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Armenia: Heart of Colombia's UNESCO Coffee Region

Armenia is the capital of Quindío — the smallest but most coffee-iconic Colombian department; the UNESCO World Heritage Coffee Cultural Landscape surrounds the city with wax palms, coffee farms, and colourful bahareque architecture

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Coffee Culture Landscape
Colombia's coffee culture landscape – a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011 – covers the departments of Quindío, Risaralda and Caldas around Armenia; the landscape's combination of steep slope agriculture, traditional bahareque architecture and coffee culture is unique
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Wax palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense)
Colombia's national tree – the Quindío wax palm – grows exclusively in the high valleys around Armenia and Salento; the palms, which reach 60 meters, are the world's tallest monocots; their silhouettes against the green hills are the region's most iconic image
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Traditional Baharek architecture
The coffee region's bahareque architecture - wooden houses with bamboo filling, plastered and painted in vivid colors - is the UNESCO-protected building tradition of the region; the farmhouses, town halls and churches all use this technique
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Coffee farm stays
Fincas cafeteras (coffee farms) around Armenia offer agritourism stays - guests sleep in the traditional farmhouse, harvest coffee, process it by hand and drink the results; this intimate farm experience has become Colombia's most popular agritourism
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Parque Nacional del Café
Parque del Café – a theme park near Armenia dedicated to Colombian coffee culture – has a cable car, a roller coaster and demonstrations of the entire coffee brewing process; it is an unusual and engaging cultural experience for families
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Center of Armenia
Armenia's city center – rebuilt after the 1999 earthquake – features a bold modern central square (Paseo Bolívar), the Museo del Oro Quimbaya and the street art that has emerged from post-earthquake urban redevelopment