The Colombian department of Caldas is made up of 27 municipalities. Most of its towns are distributed throughout the geography of the department and separated by high mountains, so if you are going to visit the country towns of Caldas you must have a good route, so in this blog, we have created a tour of the most beautiful towns of Caldas that offer a tourist offer, most of them are close to Manizales.
We start the tour with its capital Manizales. More than a town, Manizales is one of Colombia's important cities and a destination with many cultural events, historical monuments, and places to do ecotourism in its surroundings such as the entrance to the Los Nevados National Natural Park or its fabulous hot springs. You can get to Manizales through its airport, get to know the historical sites, try its coffee, go hiking in its natural parks, and then go out to visit the other towns that we mention below.
And if you plan to visit the most beautiful tourist sites in the city, then I recommend you do some of these tours within Manizales.
Villamaría
It is one of the small towns near Manizales with which you can start the tour, it is only 15 minutes away from the Pan-American highway. This municipality is known for its biodiversity, ecological tourism, and its cold climate with fog where its temperature can reach up to 6.2 degrees Celsius, making it the coldest town in Caldas. In it you can visit the Municipal Palace, which is an architectural jewel located in the center of town, there is also the Railway Station and the Sanctuary of the Virgen de las Naciones or the Virgen de Los Pobres.
Chinchiná
It is 40 minutes from Manizales but if you are in Villamaría you must return to the Pan-American highway, continue until the La Uribe station and take the road to the low tablazo. Chinchina is a town of coffee farms with incredible viewpoints, you can also visit places like the Basilica Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, the Hacienda El Sinai or Hacienda La Gaviota.
Risaralda
Risaralda is also the name of a municipality in the department of Caldas and is located an hour and a half from Manizales. It is a very quiet town located on a large mountain, which means that its temperature is an average of 15.0 ° degrees Celsius. Its coffee production also stands out, being the sale and export of this the livelihood of the majority of its inhabitants; so you can visit several coffee farms to learn about the production process. Another striking tourist place that you should know is the House of Culture located in the entire center of town.
Viterbo
It is the fourth town on our tour and is only 50 minutes from Risaralda. It is one of the towns in Caldas with a low altitude, which is why its climate is between 25 degrees on average. In Viterbo, nature tourism is promoted, so you can visit the surrounding hills, such as Cerro de San Carlos, for bird watching and where you can also paraglide to the plain. You can also stay in eco-hotels before reaching the urban area.
Filadelfia
Filadelfia is a Colombian municipality north of the department of Caldas, it is located three hours from Viterbo and Manizales is one hour and thirty minutes. It is a traditional coffee town, this being its main economic activity, which is why you cannot leave this town without trying its coffee. In the surroundings, you will find many country coffee farms to stay and some will teach you the entire coffee process.
Salamina
It is located in the northern part of the department, one hour and 20 minutes from Philadelphia. In this town you can enjoy the paisa gastronomy; try special dishes such as beets stuffed with hard-boiled eggs and the famous Macana, a popular Colombian drink originating in this region made of eggs, ground biscuits, milk, and sugar. As for things to do, you should visit places like La Pila, the House of Culture, the kiosk, and the cemetery: and finally, walk through the Palma De Cera La Samaria Natural Forest located in the township of San Félix. Salamina is one of the 17 heritage towns of Colombia.
Aguadas
Aguadas is one of the main towns that we recommend you visit in Caldas and it is where our tour ends. It is one hour and 40 minutes from Salamina and almost 4 hours from Manizales, bordering Antioquia to the north. Aguadas is also part of the heritage towns of Colombia due to the paisa culture that remains intact, for being the capital of the traditional aguadeño hat which allows artisans to work with the iraca palm and for holding the National Festival of the Colombian Pasillo, an autochthonous Andean rhythm. Among its other traditions is the “Putas de Aguadas” a symbol among its inhabitants to demonstrate the “verraquera paisa”. Something that you will fall in love with when you arrive in Aguadas is the landscape formed by the coffee crops around the town.
La Dorada Caldas
It is one of the towns with the greatest exploitation of tourism but we did not include it in our tour due to its location, since it is 7 hours from Aguadas and three and a half hours from Manizales. La Dorada is to the east of the department, bordering the department of Cundinamarca, its climate is warm with an average temperature of 36 degrees. As for plans to make, you should visit the port within the Magdalena River to sail by boat and fish. We also recommend visiting the Alegría Tropical Recreational Park, the Bolilongo spa, the Iguanas Park, and the Doña Juana Hanging Bridge where you can do bungee jumping.
Parques naturales de Caldas
If you traveled to see the department of Caldas, you should visit one of its natural parks to connect with nature, breathe fresh air and observe unique landscapes. Here we are going to tell you which are the best natural parks in the entire coffee department so that you can schedule them in your itinerary.
- Los Nevados National Natural Park, which is where Nevado del Ruiz and Nevados Santa Isabel are located.
- Los Yarumos Eco Park
- Pencil of Thought
- "La Samaria" Wax Palm Forest in Salamina Caldas.
- Rio Blanco Ecological Reserve
- El Prado Popular Forest
- San Diego Lagoon
- Los Alcázares Arenillo Ecopark
- Selva de Florencia Natural National Park
Traditional festivals of Caldas
In this beautiful department you can also enjoy cultural manifestations that express the ethnic, customs, and gastronomic variety of its population. Each party is a tourist, recreational and gastronomic activity that brings together the inhabitants of all the nearby towns. Here we share the most representative ones with the date and the town where it takes place.
- Manizales Fair in the second week of January of each year.
- Riosucio Carnival is celebrated in odd years in January.
- Hermanos Hernández National Hallway Festival in Aguadas in August
- Folklore Festivals in Chinchiná during October
- Remembrance Festivals in Palestine during October
- Festivities in Salamina from November 28 to December 8
- Patron Saint Festivities in Aguadas on December 8
- Night of the Candles and Lanterns, Philharmonic Orchestra of the Cafe in Philadelphia on December 8
- Bizcochuelo Festival in Philadelphia in December
- Festivities of Fraternity and Civic Affairs in Risaralda from December 07 to 12
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