat there.
In addition, this site organizes hikes, bike tours, bird watching, contact with guadua crafts (traditional bamboo species of the area) and other options. You can check their website to contact them and see what activities are available on the day and time you arrive. When you contact them, you can also ask them to explain how to get to the cafeteria because sometimes the GPS doesn't show it well.
Some departures last several hours, so you should take this into account when organizing your day. For example, you can spend less time in the botanical garden of Quindío and arrive earlier in Córdoba.

The next stop is the small town of Pijao, one of the villages considered "slow" in Colombia, so it is ideal to arrive after a day's journey. However, keep in mind that if you arrive on a Sunday, there is much more movement of people, and it is not so slow.
Drive carefully and enjoy the beautiful scenery between the villages.

Find a place near the main square for an early dinner (remember that places usually close early) and ask for the place's recommendation.
If you haven't tried them yet, you can order arepas, grilled meat, bandeja paisa or a Colombian sudado (stew).
One option is Bistró Parrilla Pijao.
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 11:00 – 21:00 Monday: Closed

Enjoy the last night in a rural accommodation and relax in the nature of the area.