Colombia
Coffee Country & Cocora
Colombia's Andes split into three ranges. The middle one holds the country's most-loved highland trip: Salento, Cocora Valley's towering wax palms, and the finca-to-finca coffee region around Manizales and Pereira.
Where to focus
- Salento & Cocora: Two nights for the wax palm valley and a coffee finca tour.
- Manizales: Base for Nevado del Ruiz and the Recinto del Pensamiento gardens.
- Bogotá: Worth a couple of days for Monserrate, Candelaria, and the Gold Museum.
Altitude is friendlier here
Most of the coffee region sits between 1,500 and 2,000m, which makes Colombia an easy first taste of the Andes if Peru and Bolivia feel too high.