coffee tours from salento

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The 3 Best Coffee Tours in Salento, Colombia

Alix m campbell.

Salento, the 'coffee cradle' of Colombia, doesn't only offer beautiful jungle hikes to see the area’s famous wax palms, it's also a great place to get to the source of the beloved brew that helps us wake up and stay alert day after day – coffee. There are numerous coffee fincas to explore in the area to get an idea of the entire process of producing high-quality coffee, and they are all situated not far from each other in Salento.

Finca El Ocaso Salento

Finca El Ocaso is located 5 km from the main plaza in Salento. It is easily reachable by taxi aka Willy, which are jeeps that transport visitors between the town centre and various trekking spots or coffee farms. El Ocaso translated means ‘the sunset’ and the coffee farm wants to ‘preserve and share coffee culture through life experiences’. It also offers accommodation for up to 10 people.

Visitors can choose between a premium and a basic tour in Spanish and English and will then be taken around the plantation with wicker baskets tied around the waist to collect coffee cherries.

These tours go for 1.5 or 3 hours and educate guests about the entire coffee production process from growing to harvesting. Expect to learn that coffee cherries are ripe and ready to be picked after 5 months and that the harvest periods run from April to May and November to December. Of course, a trip to a Finca also includes a freshly brewed cup of coffee afterwards.

Finca El Ocaso is probably the most well-known and advertised coffee farm in Salento. When you picture a traditional coffee farm, it’s probably this exact Finca that pops up in your head: A beautiful red and white painted colonial-style farmhouse, over a hundred years old, in a picturesque setting surrounded by lush greenery.

When it comes to their coffee, El Ocaso has certifications for being ethical, organic and sustainable. The climate is very favourable for growing coffee as it’s not too hot. In the plantations, guava plants and banana trees provide additional shade, which slows the ripening process of the beans and results in a naturally sweeter tasting coffee.

Mature coffee seeds

Photographer: Andrea Izzotti

Plantation House (Finca Don Eduardo)

The Finca Don Eduardo coffee farm belongs to Plantation House and is another sustainable coffee farm in Salento. The original Plantation House is over 100 years old and boasts a long history of coffee farming. The Finca Don Eduardo is only a ten-minute walk from Salento and offers tours in English as well as Spanish.

Guests can stay at the Plantation House (which is only five blocks from the main square Salento) in either a dormitory or private accommodation. While there, you’re encouraged to roam around the garden area, where coffee plants from the original coffee farm can still be found. The grounds of the Plantation House also boast waterfalls as well as a forest.

Don Eduardo cultivates four sub-varieties of Arabica coffee. This includes two traditional plants and two modern hybrids – Bourbon, Arabica Tipica, Caturra and Variety Colombia. Taste the difference for yourself during your stay and witness how they use traditional methods to roast the beans before grinding and brewing them.

The tour takes around 3 hours and guests are welcome to stay at the grounds and wander around after its conclusion with a cup of freshly brewed Colombian coffee. Visitors looking for a truly unique experience can also work at the coffee farm for one or more days. The work might consist of planting or picking coffee cherries (each cherry contains 2 coffee beans), digging holes or working on trails. This is offered as a package that covers your lunch, drinks and all necessary equipment.

Harvesting coffee beans

Photographer: Javarman

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Finca las Brisas, Don Elias

The family-run coffee farm las Brisas (Café Don Elias) dates back 23 years and is located about 4 km outside of the centre of Salento. Their tours take between 30 and 45 minutes and are normally held in small groups in Spanish, although there might be a family friend at the farm sometimes who gives tours in English.

Finca las Brisas doesn’t use pesticides or synthetic fertilizers to grow their 100% organic Arabica and Colombiana plants. They also utilise other plants such as banana, pineapple, orange, yuca or avocado to support the growth of their coffee plants. The latter help composting the land with dropped fruit, while the sweet smell of pineapples and oranges keeps bugs away. A coffee plant reaches its peak within 8 years but can be harvested until it’s 25. In order to keep the quality high, Don Elias only uses plants until the age of 17.

Visitors are taken through the different stages of coffee production, from picking the coffee cherries by hand and removing the cherry skin (which is red for ripe Arabica beans and yellow for ripe Colombiana beans), to the fermentation, drying and final roasting of them in a pan on the fire. A hand grinder is used at the end to grind some freshly roasted beans for a fresh cup of coffee, which shows the traditional way of doing things while also filling the air with an intoxicating smell.

This small coffee farm is in close proximity to the family home, which just goes to show how dedicated the Don Elias family is to their craft and how intertwined their lives are with their coffee growing business. 

Drying coffee beans, Colombia

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Is a Salento Coffee Tour Worth it? An Honest Review

Are you traveling to Salento in the near future? Then chances are that, aside from visiting the famous Cocora Valley, a coffee tour will be high on your bucket list. Having stayed in Salento for two weeks, I can confirm that this town is a haven for coffee lovers, with coffee farms scattered across the landscape, most of them within walking distance from the center of town. In this post, I’ll share my honest review of the coffee tour I did in Salento, what to know before deciding on what kind of farm to visit, and what to expect from a tour.

The Calle Real in Salento, Colombia

Salento is a pretty colonial town in the Quindio department of the Zona Cafetera. It is a popular tourist town both with foreign and domestic travelers because of its colorful architecture, great hiking opportunities, and the nearby Cocora Valley .

Salento is also considered the heart of the Zona Cafetera in Colombia. This coffee region or “Eje Cafetero”, as they say in Spanish, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized for its “Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia.”

While the Zona Cafetera encompasses many departments, like Quindio, Caldas, Risaralda, and parts of the Cauca Valley, Salento is the main hub for tourists who want to explore the coffee culture of Colombia!

Coffee farms in Salento

White flowers of the coffee plant

The coffee farms in Salento produce one of Colombia’s most exported products: coffee. It is needless to say that this is a billion-dollar business, however, when you walk along the peaceful “Ruta Cafecito” in Salento, the business terms are not exactly what comes to mind.

Before you embark on your coffee adventure in Salento here are a few things you need to know regarding the various coffee farms and how they operate. 

Some of these farms have been around for hundreds of years and have been passed on through generations while others are fairly new. I personally wanted to visit a family farm that had a profound connection with the region and was not just a business.

Another thing I considered was if the farm I was visiting employed sustainable practices to run their business. This for instance can include organic farming, shade-grown coffee, and the use of bio-fertilizers. 

Lastly, I also wanted to know if the farm used traditional techniques for growing and processing their coffee like hand-picking beans and sun-drying, or that most of it was automated and done by machines. 

After considering these aspects and having a talk about organic coffee in Salento with Carlos from Kasaguadua, I decided to visit Lugar Coffee Farm , a family-run farm that cultivates organic coffee.

Luger coffee farm

Luger Coffee Farm is a family-run organic coffee farm located along the Ruta Cafecito in Salento. They offer traditional and personal small-group tours of the farm both in English and Spanish. 

The tours are very thorough and go through the complete process of coffee bean production. You can expect to get a very comprehensive explanation of the coffee process at the start of the tour before learning everything about planting, harvesting, de-pulping, drying, threshing, roasting, grinding and brewing.

My honest review of the Luger coffee tour

Here is my honest review of the Lugar Coffee tour I took. My guide was Laura, a very lovely girl who had excellent knowledge of the Engish language and wasn’t shy to make a joke now and then. 

Now, I don’t mean to be secretive, but I won’t tell you everything that I learned on this coffee tour. This would spoil the moment for you when you would actually visit, knowing all the information there is about Luger coffee from this blog post. 

Nevertheless, I will make sure that you know what to expect when you visit this farm and why they are an excellent choice because, yes, it was a wonderful experience!

After I go this amazing tip from Carlos at Kasaguadua to visit Lugar farm, I couldn’t wait to start the tour. Luger Coffee Farm is located right across the street from the most famous coffee farm in Salento, Finca El Ocaso. 

Having no knowledge about the timetable for the tours or even if there were English-speaking guides available, I and my partner walked in and were greated warmly by a girl named Laura. She said that an English-speaking tour was about to start in 20 minutes, gave us a seat in a small cozy shed, and brought us a free cup of coffee to enjoy.

After 10 minutes, one other participant arrived and we realized that we were going to do this tour with a very small group. Lovely!

Information about coffee

The various stages of coffee beans

Our tour started right on time and tour guide Laura gave us a thorough introduction to coffee and how the coffee landscape in Colombia works. I was sad to hear that all quality coffee beans are used for export in Colombia and that local Colombians actually don’t get to enjoy this great product that they produce. 

Colombians mainly drink “tinto”, and this is also what you will get at most markets, panaderias, and local restaurants. Only the best  Colombian beans are selected for export and with the bad “leftover” beans, the local Colombian coffee “tinto” is brewed. 

The taste of this low-quality coffee is not great and this is why Colombians add a large dash of panela (unrefined whole cane sugar) to their coffee. When you order a coffee in Colombia, expect it to be sweet!

Laura also explained to us how the coffee roasting process works and the difference between light roast, medium roast, and dark roast.

Picking coffee beans

After her delightful introduction to Colombian coffee, she took us up the slopes to the coffee fields. One of the things that were not necessary for me at this point was that we could wear traditional clothes if we wanted to (hat, scarf,…). 

None of us did and we just took the necessary equipment we needed to start picking the coffee beans. Workers on coffee plantations that do the picking by hand carry a basket or a bag strapped around their waist to collect the beans.

When we were walking up to the slopes we could instantly imagine how this traditional picking process requires a significant amount of labor and skill. 

Furthermore, we were educated about how their traditional techniques and organic practices are more sustainable than mechanical harvesting. It reduces the likelihood of soil erosion and allows for better conservation of the ecosystem. It also means that they produce less waste since only the ripe cherries get picked from the coffee plants.

Drying, roasting and grinding the beans

After venturing out into the coffee plantation, we went back to the Finca to learn about the next steps in the coffee-making process.

The first step after this was to depulp the beans. Since they are using traditional methods at Luger Coffee Farm, this was done using a hand-cranked depulper. A depulper removes the outer cherry from the fruit without damaging it, leaving you with the actual coffee bean.

After depulping the beans, they are pretty slimy so the next logical step is to dry them in the sun. At the farm, you can see traditional coffee beds or patios where the beans get dried.

You can witness them in different stages of the drying process and how they change color. The drying process allows the beans to shed any excess moisture until they are ready to be roasted and stored. 

Since it’s impossible to actually pick your own beans, dry them, roast them, and grind them in a period of only two hours, Laura changed out our beans at this point for other items that were already dried.  

The next step was roasting the beans and we were taken to a small outdoor gas burner where Laura started roasting the beans. Although fun, this was pretty time-consuming and we were lucky to be offered a delicious snack at this point to kill the time!

When the beans had reached their preferred color, which in our case was medium-roasted, we were asked to grind the beans with the hand grinders that were attached to a wooden bench next to the cooking stove. 

The bold and rich smell of the freshly roasted beans at this point was filling up the outdoor space and we couldn’t wait to try what we had just prepared!

By the way, the snack that we were given during the roasting process was absolutely delicious. Although we’ve had patacones before, the ones we got at Luger Coffee Farm were of another level and the traditional Colombian Hogao sauce that was served with it was flavored to perfection. 

Remember this! This is something to really look forward to as a foodie when you visit Luger Farm. And the best thing is also that this snack is completely vegan! 🙂

tasting the coffee

After the tour which lasted for about two hours, we were taken to a cute little bar in the garden where we could sit down while Laura started to boil some water. When the water was ready Laura took a traditional filter made of cotton cloth and attached it with a wire to a wooden frame.

The cloth filter looks a bit like a sock and it allows the coffee oils and fine coffee particles to pass through, resulting in a fuller-bodied brew than you would get using paper filters.

These cloths are not only great for making the coffee taste better but they are also a much more sustainable alternative to regular paper filters. While you throw a paper filter away after using it, these cloths can be cleaned and reused again many times, contributing to less waste. 

Same as the coffee we got on arrival, this final cup that concluded our tour was equally delicious. Did you know that we roast our beans too heavily in Western countries, adding a very bitter taste and lots of caffeine?

Laura told us that this is an absolute shame and that beans taste much better when they are medium-roasted. This gives the coffee a sweet taste and makes it less caffein-heavy, allowing you to drink throughout the day without worrying about whether you will be able to sleep at night.

It also makes milk or added sugar completely unnecessary.

Souvenir shop

After the coffee tasting, Laura took us to a souvenir stand where we were free to buy coffee if we wanted to. You can choose between buying the beans or grained coffee and the packages come in all kinds of colors.

I especially like the logo of the farm and they also sell cute coffee cups with the logo of the farm if you would be interested in that. 

Coffee tour Salento: Luger Coffee Farm

At the end, we asked to pay for the tour. I loved the fact that we got to do this in the end and not upon arrival. It felt like they wanted to provide value first before asking money in return and we were so satisfied with the tour that the price was absolutely worth it!

THE BEST TRAVEL RESOURCES FOR COLOMBIA SOUTH AMERICA

Here are the websites I use when I travel to Colombia:

ACCOMMODATION

Booking.com : For the best guesthouses, homestays, or small hotels

Hostelworld : To find the best hostels located in the cities

Homestay : For a unique immersive homestay experience in the big cities or the countryside

Busbud and Redbus : The best transport websites for long-distance buses in Colombia. Note that 12Go also works in Colombia but the tickets they will buy for you are open-seat tickets and don’t guarantee a seat on the bus you book online.

Uber : Uber is a convenient and cheap ride-hailing app that can be used in the bigger cities of Colombia. Other apps are Cabify or Didi .

Skyscanner : For affordable flights to Bogota and intercity flights in the country.

Viator and Get Your Guide : book all kinds of activities from the Ciudad Perdida trek to a guided private tour of Comuna 13 in Medellin.

Citizens of many countries, including the United States, Canada, the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand, do not require a visa for short tourist stays (typically up to 90 days). However, this can vary, so it’s always best to check iVisa for the specific requirements for your nationality.

If you’re looking for travel insurance, the one with the best benefits online is undoubtedly Heymondo ! It’s very easy to ask for a quote on the website and, if you book with this link you’ll get 5% off!

Access mobile data immediately when entering the country with a Colombian E-sim or a Latamlink E-sim when traveling through multiple countries. If you are already in Colombia, the best local prepaid sim card is Claro.

Where is luger coffee farm located in Salento

Lugar coffee farm is located in the Palestina area near Salento. from the main square of Salento it’s about an hour’s walk to reach the farm. The road to Lugar Coffee farm is not extremely hilly so it makes for a pleasant walk. 

If you don’t feel like walking, there are also Willy jeeps plying the route to the coffee farms. Ask for more information and departure times at the Willy booth located on the main square in Salento.

When you finish your tour, you can just go and stand on the road until a Willy Jeep passes and picks you up. 

How to book the Luger Salento coffee tour

In my opinion, there is no need to book this in advice but, if you want to be sure to secure a spot at a certain date you prefer or, if you don’t want to stay in Salento but visit Luger coffee Farm from a city like Aremenia or a town like Filandia, there are tours that you can book that go there.

If you are staying in Salento, you can easily visit Luger Coffee Farm on a DIY-your-self trip. Since there is no need to book this in advance, you can just show up whenever you want and someone will be there to accommodate you. 

The tours at Luger Farm go every hour between 9 A.M. and 4 P.M. and are possible both in Spanish and English. You can opt to walk to Luger Coffee Farm from Salento or take a Willy Jeep at the main square for a safe journey to the farm by car.

If you don’t like to walk or if your health doesn’t allow you to move around freely, there is an option to go on an organized tour to Luger Coffee Farm. This option will come in a bit more expensive than walking or taking a Willy Jeep. But I understand that DIY travel is not for everyone!

The coffee farm tour that you can book is organized by the reputable Gran Colombia Tours and includes a coffee farm and a Salento walking tour with lunch . It brings you on a private guided tour to Luger Farm from either Salento, Filandia, or Armenia. It includes private transport, a tour of the estate, and a delicious homemade lunch.

Other nearby activities

Walking to Luger Coffee Farm to go on a Salento coffee tour is really the best way to go in my opinion. Other several activities on the road from Salento to Luger are really worth visiting and I’ll list them below.

More coffee farms

Lugar is located on the “Ruta Cafecito” near Salento and this means that there are more coffee farms in the vicinity that you can visit. Just across the road from Luger Farm, you can find Finca El Ocaso Salento which offers one of the most popular coffee tours in Salento. 

A little further down the road, you can find Finca Don Elias. Other noteworthy coffee farms on Ruta Cafecito include Finca El Requerdo, Finca Las Brisas, Las Acacias, and Entre Bosques.

Arial view of Kasaguadua Natural Reserve, Salento

Kasaguagua is a small nature reserve located on the road from Salento to the coffee farms. It is a well-known organization in the area known for its conservation efforts or a creek and the tropical rainforest that surrounds it. 

Tours start every day at 10 A.M. and are held both in English and Spanish. Say hi to Carlos from me when you visit! The tour offers a unique experience where you’ll learn about the challenges of the ecosystem of Salento during a 4-kilometer walk.

As a tourist, there’s also a possibility to stay in the nature reserve in one of the dodecahedrons that are made solely using recycled materials and the local bamboo “guadua”.

El Rincon de Lucy

El Rincon de Lucy Campestre, Salento, Colombia

El Rincon de Lucy is a traditional Colombian restaurant that you can find on the road between Kasaguadua and Luger Coffee Farm. You might have noticed that there’s also a restaurant in the center of Salento with the same name and they are indeed affiliated.

A great way to spend the day is taking a tour at Kasaguadua at 10 A.M., having lunch on the terrace of El Rincon de Lucy where you can enjoy wonderful views over the mountains before embarking on a coffee tour at Luger Farm in the afternoon. 

where to stay in Salento

Hostal Familiar Jerico, Salento

Salento is very touristy and there are a bunch of places to stay in town. The Calle Real can get extremely busy, especially during the weekends and the holidays, and in my opinion, it’s better not to stay there and in the sidestreets around Calle Real. 

As a conscious traveler , I like to stay at peaceful accommodations that allow for a good night’s rest but are close enough to the center where the action happens and where stores and restaurants are.

Here are a few accommodation options in Salento that I think are worth staying at considering their location. 

Hostal familiar Jerico

 I spent two weeks in Salento and this is a wonderful hostal where I stayed for the first five days of my trip. Martha and her husband are king and queen when it comes to hospitality and taking care of their guests.

Staying at Hostal Jerico is like becoming a part of a small family for a few days. Say hi to Noesi and Tushi from me when you are there (the cats)!

Hospedaje Vista Hermosa

This mid-range priced hospedaje is located just outside the touristy center of Salento but only a 5-minute walk from all the restaurants and shops.

Hospedaje Vista Hermosa offers wonderful and clean rooms with mountain views and a fabulous breakfast is included in the price. The staff speaks English which comes in handy if your Spanish is not that good.

Hotel Kawa Mountain retreat

I passed by Kawa Mountain Retreat while I was doing a hike in Salento and I was very much impressed. It looks like out of a fairytale, in a quiet location but still close enough to walk to the center of Salento for lunch and dinner.

A jacuzzi and a sauna are on offer to relax after a long day of hiking. The setting is perfect for a honeymoon or a special occasion or if you feel like doing a splurge!

Luger Salento coffee tour: Final thoughts

There you go! I hope you enjoyed this post about a Salento coffee tour at Luger Coffee Farm. As you might have noticed, I haven’t included the price for a tour at Luger Coffee Farm. I have done this on purpose because prices change so fast and I don’t want to give you outdated information.

At the time of my visit, the price of the tour was 35.000 COP but now, a few months later when I’m writing this article, I see that it has already changed to 45.000 COP/per person.

Don’t be surprised if the price has gone up when you visit. Colombians are not scammers so don’t worry about that.

 Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or drop me a message through my contact page . 

Also, don’t forget to check out my resources page with my favorite booking platforms and tips to start planning your trip. Additionally, have a look at my favorite travel gear if you want to pack more consciously!

Disclaimer: This post may include affiliate links. If you click on them, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

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• March 22, 2024

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Hi! I am Annelies and this is Travelers & Dreamers, a blog about conscious travel which means traveling in a more mindful way, with a positive impact on the world and  yourself!

On this website, I cover different topics like slow travel, plant-based food guides, responsible travel, sustainable packing, eco-travel, and more !

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Salento coffee tours: Reviewing 3 of travellers’ fave Colombian coffee fincas

Sometimes, I use affiliate/sponsored links with my recommendations, which if bought through might earn me a few pennies at absolutely no extra cost to you . This helps with the cost of keeping this site alive so I can continue to guide you on your travels. Please remember that I would never ever ever recommend anything I don’t or wouldn’t use myself. Big thanks to each and every one of you who have trusted my recommendations so far! Lozzy x

Can you visit Colombia’s coffee region without going to see the inner workings of a coffee farm? Nooooooo, no you can’t. By far the most-visited place in the Zona Cafetera is Salento , a small pueblo that packs a big, colourful punch in the department of Quindío. The place is famous for three things – it’s incredible traditional small-town architecture, the nearby Valle de Cocora (home to the world’s tallest wax palm trees) and… (drum roll please) … Salento coffee tours around real, working fincas.

Because practically the entirety of Salento’s surrounding area is dedicated to coffee-farming, there are a huge number of fincas offering Colombia coffee tours to choose from, and it can get a bit overwhelming. The good news is that there are few fincas that are not highly rated, but you still want to select the one that is best for your interests and needs.

After this review of 3 of the most-loved Salento coffee tours, check out:

• Salento, a guide to the vibrant coffee region town
• Filandia, a less touristic alternative to Salento
• Colombia bucketlist: 29 incredible places to go

Salento is an easy place to take visitors, so when I was living in Colombia I found myself on different Salento coffee tours no fewer than three times. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they’re not all the same, and I didn’t feel like I was just repeating a class over and over. So to help you out, I’ve reviewed these three Salento coffee tours so you can decide what you want to prioritise in a Colombian finca experience, and which style you would prefer.

At the end of this post, I’ll also answer some FAQs for taking Colombia coffee tours to make sure you are fully prepared for the day!

Want to skip to something in particular?

Reviewing 3 of the most popular Salento coffee tours:

1. salento coffee tours at finca momota.

Finca Momota was newly opened when we took its coffee tour. It’s run by a Spanish couple who spend their lives living out their passion for permaculture. After such adventures as Christmas-tree-farming in New York, this coffee farm in Salento is their latest long-term project.

They bought the finca off a Colombian family that was no longer able to maintain the coffee farm. This is a fairly typical story when younger generations move to the city to find better work and older generations are not able to physically till the land in their absence.

If you’re not sure what permaculture is, it’s the agricultural practice that is designed around the natural ecosystem. For example, certain animals are encouraged to live there to provide natural fertilisation, some weeds are embraced, banana trees are used for the shade that their leaves provide, and bamboo is grown on the farm to be used for building outhouses. Everything Finca Momota does and consumes is carefully thought-out.

It isn’t too far out from town (a 20-25 minute walk from the main plaza in the centre, or 9 minutes from the edge of town), however, it can be a little hard to find, so make sure you note the instructions on how to find it from them when you reserve a place . We chose to get a Willy from the main plaza to the end of the drivable roads, then walk the last 300m or so down a dirt track.

The cost of the Momota coffee tour is 35,000 pesos each, and you’ll spend in the impressive region of 2 hours on the finca, learning about how they plant, maintain, harvest and process the coffee beans; the history of the land and Colombia’s coffee co-operatives; how permaculture works, and then a tasting of some of the top-notch coffee that Finca Momota produces.

As we walked around the (dizzyingly steep) farm, it was clear that our guides were impossibly knowledgeable about the nature around them. We even caught glimpse of a tarantula in its burrow after it was pointed out to us.

These Salento coffee tours are available once a day from 9am in English or Spanish, so sign up in advance to let them know which you would prefer. There is also an extended 3-hour version of these Salento coffee tours for 60k COP starting at 2pm every day, again, you need to book in advance. Groups are limited to 14 people.

Of all three Salento coffee tours I’m reviewing here, the coffee tasting at Momota was superior as it was a lot more in-depth and informative about brewing techniques around the world. We covered grinding techniques, Italian press, French press, traditional Latin America style (which looks a bit like pouring it through a condom) and more.

And if you love it so much you want to stay, that’s an option , too 😉

The verdict on the Momota coffee tour, Salento:

Finca Momota is a really fantastic example of the amazing Colombia coffee tours that are out there for the taking. It’s perfect for someone who’s really into learning all about sustainability and eco-friendly processes in agriculture. However, some of the finer details of permaculture were a little lost on me, and I was quite aware of the fact that my money for this tour wasn’t going directly to a local farming family (though obviously the finca does employ locals).

2. Salento coffee tours at Finca El Ocaso

Probably the most frequently recommended (and therefore also the busiest) Salento coffee tours are at Finca El Ocaso, which we visited on our second visit to Colombia’s coffee region. This is a lot larger and the furthest out of the town of the Salento coffee tours we’ve tried, but comes with excellent reviews.

We had a hire car that took around 20 minutes on the fairly bad mountain roads, but you can arrange a willy from the main square, and El Ocaso will arrange one back to town for you for 27,000 pesos. They run a conveyor belt of tours every day, in English or Spanish, so check here for the best one for you.

The tour is shorter (1 hour in total) and in a larger group than Momota, and the whole thing feels like a really slick operation. The cost per person for the El Ocaso coffee tour and tasting is 30,000 pesos, but there is also a small-group (max 10 people) 3-hour tour available for 80,000 pesos.

The staff at El Ocaso were very friendly and informative, and the finca itself is beautiful. Although you learn less about permaculture and farming, you learn just as much about the specific processes coffee goes through from flower to cup.

By far, the highlight of the tour is getting the chance to go into the trees with a typical basket tied around your waist to see how many ripe coffee cherries you can pick in a given time. You then take those cherries and put them through the traditional skinning machines yourself.

After seeing all the croplands and outhouses through which the agricultural process happens, El Ocaso’s Colombia coffee tours end in a lesson in how to prepare coffee as a drink. You sit on chairs around a small kitchen that feels a bit like a Home Economics class at school. Things are passed round to look at and smell, and then you get a good old cup of José to finish off your tour.

And if you just can’t get enough, there’s a small café on site with views of the whole mountain for customers to chill in before or after their Salento coffee tours.

The verdict on the Finca El Ocaso coffee tour, Salento:

Finca El Ocaso is the coffee tour to go on if you’re short on time but don’t want to skimp out on learning. It’s a well-oiled machine, so there’s not as much waiting around as in the other Salento coffee tours, and while still very detailed, the tour content is succinct. The guides are obviously hired for their charisma, and they certainly know how to keep people engaged along the tour.

3. Salento coffee tours at Finca Las Acacias

Finca Las Acacias offered sort of a mix between the El Ocaso and Momota Salento coffee tours. The tour touched on permaculture, gave you a chance to pick your own coffee cherries off the trees and went through the whole flower-to-cup process. The coffee tour was an hour long.

Instead of booking ahead you just have to turn up and wait in the little café with a coffee until the next tour starts in your language. This can be a little tedious in the heat, but there is at least shade and some chairs, and it’s a good chance to meet new people if they’re feeling talkative. The group sizes are similar to those of El Ocaso’s Salento coffee tours.

The guide we had, José, was absolutely fantastic, and we feel like we learnt a lot more about the plight of the local coffee pickers as he used to be one himself before teaching himself English. This is another hands-on option of Colombia coffee tours, with a coffee-picking section to see who can find the most ripe coffee beans (without a traditional basket though!). You then get shown how the beans go through the entire harvesting process, as with the other Salento coffee tours I’ve reviewed.

Finca Las Acacias is slightly closer to town than Finca El Ocaso, but only by 800m. You still have to get a few kilometres down a very bumpy road, so most people take a Willy or go as part of a horse tour. If you go with your own car, there are some parking spaces available on the road, but not a huge amount.

At 20,000 pesos, Finca Las Acacias was by far the cheapest of the Salento coffee tours we found, but it didn’t compromise on quality of the farm tour itself. Less fascinating was the coffee tasting, which came with no explanation at all, and was more of a freebie at the end to sit and enjoy with the other people in your group than an educational experience.

The verdict on the Finca Las Acacias coffee tour, Salento:

Though the Las Acacias Salento coffee tours may have lacked in the tasting experience and can sometimes take a bit of wait-time to kick off, it is definitely still worth considering, especially for that affordable price! This is a great tour for people who aren’t necessarily coffee-enthusiasts, but are keen to find out how the local people make their livelihoods in the coffee industry. Its family-owned credentials make it a great choice for supporting the community.

FAQs for Colombia coffee tours

What is a colombian finca.

Finca essentially just means farm, and is used in the same way we might use ‘estate’ in the UK, or I guess ‘plantation’ in the USA. Traditionally, fincas are centred around old colonial-looking farm houses with grand porches and colourful banisters. You’ll see some many well-reserved fincas in Colombia’s coffee region.

Do you need a guide for Salento coffee tours?

Well, if these are working farms, it’s unlikely you’ll get let onto the finca’s property without someone there with you. Luckily, the vast majority of Salento coffee tours have a guided talk included in the price, which can last up to a couple of hours. Some fincas will allow private tour guides to take you around the coffee farm, too.

You can get ripped off by purchasing tickets to Salento coffee tours online or through a travel agency. They tend to hike the prices up and just expect you not to notice the prices on the doors of the fincas. However, if the guide is providing private door-to-door transport, it can cut out a lot of hassle for you, and is a good option if you’re very tight on time.

Also, if you find a Colombia coffee tour that offers to take you to multiple places in one day, don’t stick your nose up at it straight away. Those with a jam-packed itinerary led by a knowledgable, English-speaking guide can definitely earn their stripes.

Is a certain level of fitness needed to tour a finca?

It’s more about the ability to walk up- and down-hill than it is about fitness. Since so many Colombia coffee farms are built into the foothills of the Andes for its perfect coffee-growing climate, the crops tend to be planted on land that is very, very hilly. Almost vertical, at times. Of the Colombia coffee tours I’m reviewing below, Finca El Ocaso is the least impacting on the knees, but still requires a bit of uphill walking.

What should I bring on a coffee farm tour?

Sun screen: At 1900m, you’re at high altitude in the valleys, so though it may not always feel burning hot sunny, you’re definitely going to be catching those rays. Make sure you’re well protected from sunburn with a sun screen ( preferably reef-safe if you’re heading to the coast afterwards!).

Plenty of water: Though lots of the Salento coffee tours of course have facilities for drinking water, whether free or bought, whilst you’re actually on the tour you’ll be right in the depths of a farm, so won’t be able to ask for another cheeky glass of ice-cold. I highly recommend bringing a Chilly’s Bottle on any Colombia coffee tours, as it’ll keep your water at whatever temperature you put it in at all day.

Decent walking shoes: You will not want to be tackling Salento coffee tours in flip-flops! There’s a lot of muddy up and downs on most of these farms, so your shoes need to be comfy, sturdy and well-gripped. You’ll need this if you’re going on to do the Cocora Valley hike later, too.

Cash:  Some Salento coffee tours are payable by card, but when heading out into rural Colombia, it’s always wise to bring some cash with you just in case.

Will I have time for other activities after any Salento coffee tours?

Lots of people cram multiple activities a day into their time in Salento, as there is just so much to do here. And that works!

If you arrive at a finca for one of the early-morning slots, yes, most Salento coffee tours will finish in time for you to get to another adventure by lunchtime.

However, if you want to do the full 5-hour Valle de Cocora loop hike, I would not recommend pairing this with a finca visit on the same day. 1), your time is going to be very, very squeezed and 2), you’ll be bloody exhausted. The one-hour hike is fine to do in the same day though, if you’re nice and organised!

Y fin! That’s a wrap on my reviews of 3 of the most loved Salento coffee tours. As there are so many great options in the Quindío area, I hope this review has been able to help your decision on which of the Salento coffee tours suit you best. Have an amazing time!

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Last Updated on 23 December 2022 by Cuppa to Copa Travels

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Best Salento Coffee Tour—Top Family-Owned in Salento, Colombia

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Don’t miss the opportunity to learn about your cuppa Joe when visiting Colombia. If you’re looking for the best Salento coffee tour with a small, family-owned finca in Salento, look no further than Don Eduardo!

There are many fun things to do in Salento, Colombia. While you’re in the heart of coffee country, home to some of the best coffee in the world, it’s a great idea to tour a Colombian coffee farm to try some of the best Colombian coffee. It’s almost a requirement to visit Colombia!

Colombia is one of the world’s largest coffee exporters to the United States. The best Colombian coffee beans are exported, and Colombia gets the remainder. Typically, Colombian coffee is best enjoyed outside of Colombia.

Here’s what you’ll want to know about visiting a Colombian coffee plantation and the best Salento coffee tour you won’t want to miss.

Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through them, I receive a small commission. This will never cost you extra. Please read the  disclosures  to learn more.

Quick Facts About the Don Eduardo Salento Coffee Tour

• Location : Plantation House Hostel, five minutes from the center of Salento
• Tours: Every Monday through Friday in English at 9 a.m. and in Spanish at 3 p.m. On Saturday, there is an English tour at 9 a.m.
• Reservations : You can book a reservation at the Plantation House Hostel online. Tours can be arranged at the office once you arrive.
• Contact : [email protected]

About the Colombian Coffee Industry

Colombia is the country with the third-largest coffee production in the world, behind Brazil and Vietnam. Colombians don’t have much history of drinking coffee, which is really interesting considering what a significant crop it is to their economy.

Colombia has always exported most of the coffee produced. It’s a huge crop for the country and generates significant revenue.

Much of the country has a climate for growing coffee with rich volcanic soil and a substantial rainy season. There are many large-production farms as well as smaller boutique Colombian coffee farms that really focus on quality.

Why Go to Salento for Colombian Coffee Farms?

La Zona Cafetera (Eje Cafetero) is an ideal place for coffee production, with rich volcanic soil, a wet climate, and topography. Salento sits in the heart of the region and has a number of coffee farms that you can tour.

The Coffee Triangle (Zona Cafetera) is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s a special place to visit, and Salento is a wonderful reflection of this beautiful and diverse region. It’s the best of the Colombian coffee regions in the country.

There are a number of Colombian coffee farms in Salento that you can visit. They offer tours with coffee tastings where you can learn more about their growing process and their coffee. They’re a great place to learn about the area, as well.

I read posts about several of the others but chose Don Eduardo for my tour for a couple of reasons. It’s owned by the family who owns the hostel I stayed at. They are wonderful, and helpful, and they made me feel very welcome.

Also, Don Eduardo’s offers a three-hour tour. So, I knew we would really get an education about coffee production. I was so glad I did!

You May Also Like Top 10 Things to do in Salento Colombia

All About the Finca Don Eduardo Salento Coffee Tour

The original Plantation House is over 100 years old. However, the yield in high elevations is low, so much of the property was sold off as real estate. There is now a hostel on the property with multiple buildings. The finca, or farm, is a ten-minute walk from the buildings where I stayed.  

The start of the tour is across a dirt road from the Plantation House Hostel. This tour goes into depth about everything about coffee, from the growing process to the product that you enjoy in your cup and everything in between.

When you’re done, you have a real appreciation for the process and effort that goes into your cup of joe. Especially so for a small boutique eco-farm like Don Eduardo.

Don Eduardo

Tim, the owner of Finca Don Eduardo and the Plantation House Hostel, is an expatriate from England. He, along with his Colombian wife and two daughters, run the farm and hostel. They established the first Western-style hostel in town. Tim, you ask? Then who is Don Eduardo? It was the name he adopted for the farm, as it has more of a Colombian sound to it.

Tim is passionate about all things coffee: the beans, the planting and cultivation process, roasting, and tasting. He is very interested in producing a high-quality product and recognizes that it makes him less money. “I might be crazy,” he said, but it’s all about the quality of what ends up in the cup that really matters to him.

His farm is organic, but he proudly labels his bags of coffee as “deliberately uncertified organic coffee.” They use organic fertilizer bio-mixes, including garlic and chili, mineral oil, unscented soap, and alcohol for pest control. He also plants tobacco near the coffee plants as the insects eat those instead of the coffee.

Tim employs other eco-friendly methods as well by catching and using rainwater and using some solar power. This farm’s process is well thought out, and they continue to strive to learn and develop improved practices.

Introduction to All Things Colombian Coffee

Accompanied by several family dogs, including a giant Newfoundland puppy named Stanley and a donkey named Houdini, we sat with Don Eduardo, who shared his passion and extensive knowledge of the coffee industry.

There are two primary types of coffee grown: Robusto and arabica. Robusta is high in caffeine but low in taste. Arabica is higher in taste but lower in caffeine.

There are over 100 varietals that are segmented as traditional, heirloom, and modern. Modern was developed in a lab, though they are not genetically modified.

Don Eduardo grows all traditional coffee and is the only grower in the area to do so. Traditional coffee plants can get as tall as 10 meters (almost 33 feet). They are planted two meters apart for picking distance, and the top is chopped off so they grow outwards. These coffee plants prefer shade, so he plants taller bananas and plantains to provide that.

Modern coffee plants don’t require shade, they don’t grow as tall, and they are more resistant to pests. They produce more coffee with bigger beans, which in turn provides more income from the crop. But that’s not the way things are done around here.

Colombian Coffee

There is no world standard for coffee, so it’s subjective in terms of quality. There is a standard for the sizing of the beans. Don Eduardo Coffee Farm focuses on quality traditional beans.

Coffee grows year-round and is usually picked when it is ready during the rainy season, where 85% is picked in October or November and 10% is picked in May. At Don Eduardo’s Colombian Coffee Farm, it’s the opposite, where the majority is picked in October and November.

The colors of the beans turn colors from red to yellow to orange and finally dark burgundy, indicating they are ready. Once a bean is removed from the tree, no further beans will grow in that spot.

Walk the Finca Grounds

It’s a ten-minute walk to the Finca, which is on an impressively steep incline, especially when you consider that much of the picking is done during the rainy season.

We walked a loop down a very steep area to enjoy the view, see the various plantings, and consider just how steep it is and that the picking season is when it’s raining. I can’t even imagine not sliding right down that steep descent.

There was an area of bamboo and even some pineapples near the path. Everything grown is used or sold. In addition to coffee, the farm plants bananas, plantains, avocados, mandarins, tea, lemons, pineapple, and other items.

Don Eduardo’s Colombian Coffee-Growing Process

There are many steps in the growing process. First, rinsed and dried coffee beans are placed in river sand to seed, which takes the beans around two months to start growing.

Then, the sprouts are transplanted individually with compost in a small black bag and then planted in the ground. It generally takes around three years for the plant to flower and nine more months to be ready to harvest, a total of four years and two months before it is ready to pick!

A machine is used to separate the skin from the beans, and then they are soaked in water to remove a sweet layer and to test the coffee beans. They go through several soaks before this is complete. If the bean floats, it is tossed.

Only beans that sink move forward in the process to ensure quality. If more than 20% of a crop floats, they set out to investigate the issue with the crop. Last, they are laid out on concrete to bake in the sun. The all-natural way of roasting Colombian coffee.

Don Eduardo Colombian Coffee Farm

We were ready for a tasting. There were six small cups laid out, with a light roast, a dark roast, and a medium roast, and either traditional or modern beans.

We got to try them all and discussed the differences that we tasted between the different cups. After we all tasted it, we got to select which one we wanted them to brew for the group. We chose traditional dark-roasted beans.

Then, we were shown the last parts of the process of removing the husks, grinding the beans, and roasting them on a large metal pan on the stovetop. As the beans grew darker, the smell was released, and we could anticipate how wonderful it was going to taste.

The final cup did not disappoint, and it was a really great cup of coffee.

Added bonus: if you’re an animal lover, there is a very friendly dog and a cat who are often in the tasting area to keep you company.

Plantation House Hostel

The family owns the Plantation House Hostel, and I recommend this for accommodation when visiting Salento. This hostel has shared dorm rooms and some private rooms as well, with private baths.

It’s a 5-10 minute walk from the town square and the main street, Calle Real, so it’s very quiet. The family is wonderful and makes you feel very welcome.

They even invited me to a bonfire on my first night, which is where I met a number of people from Europe and South America that I hung out with during my stay in Salento.

Tours are held every Monday through Friday in English at 9 a.m. and in Spanish at 3 p.m. On Saturday, there is an English tour at 9 a.m.

You can book a reservation at the Plantation House Hostel online. Tours can be arranged at the office once you arrive.

Visiting Salento, Colombia

Salento is a small town located in the heart of the Coffee Triangle (Eje Cafetero) region of Colombia. This colorful town is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site called “The Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia” and has retained its old-world charm with a distinctly laid-back attitude.

Salento is a common vacationing spot for Colombians. As a result, it can get crowded, especially on the weekends.

There are a lot of fun things to do in and around Salento , and it is a refreshing place to recharge from visiting the larger cities of Cartagena, Medellin, and Bogota.

From epic hikes through the rainforest in Cocora Valley to enjoying the quiet side of Colombian life, it’s really worth visiting. It provides a really beautiful place to compare the larger cities to.

How to Get To Salento

Most people take a bus from Medellin to Salento, which takes around 6-8 hours but can take more, depending on road conditions. Flota Occidental is the company that runs this bus.

The bus leaves from Terminal del Sur in Medellin, and as of this writing, the scheduled times are 9 and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Times may change, so be sure to check the schedule. A one-way ticket costs around $13 USD (47k COP).

Salento is also accessible by bus from the cities of Armenia and Perreira, and there are flights from Medellin that will take you there. There is no airport in Salento. You can get flights as low as around $75 for a one-way ticket, then take the bus from either Armenia or Perreira.

Is Colombian Coffee the Best in the World?

Colombian coffee is believed by many to be the best coffee in the world. It’s certainly a popular type of coffee around the world, so who can argue? Coffee tourism is big in Colombia, especially in this region.

There are some large growers, though, in Salento, most of the coffee plantations are smaller growers. It provides a new perspective on your morning cup, knowing where your beans came from and how they are cultivated.

A coffee tour in Salento is a great way to learn more about the coffee industry, the coffee growers, and the coffee beans. The Don Eduardo Coffee Farm offers a great tour and really good beans that you can take home to enjoy as a reminder of your trip.

Should You Go on Don Eduardo’s Colombian Coffee Farm Tour?

I highly recommend Don Eduardo’s Coffee Farm Tour if you really want to learn about coffee production. The tour costs 30k COP ($9.50 USD), not inexpensive by local standards. However, it’s discounted substantially if you are staying at the Plantation House Hostel.

Tim is passionate about coffee, as are his daughters. They make this tour really interesting, and you’ll learn a lot about Colombian culture, coffee production, organic growing, and living in small-town Colombia. If you’re going to go on a Salento Coffee tour, I do recommend this one.

Is this the best Colombian coffee? Try it to find out!

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Sam is a travel-obsessed animal lover on a quest to create a life of travel with her dog. She loves learning new things, snuggling a dog, architecture, hiking, and bold red wine. Join her in creating a life to dream about!

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Coffee Tours in Salento

Last updated on March 4, 2024.

Salento is one of the best destinations in Colombia for coffee tours. Many fincas (coffee plantations) near the town offer visitors the chance to get a hands-on demonstration of the entire coffee cultivating process from seed to cup.

There are tour options for all levels of coffee lovers. You can find short open-group tours for a quick look at the process as well as more intimate private tours for in-depth experiences. I’ve been fortunate to experience three different coffee tours in Salento. I’ve written about them for you here.

• 1.1 The Tour at Finca El Ocaso
• 1.2 Coffee Tasting at Finca El Ocaso
• 1.3 My Thoughts on Finca El Ocaso
• 2.1.1 Negatives
• 2.2 Map of the Finca El Ocaso and Luger Coffee Tours in Salento
• 3.1 Starting the Jesús Martín Coffee Tour
• 3.2.1 Riding a Willys
• 3.3.1 Fermentation Room
• 3.3.2 Greenhouse
• 3.3.3 Farmhouse
• 3.4 Roasting Plant
• 3.5 Coffee Tasting
• 3.6 My Thoughts on the Jesús Martín Coffee Tour
• 3.7 Map of the Jesús Martín Coffee Tour
• 3.8 Share this:
• 3.9 Like this:
• 3.10 Related

Finca El Ocaso

Finca El Ocaso is among the best and most popular coffee tours in Salento. It’s a pleasant one-hour walk or a 15-minute jeep ride from town. My first time taking the tour was in February 2016 when my friend Tim was visiting me in Colombia. We decided on Finca El Ocaso because the tour was highly recommended by our hotel. I’ve since taken several tourists there through my company, Paisadventure .

A basic tour lasting about 90 minutes costs COP$40,000 per person (as of April 2023) and is available in both English and Spanish. Check the official website for the most current tour times in each language. Walk-ins are welcome but reservations are recommended.

Finca El Ocaso also offers a premium coffee tour for COP$100,000 (as of April 2023). This tour last three hours and must be scheduled in advance. It’s much more thorough than the basic coffee tour and great for coffee enthusiasts.

The Tour at Finca El Ocaso

The highly interactive tour is very technical and covers the entire coffee growing process, from planting the first seeds to harvesting to brewing. Before the tour began, we all strapped on a basket and walked to a small seating area. The very first part of the tour is an explanation on how coffee trees are born, their life cycle, the best years for production during that life cycle, and diseases that can affect them.

Next, we walked into the plantation where all of the coffee trees are located. It was a beautiful dense forest with the cover of many other tall trees. These trees provided shade and created a microclimate for the coffee trees. Direct sunlight and extreme heat during the growing process can change the taste of your coffee!

In this area, we were shown a few of the different coffee trees that were grown in Colombia in the past and the time periods they were popular. The guide explained why farmers changed to different types of coffee trees and the improvement one had over the other. After that, we were sent off to select and pick our very own coffee cherries. We had about five minutes to complete the task.

Once we finished our hard work, we were taken to the processing area to see how the beans are separated from the coffee cherries, processed, and dried.

Coffee Tasting at Finca El Ocaso

Then came the best part of the tour – drinking a quality cup of coffee. The highest quality coffee beans from Finca El Ocaso were used for the coffee tasting and it was definitely one of the best cups of coffee I’ve ever had. It had an amazing natural flavor. No sugar or any other additives were needed.

My Thoughts on Finca El Ocaso

Overall the tour was very good. It’s interesting and very informative to know the effort that goes into creating your morning cup of coffee and I learned a lot of new things during the tour. If you’re in the coffee region and only have a couple hours you can dedicate to learning about coffee, this is a great place for it.

Note: We noticed on a visit in March 2018 that Finca El Ocaso has become very commercialized. It’s still a great tour but it might be worth seeking out something more authentic if that’s what you’re looking for.

Luger Coffee Tour

Finca Hamburgo hosts the Luger Coffee Tour , which is another of the many tours around Salento. It’s located just across the street from Finca El Ocaso.

The Luger Coffee Tour offers tours in English or Spanish for COP$35,000 per person (as of May 2023). They run every hour on the hour starting at 9am and take about two hours to complete.

Tours run through nine different stations: explanation, planting, harvesting, depulping, drying, threshing, roasting, grinding, and brewing. Visitors are welcomed with a traditional cup of coffee with panela , then taken to the first station to begin the tour. About halfway through, the owner’s wife brought us freshly made patacón with hogao .

My Thoughts on the Luger Coffee Tour

Overall, it’s a very good and entertaining tour with knowledgable guides. The setting is incredible and we found it to have a much more traditional feel than most of the coffee tours we’ve taken. I highly recommend the Luger Coffee Tour for anyone who wants a quick and enjoyable introduction to the coffee cultivation process, and doesn’t have the time to spend a full day on a tour.

The only negative to the Luger Coffee Tour was during our experience with the owner, who gave conflicting and controversial information about coffee on our second visit. Other than this run-in, it was a wonderful experience.

First, when we received the welcome coffee, Marisol immediately said it was delicious and tastes exactly how her mother makes it with panela, but she’d like to try the unsweetened version of the coffee. The owner was taken aback and claimed it was completely unsweetened because that’s how his coffee naturally tastes. It obviously had panela in it, and the guide just two days before told us every welcome coffee was made with panela. We took home a bag of Café Luger and brewed it using three different methods. It was good but it was definitely not sweet at all.

Second, he told us how researchers in Switzerland proved that high quality coffee has numerous health properties and children should be drinking multiple cups a day starting from an early age. He even told us his daughter has been drinking at least 10 cups a day since the age of two. The guide didn’t mention this report or the health properties on the tour two days earlier, and not one other coffee tour we’ve taken claims this. Furthermore, when we showed interest asked for a link to the report, he changed the subject.

Map of the Finca El Ocaso and Luger Coffee Tours in Salento

Café Jesús Martín Coffee Tour

If you’re a true lover of coffee and looking for a coffee tour in Salento  that’s more personal than any other tour, look no further than the tour offered by Café Jesús Martín .

Café Jesús Martín is consistently rated one of the top coffees in all of Colombia and their tour is unlike any other I’ve experienced. It starts from the very beginning of the owner’s journey and proves that Colombian coffee is more than just a hot drink. When you drink a good Colombian coffee, each cup contains not only the brew of fine beans, but also a touch of the rich fertile land and the vibrant culture of the Coffee Region . Tours must be scheduled in advance and prices are only available by contacting Jesús Martín directly (as of June 2023).

Starting the Jesús Martín Coffee Tour

Our tour began around 8am at the café just off the plaza in Salento, where our guide and interpreter, Blaney, introduced our group to the owners of Café Jesús Martín, Jesús and Ángela. They’re a very gracious couple eager to talk about their coffee journey and were very welcoming to our group.

Visiting Montenegro

From the café, we followed them to the town of Montenegro , about an hour away, and met them in a parking lot just outside the town’s former railway station. Jesús and Ángela pointed out a beautiful relief mural that tells the story of Colombia’s coffee culture, and why the Coffee Region is a UNESCO World Heritage site listed as the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia . They then showed us a colorful traditional building that dates back to the origins of Montenegro.

Riding a Willys

Next, our guests hopped onto a 1975 Willys and rode it to Finca Buenos Aires, where Jesús and Ángela have their coffee farm. The Willys are a symbol of Colombian coffee farmers and have become an integral part of the regional culture.

Finca Buenos Aires

At Finca Buenos Aires, Jesús walked us through a small plot of land filled with beautiful coffee plants. He became emotional as he told the story of how he began his journey after inheriting the land before explaining in detail how coffee is cultivated. He also talked about the dangers to the coffee plants as well as the future of coffee cultivation in Colombia.

Jesús is working hard to educate small local farmers on producing a more sustainable cup of coffee. He believes strongly in both tradition and preserving the natural landscape. He’s always trying to improve his production methods to honor these beliefs while providing a healthy and positive work environment for his employees.

Fermentation Room

Jesús then walked us to the fermentation room where we were able to see some barrels of fermenting coffee. There was also a traditional machine that’s used to separate the beans from the fruit. Jesús said that traditionally, Colombian farmers would separate the beans from the fruit and wash them, leaving them to dry, but he believes that leaving the fruit with the bean can produce a superior flavor.

Behind the fermentation room is a greenhouse where coffee is left to dry. Jesús and Ángela led us inside and showed us the racks where coffee from different harvest days was left to dry.

Next, Jesús dumped the barrel of coffee he brought from the fermentation room onto a drying rack and showed us how the juices dripped down onto the ground, just like wine. He explained how long the beans would be left to dry and how he has experimented with different fermentation and drying times to produce a superior flavor.

Jesús then took us over to another drying rack to show us how the beans would look after they’re fully dried. He had us smell the aroma produced by the dried beans. He then showed us lower quality beans and explained how those are used in instant coffees and mixed in with higher quality coffees by large multinational coffee companies.

Next, we walked to his farmhouse where a local family now lives. He explained how when he inherited the house it was in terrible condition and he had it restored based on traditional construction methods. We sat for a good 15 minutes to chat with Jesús and Ángela while they served us grilled plantains with cheese and a fresh cup of coffee.

Roasting Plant

After thanking Jesús and Ángela and saying goodbye, we took the long drive back to Salento. Our guide, Blaney, led us to the roasting plant where a man was carefully selecting one by one the best quality beans to be roasted.

We walked to the roasting machine where the master roaster showed us how coffee changes color as it’s roasted. He explained how he used the different temperature settings to produce different roasts, and then allowed the beans to spill out of the roaster for us to smell the finished product.

Coffee Tasting

The final part of the tour was back at Café Jesús Martín. We were greeted by a barista who showed us a precision roasting machine as well as explained some of the alternative methods for brewing coffee.

Next, we sat down and were given two samples to smell. We were asked which was the premium coffee and which was the burnt bad quality coffee. Adding hot water, we were easily able to tell the difference.

Finally, it was time to taste the coffee. First was an espresso followed by a cappuccino. We were treated to a quick demonstration on how baristas create art with coffee.

My Thoughts on the Jesús Martín Coffee Tour

Overall, it was an excellent tour. What really made the tour special was the owners showing us their land and how much love and care they put into their product. Usually, it’s a trained guide showing visitors around a farm and more often than not it’s either too technical or rudimentary. We were also excited to see the roasting plant, which is extremely uncommon on Colombian coffee tours.

Map of the Jesús Martín Coffee Tour

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Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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Salento Coffee Tours

Planning Salento Coffee tours for your Colombia trip?  This guide covers some of the top tours, how to get to Salento coffee farms, and more.

Salento is located in the lush hillside of Colombia in South America.  Imagine twirling through a fairytale of lush green hills topped with 200 foot tall wax palm trees, surrounded by colorful flowers.  It feels almost unreal (and maybe like a scene out of Encanto ?!  We’ll get back to that)  That is Salento!

Colombia is known for its “Coffee Triangle” made up of three separate areas: Quindio, Caldas, and Risaralda.  Salento is located in the Quindio area and is a very popular place to visit due to its traditional town and Cocora Valley combined with a coffee farm tour.

I HIGHLY recommend taking at least one Salento coffee tour while you are in the area.  It’s one of the best things to do in Salento for a good reason!

Key Takeaways

Salento Coffee Tour Planning Details

Knowing how to get to Salento’s coffee region, planning for the right weather, and some final tips will help kick start the planning process.

Getting to Salento Coffee Region

Bogota to salento: plane.

Fly into Pereira or Armenia Airport and take a 45 minute cab to Downtown Salento.  Alternatively, consider taking a cab 5 minutes to the local bus station where you will take a bus to Downtown Salento.

Bogota to Salento: Bus

The bus ride from Bogota to Salento is approximately 9 hours.  This bus brings you to the Armenia bus station.  You can take the bus from Armenia Station to Salento, or take a taxi from Armenia to Salento.

Medellin to Salento: Plane

I took a flight from Medellin to Pereira and opted to arrange transportation through my hotel in advance because this came highly recommended to me, but if I were to do it again, I probably would have taken the bus or local cab.  I was short on time during my visit so any option to maximize time was at the top of my list.

Medellin to Salento: Bus

The bus route from Medellin to Salento is approximately 6 hours.  Unlike the bus route from Bogota, the Medellin minibus offers a direct route that goes right to Salento instead of stopping in Armenia first.  A traditional coach bus is offered that stops in Armenia first.  This bus may be more comfortable but the choice is yours if you would like the additional stop.

Salento Weather

Salento has two main seasons: the dry season and the wet season.  Due to its altitude in the Ande Mountains, its year round temperature remains rather mild.

• Dry Season (December – February) : Temperatures are roughly 59°F to 75°F.  Rainfall is less common during this time.
• Rainy Season (March – November) : Temperatures remain similar to the dry season, ranging from 59°F to 72°F.  During my July visit, I experienced days that experienced both heavy rainfall and hours of sunshine.

Other Panning Tips

• Take Willy Jeeps .  Plan to take Willy Jeeps for round trip transportation from Downtown Salento to the coffee farms.  Downtown Salento is small and walkable but also steep.  If you have difficulty walking in steep, cobblestone areas, consider arranging a taxi with your hotel to get to Plaza Bolivar, Salento’s main square where you can take a willy jeep
• Carry local currency (Colombian Mil) .  The willy jeep ticket booth sells both jeep tickets and coffee farm tour tickets.  They are cash only.
• Plan for rain .  Downpours can come on unexpectedly in this region!  Pack a rain jacket or rain poncho to keep maximizing your fun.

How to Purchase Tickets for a Salento Coffee Tour

Purchase your Salento coffee tour tickets at the Willy Jeep ticket booth in Plaza Bolivar, Salento’s city center.  The ticket booth will charge you a flat price for a round trip Willy Jeep ticket and coffee tour ticket (be sure to  hold onto this ticket because you will be asked to present it at the coffee farm and again when the Willy Jeep picks up after the tour)

I advise visiting the ticket booth the day before you book your tour to familiarize yourself with the Willy Jeep schedule in order to plan your day accordingly (I recommend this for all WIlly Jeep trips like to Cocora Valley or Filandia).

If you are planning on walking to a coffee farm, then just purchase your tickets from the farm directly.  If choosing this option, I do recommend you contact the farm on WhatsApp in advance to confirm their tour times for the day.

I do not advise booking a formal tour ahead of time for a Salento coffee tour.  You can send WhatsApp messages to your preferred coffee farm a couple of days before your tour to confirm availability, but aside from that, you will save money booking on your own and not through a large-scale tour agency or group.

What happens on a coffee farm tour?

Coffee farm tours are typically one hour, but most farms provide extended options for visitors who would like to stay for up to three hours.  Most coffee farm visits include picking coffee beans, learning about the coffee-making process, and enjoying a cup of freshly brewed coffee!

Tour the farm

Visitors will first be greeted with an official welcome and tour to the farm.  Most farms are family owned and operated, so visitors can expect to learn about the family business and history!

Peel and plant a coffee bean

Next, peel the top layer of the coffee bean to prepare it for planting.  Coffee farms have a small garden visitors can plant the fresh coffee bean!

Pick coffee beans from the hillside

I know, we are in a bit of a reverse order here!  But the next step will be to pick coffee beans that will be contributed to the coffee bean collection of the farm.  You can skip through the hillside of the coffee farm with a basket in hand.  But be careful- it’s pretty steep!  Someone on my tour fell on the hill (she was OK!)

Demonstration of the coffee making process

Then, the coffee farm staff will walk you through the process of transforming the coffee beans into fresh, coffee powder from start to finish!

Enjoy a cup of joe!

Best for last?  Enjoy your fresh cup of coffee brewed at the local coffee farm.  (The photo above is from a local coffee shop in Downtown Salento!

The Best Salento Coffee Tours

Salento is one of the most beautiful coffee regions in the world, so I’m not quite sure there is a “best” coffee farm tour.  I went on Las Acacias tour and enjoyed it, but think I would have enjoyed any tour!

Most Salento coffee tours are accessible via willy jeep and follow a similar trail.  This is convenient because you can walk to different coffee farms after your tour, or catch the next Willy jeep to a new farm (but you might be waiting an hour!)

Here are some of the top rated Salento coffee tours:

Finca El Ocaso

There are two coffee tour options at Finca: Traditional and Premium.  A traditional coffee tour is 1 hour and 30 minutes, costs about $10, and does not require an advance reservation.  A premium coffee tour is 3 hours, costs about $25, requires a reservation, and has a maximum of 10 guests.

As an added bonus, Finca El Ocaso has a hotel on the coffee farm you can reserve to experience the coffee region for longer!

Las Acacias

Las Acacias is a small, family-owned coffee farm.  It is well known and has received high reviews in the Salento area.  The coffee tour at Las Acacias is 1 hour and costs about $6.  This is the tour I selected due to available times, cost, and a smaller coffee farm experience.

It is about a 40 minute walk from the center of Salento, or you can hop in a Willy Jeep at the town center.  We took a Willy Jeep on the way there, and walked on the way back (Pro tip: The willy jeeps do not stop to wait for you outside the coffee farms on the way back.  Stand outside of the coffee farm, or it will pass you by!

Finca El Ocaso is about a 10 minute walk down-hill from Las Acacias, so you can always walk here after as a secondary stop.

Finca Mommota

Finca Mommota is also known as a smaller coffee farm that is less touristy.  They offer three coffee tour options: Traditional (1 hour, $10), Extended (3 hours, $16.50), and Coffee Lab (3 hours, $33).

Finca Mommota also offers a hotel on site for the opportunity to extend your visit to the coffee farm beyond your tour.

Finca De Don Elias

Finca de Don Elias is approximately a one hour walk from Plaza Bolivar (but visitors recommend taking a Willy Jeep in order to save time!  Visitors enjoy the small feel of this local coffee farm.  A one hour tour costs approximately $6.

They do not have a website at this time but you can contact them via WhatsApp.

Don Eduardo

Their website indicates tours in English are offered Monday – Saturday at 9:30am and 2:30pm.  They advise contacting them to confirm times and for further information.

It is approximately a 7 minute walk from Plaza Bolivar in Downtown Salento, and seems to be the closest Salento Coffee Tour within walking distance.

Coffee Farm El Recuerdo

There is no website at this point in time.  Coffee Farm El Recuerdo has high reviews, and visitors indicate enjoying a small, authentic experience.

Other things to do in Salento

There are many amazing things to do in Salento after visiting the coffee farms:

• Cocora Valley
• Downtown Salento
• Plaza Bolivar
• Mirador de Salento

Day Trips From Salento

Salento’s scenic location makes it ideal for equally scenic local day trips.  If you have extra time on your itinerary, consider a full or half day trip to the following locations:

• Santa Rita Waterfall
• Santa Rosa de Cabal Hot Springs
• El Machin Volcano.
• Quindío Botanical Garden
• Los Nevados National Natural Park

Salento Packing List

Here are a couple of can’t-miss items to toss in your suitcase when exploring the best things to do in Salento:

Rain jacket – A rain jacket for Salento should be at the TOP of your list!  Rain is unpredictable and downpours can last a couple of hours here.

Backpack Rain Shell – That being said, protect your belongings as well when hiking Cocora Valley with a rain cover for your backpack.

Waterproof Hiking Boots – This is one item I really wish I had with me!  A secondary pair of shoes didn’t fit in my backpack for my combined Colombia and Ecuador trip, but I would have left a couple of items at home to make it work if I knew how muddy our downhill trek from Cocora Valley would be!

Swimsuit – There are thermal baths and a waterfall in the Salento area.  Pack your swimsuit in case you decide to take a dip!

Packable towel – Same reason as the swimsuit.  Some of my hostels have towel rentals for a fee so I usually like to travel with my packable towel which takes up very little room in my backpack.

Where to go after Salento

If it fits the itinerary, I recommend extending your Colombia trip:

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• What To Do in Salento, Colombia
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• Best Things to Do in Baños
• Best Things to Do in Cuenca

As a full time employee who loves her job, learn how I honor my wanderlust while working a 9:00-5:00 (because I want to!) This blog welcomes all, and specifically provides resources for those seeking travel intertwined into a busy schedule (3 days to 5 weeks).

The Best Coffee Tour In Salento? Meet The David Attenborough of Coffee

Posted on Last updated: December 15, 2023

Categories Colombia

Expert travel storyteller Jordan Adkins, founder of InspiredByMaps.com, brings a decade of adventures across 101 countries and 450+ UNESCO sites into rich, off-the-beaten-path narratives, melding ecological expertise with genuine, seasoned travel insights. His full bio can be found here.

So you’re in the famous Colombia coffee triangle and want to experience an authentic coffee tour? Obviously, you want to experience the rich Colombian coffee taste and learn all about the history of coffee in Colombia, but how do you ensure you get the right guide, the right information and at least a smidgen of fun?

Of course, you want to make sure you have the best coffee tour in Salento…

Well luckily, that part is surprisingly simple: you go on a Finca Don Eduardo Coffee Tour in Salento of course!

The Best Coffee Tour In Salento? Meet The David Attenborough of Coffee ☕

Salento is a picturesque mountain town on the edge of the Colombia Coffee Triangle famous for its coffee estates, jaw-dropping scenery, and proximity to the Cocora Valley ( with its other-worldly wax palm trees, a national symbol of Colombia!).

Having made our way here from nearby Buga we headed to the Plantation House Salento, a laid-back hostel in a 100-year-old original coffee plantation!  

Welcome to Coffee 101!!

The owner, Don Eduardo – a.k.a our Colombian coffee guy who is actually a transplanted Brit, runs a daily coffee tour from here which we quickly signed up for and well, we were not the only ones…

After running this tour for over 6 years he’s has developed an incredible reputation and most of the other people there were through word-of-mouth recommendations [as were we from our time with Popayan Tours! ].

If you don’t read anymore, just know this – There is a reason why this Salento Coffee Tour is #1 on TripAdvisor!

We started our tour at 9 am, and it began with Don Eduardo explaining how he ended up getting ‘stuck’ in Colombia 12 years ago (Along the lines of “Colombia, the only risk is wanting to stay”) with a dream to grow and harvest coffee!

While most of us have these or similar dreams from time to time, you have got to admire that he has actually gone out and made this happen – And his passion truly shows through in his Salento coffee tour and coffee plantation.

In his epic three hour tour, appropriately broken up with walking, hilarious anecdotes, demonstrations and – of course – coffee tasting, we learned more about coffee and its production than I ever thought possible [and to the kind-of hilarious sole person that gave him a terrible review on TripAdvisor, it is most certainly not all available on Wikipedia!].

I mean who knew that Brazil was the world’s leading exporter of both beautiful women and coffee or that St. Helena had such incredible coffee.

Or even that Vietnam is the world’s second-biggest exporter (it’s also their second-biggest export after rice!) … great facts to pull out next time your queuing at your local coffee shop!

As someone on our tour succinctly put it: “He’s the David Attenborough of Coffee”, complete with a British accent.

Want to know the difference between Arabica and Robusta coffee types?

Discover why Starbucks coffee is always dark roasted?

Tell a traditional coffee plant from a modern variety or learn why Colombia has some of the world’s best coffee?

Then this is the tour for you – An in-depth, no holds barred exploration into Colombian coffee culture and the running of a boutique Colombia coffee plantation.

You will also learn about the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia – forget drug smugglers, “these are the guys you don’t F@$& within Colombia” – and be sure to ask about Juan Valdez, a famed Colombian whose name is now used for the Colombian equivalent of Starbucks (that is even more disappointing!).

This is not a tour where you just pick coffee and come away disappointed, this is a tour where you really learn, you don gumboots and can see exactly what he is talking about. A highly original coffee tour which covers the entirety of the coffee process – from cultivation and harvesting all the way through to getting that great Colombian coffee taste!

My favorite coffee shops around in the world from Lisbon to Helsinki , Auckland to Singapore all proudly serve Colombian coffee – and after this tour, I can now savor my cup of joe, even more, knowing how and why it tastes so good.

A truly whole experience, great for both novices or refined connoisseurs – easily the best coffee tour in Salento. Rather than just picking some coffee beans and seeing a coffee bean roasting as is common on other tours, Don Eduardo takes you through the entire process.

From seed to tree to bean to cup and everything in between the David Attenborough of Coffee will answer any question with ease and have you sounding like a learned expert in no-time.

 Little did I know the time and effort involved in getting my morning cup of Java, or Colombia as it may be, and will surely not be taking it for granted anymore!

How to get from Bogota or Medellín to Salento?

Salento is located in the famous Colombia coffee triangle and is reached within 50 mins from Armenia’s main bus terminal.

There is a direct bus from Medellín to Salento three times daily offered by Flota Occidental. The bus from Medellín to Salento departs from the cities main bus terminal, takes around 7 hours with no road-works, and costs 55,000 COP. There is also a shuttle-bus running daily from Medellín to Salento (and Salento to Medellín) but is rather over-crowded and more expensive. 

Getting the bus from Bogota to Salento is a bit more complicated and you will first need to go via Pereira from Bogota (around 6-8 hours) and then changing in Pereira for the frequent bus to Salento (around 45 minutes). Be sure to leave early for any bus from Bogota to Salento to ensure you do not miss the last connection in the evening. 

If you are heading south afterward you can get a short bus from Salento to Cali going via Armenia – but why not consider stopping in Buga for beer, waterfalls, and iguanas! 

Or, if you have not had enough coffee quite yet, you could make the short 30 minute trip to the nearby Filandia in the Colombia coffee region for a less-touristy experience! 

So there you have it – you can stop wondering what to do in Salento Colombia because you have found the best coffee tour in Salento! Finca Don Eduardo Coffee Tour Salento operates out the Plantation House Salento. English Tours are offered daily (except Sundays) at 9 am while a Spanish tour is also on offer at 3 pm. 

Wondering where to stay in Salento? I loved the Plantation House Salento , which is perfect if you are on a budget, or the Hotel Salento Real – if you’re after something a bit nicer! Though there are also plenty of unique Salento Colombia hotels with something to suit everyone…

If you like reading about this Salento Coffee Tour you will love these other stories about Colombia’s best tourist attractions! 

• Salento Mountain Biking To The Worlds Biggest Palm Forest! 
• Medellín Food Tour With Tasty Town
• Cartagena Scuba Diving: As Good Under the Sea As On Land!
• Popayan Bike Tour: Discovering The Real Colombia At Your Own Pace!
• El Rio Hostel Colombia Review: Luxury River Hostel on a Budget!
• Inspired By Mompox: A Colonial Gem stuck in time!
• Photographic Exploration of Bogota Street Art in Colombia

• Israel & Palestine
• United States

South America

How to take a salento coffee tour: visit a real colombian coffee farm.

Colombia produces some of the world’s finest coffee. Most of the coffee farms are in a region known as the  Eje Cafetero , or Coffee Axis in English. The traveler center of the region is Salento — a colorful small town surrounded by suburban coffee farms that are open to visitors. If you’re a coffee lover like me, you can’t miss a Salento coffee tour during your Colombia trip!

After you take a coffee tour in Salento, you’ll have a much greater appreciation for your morning cup. Plus, this is a great opportunity to support local farmers — many of whom produce at micro-scales and use organic and sustainable practices. And the high-quality and remarkably affordable coffee beans you can buy from the farmers make great gifts for your friends and family back home.

In this post, I’ll cover everything you need to know to plan the perfect trip to a Salento coffee farm.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to purchase through these links, I receive a percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you, which helps me keep this site up and running.

What makes Colombian coffee so special?

Coffee can only be grown at very specific altitudes and with very specific climates. So you usually only find it in countries with lots of mountains near the equator. The equatorial temperatures are relatively steady year-round (i.e. no winters), while the mountains provide the elevation needed to keep temperatures cool.

Colombia, of course, has lots of mountains given its location at the tail end of the Andes. Its year-round pleasant climate allows it to be the third largest coffee producer in the world — behind only Brazil and Vietnam .

But it’s not just about the climate. Colombian coffee producers take great care to only produce the finest beans, and only use traditional growing methods. In fact, the vast majority of Colombian coffee is still picked by hand . Coffee is a huge source of employment in the Eje Cafetero, and nearly everyone who lives here does seasonal work on the farms.

Additionally, Colombia produces only Arabica coffee beans. These are the highest-quality beans (as opposed to robusta). They have a sweeter flavor and less caffeine. If you really want to taste the difference, try sampling a cup of coffee sourced from Colombia alongside one from Vietnam — the Vietnamese coffee tastes darker and more chocolate-y, while the Colombian one will be brighter and a bit more acidic.

Unfortunately, Colombia’s coffee industry is also in real trouble as a result of the climate crisis . Farmers have been increasingly struggling with pest invasions, out-of-season storms and droughts, and generally less predictability in the climate. That’s one reason why going on a Salento coffee tour is so important. Many farmers need to supplement their income with tourism today.

Choosing a Salento coffee tour

When you arrive in Salento while backpacking Colombia , you’ll be greeted with plenty of opportunities to visit a coffee farm. These range from all-inclusive packages to DIY visits. The choice can be overwhelming. But most travelers visit one of three farms, which are all clustered together about 5 km from central Salento.

The first, and least-visited, coffee finca is Las Acacias Coffee Farm . It’s a very small-scale hillside coffee farm. The family also produces other crops, and during the tour, you’ll learn a lot about rural Colombian life. Tours cost 10,000 COP (including a coffee tasting) and last an hour. Las Acacias is a great option if you want to be closer to central Salento and if you want to be in a smaller group. The downside is it’s less polished than the other farms’ tours.

Next, you’ll come to El Ocaso . This is the flashiest Salento coffee tour. The farm is larger than others in the area, and it’s the only one that doesn’t use organic practices (but it does use ecological practices — i.e. no plastic, etc.). The tour is extremely well-done and the setting is unbelievable. Tours here cost 20,000 COP and last an hour and a half. English-language guides depart at 9 am, 11 am, noon, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 4 pm. Even if you skip the tour, it’s worth a stop at their incredible hillside cafe to sample the coffee.

The third option is Don Elias’s farm . This is a teeny-tiny family-run operation. They use all organic practices. Almost all of their coffee is sold to shops in Salento — it stays local — while they sell the leftovers to Segafredo. Tours cost 10,000 COP, last about 90 minutes, and leave as soon as there are enough people (you won’t have to wait more than 30 minutes). Don Elias himself runs the Spanish-language tours and his son runs the English ones.

How to get to the coffee farms in Salento

One of the great things about Salento coffee tours is that you can walk to them from the town center. No need to pay for a package tour or for your own taxi!

All three coffee farms I mentioned above are located about an hour’s walk away from the town center. Follow Carrera 5 southwest of the town center until it becomes a dirt path, and then walk all the way to the bottom of the hill. Along the way you’ll pass the three main coffee farms that are open to visitors.

You’ll pass a couple small shops and hotels, but for the most part, the walk is pretty quiet. A couple viewpoints offer great views of the surrounding valleys.

It’s all downhill on the way there. If you want to walk back, it takes about an hour and a couple sections are pretty steep. The biggest safety issue is there are a lot of community dogs, some of which are pretty aggressive. Steer clear.

If you’re not up for walking, you can also take a Willy Jeep to your Salento coffee tour. You may get a seat inside or, if you’re lucky, you’ll get to stand on the back. The price is 27,000 COP per person from Don Ocaso — slightly cheaper from Las Acacias. You could also try your luck at flagging down an already-full public Jeep for around 5,000 COP per person. These pass roughly hourly.

Even if you book a package tour, you’ll still end up on a Willy Jeep, so you might as well save the money and organize everything yourself.

My Salento coffee tour experience at Finca Don Elias

I opted to take the coffee tour at Don Elias’s farm. I’ve visited coffee plantations before in Vietnam and  Nicaragua , so I was more interested in the organic methods Don Elias uses than in learning the basics of coffee production.

I arrived around 10 am and waited 15 minutes for a group to assemble. We had seven people in the group plus the guide. While we were waiting, we were able to sit on Don Elias’s shady patio with mountain views and use the restroom.

Walking around the farm

The tour involved a short walk around the coffee finca, with stops at a number of key places. To start out, we learned about how all the plants on the farm interact together — so they grow oranges to use in compost, and bananas for shade and compost, etc. The plants they use for composting impact the flavor of the beans as well, so the farmers must plan very carefully to get the perfect beans.

We walked through a banana grove and talked about how climate change has impacted Don Elias. When I visited, the harvest was at its low point, and earlier in the year severe rains had wiped out half the crop. They would only produce 2 tons of beans that year — not enough to sell to outside producers.

The guide also explained water resources in Salento. A river runs through town, but in the dry season, locals aren’t permitted to use it for anything. No bathing, washing clothes, or using it for irrigation — it must be perfectly preserved. There are also strict regulations around runoff from the hillside farms. This has led to most coffee farmers choosing to go organic.

We got a few different demonstrations of what healthy plants look like vs. sick ones, how to tell the age of the plants, and how to pick the beans by hand. Don Elias employs just four people during the harvest, but otherwise relies on his own family to pick every single bean.

Drying, roasting and grinding the beans

After we’d seen the entire farm, we went into the farmhouse for a demonstration of how the red coffee beans become the delicious cups of liquid gold that we all drink every morning.

First, we saw the room where the beans are dried. Even though Don Elias’s production is small, he puts a strong emphasis on quality. So at this stage his family manually picks through the beans and discards any that aren’t up to snuff.

Then, we got a roasting demonstration. Don Elias uses a medium roast for all of his beans — just enough to bring out the flavor. Our guide pointed out that dark roasts reduce the caffeine.

Finally, after we roasted the beans for our very own personal brews, we had to grind them. Don Elias’s team still uses manual coffee grinders to do this. We put the beans in the top and cranked away until we had enough to brew coffee for the whole tour.

The tour ended with sampling the coffee we had just helped produce. It was delicious and couldn’t have been fresher! We also had the opportunity to buy whole-bean or ground beans to take home, for just 8,000 COP per bag.

Overall impressions of the Salento coffee farm tour: 5/5

If you’re going to be in Salento, I would highly recommend making the time to visit a coffee farm in between hiking the Valle de Cocora and relaxing in the pleasantly cool climate. It was one of the most interesting activities I did in Colombia .

I came away with a tremendous amount of respect for the coffee farmers who work day-in and day-out to produce only the top-quality beans. But my bigger takeaway was how visceral the farmers’ concerns about the climate were. These folks’ generations-old family businesses are in danger as a result of the changing climate, and they’re worried.

In short, if you’re a coffee lover — or even if you just want to see a slice of rural Colombia — don’t miss a Salento coffee tour!

Want to explore the Eje Cafetero even further? Check out  Jardin , the most charming town in all of Colombia.

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Carrie is the founder of Trains, Planes and Tuk Tuks. For more than seven years, she's been solo-backpacking around the world to places few other tourists dare to explore -- from Ethiopia to Nicaragua to Jordan and beyond. When she's not on the road, you can find her hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains and eating the world's best barbecue in her home city of Asheville, NC.

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The best coffee farm to visit in Salento

¿how to choose the best coffee farm.

Choosing which coffee farm visiting in the Eje Cafetero , is as hard as choosing which winery visiting in wine producing areas. There are so many and each one of them has its own charm, that you have to base the election on your own interests (big hacienda, a familiar one, sustainable production, etc.), read from people that have been there before or trust your gut when reading references on TripAdvisor, which is very used in Colombia.

We decided to visit Finca El Ocaso , for various reasons: because it was close to our accommodation, because it’s the one our hostel was recommending, because from all the haciendas we saw around this was the most beautiful and besides it was well positioned in TripAdvisor. Honestly, it was the best choice we could have made, I recommend it 100%.

The following coffee haciendas also caught our attention, but unfortunately they were far from Salento:

• Hacienda San Alberto
• Hacienda Combia

¿How to get to the coffee haciendas?

There’s a wide variety of coffee haciendas within a 5km radius from Salento. There are basically two ways of reaching them: by car (Willys) or on foot.

By Willys The most popular means of transport in Salento are the Jeep Willys. There are always Willys parked at the town main square (Plaza de Bolívar) in front of the supermarket Supercocora, that come and go from the surroundings of Salento. There’s a small wooden kiosk where you need to purchase your ticket.

The journey cost is different depending on where you’re going. You just indicate your destination to the driver and he will put you together with some more people going the same way. In our case, the round trip to the Finca El Ocaso cost us 6000 COP each, and the journey took 20 minutes.

To make the most of the trip, the Willys are jam packed, and one can even stand on the back grill of the car. Definitely an experience you have to live!

On foot If you’re not in a rush and you don’t mind walking, it’s a good way to start your day. In our case, the Finca El Ocaso is 5 km outside Salento, which makes it a 1h walk. There are other haciendas closer, at 2 or 3 km. On your way back you can still hop on a Willys if you wish, since they ride to all of the haciendas taking and bringing people. You can pay your journey to the driver.

Important note: put Ocaso Coffee House on Google Maps, not Finca El Ocaso (this location is wrong).

Map of how getting to Ocaso Coffee House from Salento on foot:

Tour on a coffee farm: Finca El Ocaso

Finca El Ocaso counts with a beautiful traditional coffee farm, painted in white and red, creating a perfect contrast with the green of its surroundings. It has spectacular views and a very relaxing atmosphere, with the murmur of the Quindío river and the chirping of the birds flying around. They own various hectares of Arabic and Robust plantation, which collect by hand and ends up in the package of their own label, after a process surprisingly simple and almost manual.

They offer two different tours:

• Traditional Coffee Tour: 1h and a half of duration, with a price of 15.000 COP per person (price in 2018), it takes place at 10:00h and at 15:00h in Spanish and almost every hour in English. It includes a cup of filtered coffee tasting.
• Premium Coffee Tour: 3h of duration, it costs 65.000 COP per person (price in 2018), it takes place only twice a day: once in Spanish (9:00h) and another one in English (14:00h). It includes a workshop/tasting of different types of coffee.

We chose the traditional tour, since the Premium seemed too pricey just for adding a couple more explanations and a coffee workshop. What we were most interested in, was getting to know the coffee plantation and the process from the plant to the cup. We took the tour in Spanish with Andrés, a young man, with lots of energy and looking forward to solve any of your doubts.

First of all we tied a little wicker basket around our waist, that would later use to collect some coffee cherries. We walked with Andrés around the coffee plantation and explained to us how they created the ecosystem that they have nowadays, with more than 90 species of birds and 56 varieties of trees.

He showed us the compost plant and how they use, as fertilize, almost anything that falls on the plantation grounds. We learnt how they separate the coffee grains from the cherry, and how they are processed to obtain different kinds of grains, from the “pasilla” to the “almendra”, which is the type exported to the rest of the world. The biggest surprise: coffee grains are white and they taste sweet!

Finally, Andrés made us a cup of delicious coffee, with manually grinded coffee grains, with the exact measures of coffee and water, and filtered with much care.

Ocaso Coffee House

The hacienda also counts with the Ocaso Coffee House, which is a cafeteria where one can have a cup of coffee in a matchless setting. It has a balcony with amazing views and if you stay long enough you’ll have the chance to see the hummingbirds that come by to drink water. It is a beautiful picture!

Here I leave you a video with more information about Finca El Ocaso:

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Traditional Coffee Tour With Tasting in Salento

• Cup of Specialty Coffee
• Entry/Admission - Salento
• Private transportation
• Finca El Ocaso Salento, vereda palestina km 3,8 vía Salento Desde, bajas por la vía al cementerio, 3,8 km, Salento, Quindío, Colombia
• Not wheelchair accessible
• Service animals allowed
• Near public transportation
• Infants must sit on laps
• Confirmation will be received at time of booking
• Most travelers can participate
• This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
• This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers
• For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
• You'll start at Finca El Ocaso Salento vereda palestina km 3,8 vía Salento Desde, bajas por la vía al cementerio, 3,8 km, Salento, Quindío, Colombia See address & details
• 1 Finca El Ocaso Salento Stop: 90 minutes - Admission included PRDUCTION (40 min) -Walking through our double shade plantations, picking up coffee cherries, planting coffee seedlings. - Visiting our sustainable fertilizing processes such as composting and bio-digesting. POSTHARVEST (15 min) - Understanding coffee processing which includes: washing, pulping, mucilage removal, fermentation, drying. QUALITY AND TOSTION (15 min) - Getting to know coffee roasting and its importance CUPPING (20 min) -Cupping our traditional “Salento” Coffee Read more
• You'll return to the starting point

• jjjkl999 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Love the premium coffee tour The 3 hours premium tour is fun, educational, and tasty. The English tour guide did good job. After the tour, I realized I knew very little about the coffee drink I love before the tour. I strongly recommend the premium tour in the beautiful Ocaso farm. The willy ride to the farm is also fun. They have a shop in Salento by the church. If you want to buy more coffee after the tour, you can also buy there as I did. Read more Written March 31, 2024
• Companion59209793578 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Probably the best coffee tour from Salento A very pleasant and informative tour around the coffee plantation with plenty of time to see stuff and ask questions but at a good pace throughout. Also, perhaps obviously, has a great cafe area with understandably excellent coffee and great cakes. Should be time for this and a bit of hummingbird spotting before return back to Salento. Buy tickets from Willys Jeep team to get transport and entry at best price. Jeep ride is fun too. Read more Written March 20, 2024
• F4293SOshannong 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great coffee tour! We really enjoyed this tour with our guide Jonathan! We walked from Salento to the farm it was about an hour walk. We did the English tour at 11 am. Read more Written March 13, 2024
• tashak2015 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Amazing tour Great tour. we were able to pick our own beans, tasted coffee coffee and all in beautiful scenery with a very friendly and informative tour guide Nicholas Read more Written February 15, 2024
• 51jemmah 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great afternoon at Ocaso We had a great afternoon at Ocaso coffee farm. We did the 1.5 hour tour, which flew by and was really informative. Our guide Nicolas was great, he had the whole group laughing and was able to answer everyone’s questions. Read more Written February 13, 2024
• barbaragU2747NU 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles A wonderful coffee tour! An excellent tour! We really didn’t know what to expect and were surprised at just how much we enjoyed ourselves and how engaging the whole experience was. Nicolas was an amazing guide and we learned so much about coffee and Colombia. We signed up for the longer premium tour and were really glad we did. When the tour was finished we hung out in the beautiful grounds before taking the jeep back to Salento. Read more Written January 24, 2024
• corryc222 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Fun day Fun day at Finca El Ocaso Salento. We did the coffee tour where we picked beans & were guided through the process of how coffee is produced & finished the morning with lunch at their cafe. Shout out to our guide for the day Anthony! Read more Written January 20, 2024
• Rebecca P 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Highly recommend!! We really enjoyed this coffee tour with Jonathon as our guide. The plantation setting was lovely and we learnt lots of new information about processes which great! All our questions were answered and Jonathan was knowledgeable but in a fun and friendly way. We purchased lots from the shop which was really reasonably priced and we stayed for a sandwich in the cafe whilst enjoying the amazing views. Would highly recommend this tour. Read more Written December 5, 2023
• Sangypin 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Very good informative tour It was a very good informative tour. Jonathan our tour guide did an excellent job! He was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. We learned a lot about coffee beans and the process too. We would definitely recommend this Ocaso coffee tour if you are visiting Salento. Read more Written November 21, 2023
• 757julianx 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Excellent Salento coffee tour - perfect experience, tasty coffee, immersive farm to cup time Jonathan provided a wonderful tour. He answered all our questions with much knowledge and detail. The tour itself has a great format, from the coffee tree grove to roasting to drinking freshly brewed coffee. The Ocaso space is also a great place to chill with a coffee and watch the hummingbirds and stray dogs. We did the 90 min tour which ran 15 minutes long or so, but this was the perfect length to learn a lot! Read more Written November 7, 2023
• arctickids 0 contributions 2.0 of 5 bubbles Tour was fine but transportation organisation was a disaster The tour was informative and interesting but the logistics getting back to town and the aggressive behaviour of other tourists spoiled the entire experience and made it one of the worst tours ever for us. There were no Willy jeeps back to Salento while the last return was scheduled for 18.00 but as earlier tour groups decided to hang out in the café and their jeeps returned to Salento empty, only two jeeps arrived at 18.30 while approximately 50 people were waiting and the atmosphere turned hostile. Ocaso needs to coordinate and organize the returns to Salento better and if they can manage this properly, the cofffee tour would have been a good experience. Read more Written August 4, 2023
• 171hansg 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Easy event We had a nice and educational tour with Antonio. Took a Willy’s jeep from the square at 12:30 for the 1pm tour. Was relaxed to do. Read more Written July 22, 2023
• S4350JWkat 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Highly recommend the tour!! This was such a fun experience!! We had a very knowledgeable tour guide that spoke English. He showed us each step in the coffee process from picking the fruit to the final roasting and how to serve it. Lovely experience that I highly recommend! Read more Written June 23, 2023
• vlocker 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great Tour, Great Guide, Great Roasts Ocaso was very flexible in helping us book two concurrent english tours to accommodate our rambunctious 21-person group honeymoon of gringos. We did the 3-hr premium tour with tasting. My group's tour guide, Juan Esteban, was extremely knowledgeable, informative, and wickedly funny. We learned the coffee plant life cycle, coffee history, coffee economics, how to brew, taste, and experience coffee, and which brewing method to be most ashamed of. The experience was excellent and the coffee superb - even the non-coffee drinkers in our group enjoyed it. Would highly recommend this tour and our guide Juan Es. Wear long sleeves for the outside portion and stay for a snack on their restaurant patio! Read more Written March 5, 2023
• janjwan27 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Fun experience with great tour guide We knew we wanted to do a coffee tour in Salento and Ocaso did not disappoint. The entire experience was very informative and we had a great time learning about the process of coffee from plant to cup, as well as tasting different types of coffee. Our tour guide JE (Juan), was knowledgeable and his dry humour made the tour that much more fun - we got roasted more than the coffee beans all while enjoying a good cup of coffee Read more Written December 1, 2022

More to explore in Salento

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Traditional Coffee Tour With Tasting in Salento provided by Ocaso Cafe Tour

Explore Colombian Culture Coffee Tours in Zona Cafetera

Are you a coffee lover looking for an adventure you'll love? Look no further than exploring the Colombian coffee-making process up close! Find out more about the Salento and Zona Cafetera regions in Colombia, as well as all the best spots to go for coffee plantation tours.

Traveling to Colombia , you'll be met with stunning nature views, including lush green jungles, snowy mountains, and a tropical coastline.

It's also a journey to beautiful colonial-style towns that are UNESCO World Heritage sites. In addition, you'll be able to visit coffee plantations that grow some of the best coffee in the world. 

Salento, a small and colorful colonial town, is a must-visit during any Colombian  travel itinerary . Once in Salento, your first stop should be the stunning Zona Cafetera coffee region, where substantial coffee plantations dominate the landscape. 

This guide will include all the best places to visit in Salento and how to explore the mesmerizing coffee scene of this incredible country. All to make sure you have filled your cultural coffee cup before returning home. 

What is Salento famous for

When you think of Colombia, you might think of lush landscapes, the Andes, drug cartels, and of course, coffee. 

Salento is a cozy, brightly colored colonial town in Colombia's coffee region. You can buy locally-made handicrafts or stroll around in the charming streets. From the city's main ropeway, you can follow Calle Real to a so-called "Mirador," with the most beautiful view over the coffee area.

Zona Cafetera is the area in Colombia where there are the most coffee plantations. Lush green mountains and stunning nature surround the area, and for this reason, it's a must-see experience. The coffee region was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2011 and has attracted thousands of visitors since. 

Where are Salento and the Zona Cafetera

Salento is a small town and municipality in the northeast part of the Quindío region of Colombia. The city is located 24 km northeast of the regional capital of Armenia. 

Colombia is known to be one of the most important coffee producers in the world. Within the country, specific areas focus on producing coffee: Caldas, Risaralda, and Quindió, which make up the Zona Cafetera. 

How to get to Salento and Zona Cafetera

Transport in Colombia is cheap! So cheap that even for longer distances, it's sometimes as cheap to fly as it is to take the bus. 

The local buses cost a few euros for a few hours. However, these are often buses without air conditioning and are a bit uncomfortable. In contrast, long-distance buses in most of Colombi are large tour buses with air conditioning, luxury seats, and often a TV. 

Direct flights to Salento are frequent from Medellin, Bogotá, Cartagena, and Santa Marta. If preferred, it's also possible to take a night bus even though the price is approximately the same as airfare. Cali is only a 3- hour bus ride away from Salento, and there are several departures daily. 

Best time to visit Salento and Zona Cafetera

While you can visit Salento and the Zona Cafetera all year round, the most interesting is during the harvest season. These harvests run from April to June and again from October to December. 

December to March is the dry season with warmer weather. Throughout the year, Salento and Zona Cafetera receive consistent rain, with October being the wettest month of the year. 

The history behind the coffee farms and culture 

Colombian coffee is known for its quality, but what makes it so special?

Coffee was introduced to Colombia in the mid-1700s by the Jesuits, and one in particular, named Francisco Romero, found an ingenious solution. Legend says that Francisco asked that believers plant 3 to 4 coffee plants whenever they went to confession. 

As soon as the Archbishop of Colombia became aware of what Francisco was doing, he ensured that all Jesuit priests did the same. So, Francisco's actions paved the way for the beginning of the history of Colombian coffee. However, it was only in 1835 that this delicious coffee was marketed outside Colombia's borders.

To date, Colombia is the third largest producer of coffee in the world, behind Brazil and Vietnam. Colombia's production comprises mainly of Arabica species, including the Bourbon variety, Typica, Maragogype, and Caturra.

Best coffee farms to visit in Salento

There are plenty of full-day excursions that immerse you in the coffee-making experience! You'll be able to learn about how the coffee is planted, cared for, picked, washed, peeled, dried, roasted, etc.—yes, the whole process. It's an intense and highly educational experience that you'll remember every time you drink a cup of coffee for many years to come!

Choosing which coffee farm to visit in Zona Cafetera is difficult because there are endless options and most of them are worth the visit. Every place has its charm and should be chosen based on your unique interests. Some of the plantations are big, some are family-run, some focus on sustainable production, and some combine all those factors. 

If you're looking for your own coffee adventure, let's deep dive into some of the most popular coffee farms to visit in Zona Cafetera. 

Finca El Ocaso 

Finca El Ocaso  is a beautiful traditional coffee farm located 5km from Salento's central plaza. This finca, or country estate in English, offers magnificent views of the coffee valley and the Quindió River below. 

El Ocaso boasts a robust plantation that produces Arabic-variety coffee, which is collected manually and later packed in their own branded coffee label. "El Ocaso" translates to "the sunset," and the farm aims to preserve and share coffee culture with its visitors. Finca El Ocaso is certified both ethical, sustainable, and organic. 

Finca El Ocaso can take 10 visitors at a time and teach them the step-by-step process of their Colombian coffee production. There is the option of doing two different tours, the Traditional Coffee Tour and The Premium Coffee Tour. 

The Traditional Tour takes 1 hour and 30 minutes and includes a cup of filtered coffee for tasting at the end. The Premium Tour takes 3 hours and includes a workshop with a tasting of various types of coffee. 

Finca Don Eduardo

Finca Don Eduardo  is a part of The Plantation House in Salento, which offers accommodation for visitors in a traditional and welcoming set-up. Staying at a large estate in Salento is a  great alternative to hotels  that provides a more local experience. 

The Finca Don Eduardo is a coffee farm on the property that produces sustainable coffee from four sub-varieties of Arabica coffee. This includes two traditional plants and two modern hybrids. The coffee varieties they make are the Bourbon, Arabica Tipica, Caturra, and Variety Colombia.

The Finca Don Eduardo is only a 10-minute walk from the city center of Salento. Tours are offered daily in English and Spanish, where visitors get to walk through the beautiful gardens of the plantation's house. The tour takes 3 hours in total, and guests are invited to try the different flavors of the coffee blends. 

For those interested in getting an even deeper coffee experience, Don Eduardo offers a 1-day or more work experience. This is for anyone who wishes to get a hands-on experience with tasks such as picking and planting coffee plants, digging and maintaining fields, or working on trails. Here lunch, drinks, and all necessary equipment are provided by the farm. 

Hacienda Venecia

The  Hacienda Venecia  is one of the top-rated coffee farms in the Zona Cafetera. This plantation has won several awards for its coffee and is a famous location in the area. 

The farm offers incredible views of the coffee valley. It is a well-preserved farmhouse that also operates as a charming boutique hotel. The Hacienda Venecia is a 2-hour drive from Salento but is worth the travel time for anyone craving an excellent Colombian coffee experience.

The farm offers tours in English and Spanish. These go deep into explaining Colombian coffee production, offer a walking tour through the beautiful plantation, and include a class in coffee preparation. The coffee tour takes roughly 2 hours and 30 minutes.

 In addition, Hacienda Venecia provides other experiences, such as a chocolate workshop, bird watching, and bike tours, just to name a few.  

What to know about doing a coffee tour in Zona Cafetera

The Colombian coffee farmers have, unlike some other South American countries, maintained the traditional harvesting method. Traditional means that the coffee is picked by hand so that only the ripe berries are harvested, and this ensures the best quality.

Some of Colombia's best coffee is produced in Salento and the surrounding areas. Colombia's beautiful nature takes care of that, with its lush soil and humid climate!

There are many coffee farms, and tourists are welcome at most of them. Don't miss out on a coffee farm tour so that you get a unique insight into how a cup of coffee is made. From a green, unripe bean on a meter-high bush to a finished drink, ready to be enjoyed.

You can participate in the entire process, from picking to roasting to milling to brewing. And afterward, you can buy as much coffee as your bag can carry.

How to get to the coffee farms around Salento

There are many coffee farms located around the area of Salento. While some are within a 5 km radius, others take longer to reach. There are two popular ways to reach the coffee farms in Salento, and these are either by getting on a Willy or walking on foot. 

The Jeep Willys are the most popular way to get around in Salento. They operate like taxis and do daily shared departures to many popular attractions in the area. 

The Willys are parked at the town's main square called Plaza de Bolívar. There is a small wooden kiosk where you can purchase your tickets nearby. 

Talk to the people working and explain where you want to go. They're very friendly and will help organize transportation with more people heading in the same direction. Note that they fill up the jeeps well and usually even have a few people standing and holding on to the back of the car.

This is one of those unique, somewhat crazy local experiences you should partake in when you're in Salento. 

If you have the time and don't mind walking, then walking is another great way to get around in Salento. Here you can take your time and marvel at the incredible view. If you get tired, it's possible to flag down a passing Willy and pay directly to the driver in cash. 

Some destinations are further away and difficult to organize by Willy. These trips can be organized by taxis instead. Simply ask around for the number or have your hostel or hotel call for transportation for you. 

Other things to do in Salento

While Salento is most famously known for its coffee scene and stunning views of the valley, there are many other great things to do around this charming town. 

Take a hike in Valle de Cocora

You can't be in Colombia's coffee country without taking a trip to the Cocora Valley! The nature here is unique, and the palm trees are some of the tallest in the world—they reach up to 70 meters high!

The wax palms you'll find in Valle de Cocora are Colombia's national tree and are used in many different ways. Wood, for example, is used as a building material, and the wax from the trunks is turned into candles.

Jeeps depart daily from the main square of Salento, which will take you to the hike's starting point. You can then choose between the long or the short hiking route, and the long hiking route takes approximately 6 hours, and the short one takes about 2 hours. 

If you're physically ready, I would recommend taking the long one as it takes you through beautiful fields with breathtaking views. Then you walk through the forest with rivers and waterfalls to finally reach the best part, the valley with palm trees. 

After the walk, jeeps are always ready to take you back to Salento. Make sure you have enough to eat and drink with you because you will come across only one restaurant during the walk. Also, remember to bring enough money to pay the entrance fee.

Visit a cafe

While in Salento you should pass by one of the many cafes brewing magnificent local coffee.  Cafe Jesus Martin  is one of the best, and most popular, cafes in town and is well worth any traveler's time. 

Here the menu is appealing with its many coffees brewed in various ways and the display of delicious cakes at the cafe counter. 

Finally, the owner, Jesus Martin, is famously known to have  saved the Colombian coffee industry . He revolutionized the coffee industry with his focus on quality, which shines through in every cup prepared at his cafe. 

Eat Locally

Try to eat some local Colombian food from the area while in Salento.  El Rincon de Lucy  is a great and authentic place to visit for lunch. This restaurant's lunch of the day is served to locals and visitors. 

Often the lunch includes soup, rice, salad, fish or chicken. They also have a vegetarian option for anyone who wishes. The prices are low, and the experience is very local. 

Additionally, while in town, try a serving of trout. This local specialty is prepared in many ways, and the best is either grilled or cooked in cream with garlic. 

Do a horse riding tour

A horse-riding tour around the Salento area is a great way to experience the stunning surroundings. There are various tours you can book depending on what you want. Some are a few hours, and some are a half or full-day experience. 

Ask at any hotel, estate, or hostel, and they'll know someone and organize it for you. Usually, you are picked up straight from your accommodation in the morning—talk about convenient! The tour should include a nice ride through the valley, visiting a coffee farm, and sometimes even visiting a waterfall. 

Visit waterfalls

If talk about waterfalls interests you, there are several waterfalls around the area of Salento to visit. The Santa Rita waterfall is one of the most popular ones since it is beautiful and easily reached from Salento.

Located just outside of the small town of Boquia, the Santa Rita Waterfall is found on the Finca Santa Rita. The fastest way to reach the waterfall is to take a bus to Boquia, a nearby town, and then walk from there. It's also possible to organize transport by Willy as the site is only about 5km away from Salento. 

Enjoy the hot springs

There are many hot springs in the area around Salento. A great way to spend half a day is to grab a taxi for 1 hour and head for Santa Rosa de Cabal. The hot springs of  San Vincente Reserve Thermal Hotel and Spa  are a great spot to unwind and enjoy the warm natural water.

The surroundings are beautiful and include a marvelous waterfall spilling into the lush jungle, which a small hike can reach. 

Experience the world's best country at the source

Whether or not you're a coffee lover, there are so many beautiful things and unforgettable experiences to have during a trip to Colombia. However, if you really are a coffee enthusiast, then you have to start planning your Colombia trip! You won't regret it once you immerse yourself in the Colombian coffee lifestyle and have easy access to it during your entire vacation.

To make sure you have the best opportunity to see everything coffee, you should plan your trip with Pilot!

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THE 10 BEST Salento Coffee & Tea Tours

Coffee & tea tours in salento.

• Sightseeing Tours
• Private Tours
• Coffee & Tea Tours
• Walking Tours
• Cultural Tours
• Multi-day Tours
• Historical & Heritage Tours
• Photography Tours
• Motorcycle Tours
• Shopping Tours
• Up to 1 hour
• 1 to 4 hours
• 4 hours to 1 day
• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 3.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• 2.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• The ranking of tours, activities, and experiences available on Tripadvisor is determined by several factors including the revenue generated by Tripadvisor from these bookings, the frequency of user clicks, and the volume and quality of customer reviews. Occasionally, newly listed offerings may be prioritized and appear higher in the list. The specific placement of these new listings may vary.

1. Cocora Valley, Salento and Coffee Farm Day Tour

2. Coffee Farm and Salento Walking Tour with Lunch

3. Cocora Valley, Salento and Coffee Farm Day Tour

4. Cultural Coffee bike tour

5. Full-Day Private Coffee Tour in Cocora Valley and Salento

6. Wax Palms, Salento and Coffee Private Full Day Tour

7. Coffee Farm Experience at Hacienda San Alberto from Salento

8. Private Full Day Tour in Cocora Valley and Coffee Farm

9. Parque del Café with Private Transportation and Tickets

10. Cocora Valley, Salento and Coffee Farm Day Tour

11. Coffee Farm and Salento Walking Tour with Lunch

12. 12 Day Heart of Colombia Coffee and Culture

13. Bike expedition La Vuelta al Quindio Colombia Coffee region

14. 5 Days Traditional Coffee Zone

15. Shared Coffee Tasting Tour in Salento with Licensed Guide

16. Full day Coffee Tour with Rural Walk in Salento

17. Coffee Tour at Hacienda Venecia near Salento

18. Half-Day Private Coffee Tour in Salento from Armenia

19. Coffee Farm and Salento Walking Tour with Lunch

20. Private Cocora Valley Coffee Tour with Guide

Keep the fun going with other experiences in the area.

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Coffee tour in the heart of the coffee region

Coffee Tour, Sighting Pereira

Private Tropical Fruit Tasting

Coffee and Culture in Santa Rosa de Cabal

Chocolate Tour and tropical Fruits

Two days Botanical Garden, coffee and Trekking

Cooking Stories - Cocinando Historias

Filandia, The daughter of the Andes

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Why Don Elias Runs the Best Coffee Farm Tour in Salento, Colombia

Have you ever been on a Colombian coffee farm tour?

I’ve been battling an obsession with coffee for a long time. Despite adoring the taste, the caffeine buzz, and the resulting burst of productivity, coffee also makes my skin break out, gives me the shakes occasionally, and sometimes causes a buzz that’s a bit too much for me to handle.

So after a few too many South American coffees, I thought I’d try abstaining for a while. And I was managing to hold off pretty well!… Until I moved to Colombia.

Break time coffees at Spanish school in Colombia

Within days of living in Medellin, I was firmly ensconced in a newspaper office where the smell of freshly brewed coffee followed me through the corridors. The editor’s incessant need for caffeine – not to mention the echoed need from my fellow journalists – was very hard not to emulate. I lasted about a month before I finally caved, and started drinking the stuff again.

A dependence on Colombian coffee

Sadly enough, I don’t regret the decision – I bloody love coffee. And I know I can stop drinking it again when I want to, but why would I avoid the stuff when I’m living in a country that’s famed for its coffee?

To a tourist’s eyes, the coffee culture in Colombia is integral to daily life.

Coffee tours in Salento

Read more: My travel guide to backpacking Colombia

In every city, there are men with giant silver metal canteens on their backs and a stack of plastic cups at their side; they make the rounds to various shop owners, pouring out generous doses of cafe tinto . They always add sugar but never milk; Colombians drink their coffee black.

Then there are the more static sellers; usually older men who sit patiently on the street, fronted by an array of colourful thermos flasks, waiting for caffeine-obsessed customers to come to them.

Colombians also drink their tinto standing up. I know this because on the few occasions I’ve walked down the street while attempting not to spill hot coffee on myself, I’ve been laughed at. Stupid gringa! Doesn’t she know that coffee is to be savoured?

The strange thing, though, is that Colombians don’t actually drink that much of their own incredibly tasty, locally-grown coffee. Most of it is destined for export around the world, meaning that the coffee you drink all around Colombia is more likely to be powdered Nescafe than the real deal.

Unless you head to the heart of the coffee industry: the ‘ eje cafetero ‘ region of Colombia, known for growing and producing the majority of Colombian coffee, and widely regarded as some of the best in the world.

Discovering the coffee farms of Salento Colombia

After three months in a big city, peppered only occasionally by  weekend trips to nearby pueblos and just over a week sunning myself on Caribbean beaches , I was really desperate for some greenery. Thankfully, the coffee region of Colombia is absolutely brimming with the stuff; rolling hills and huge banks of trees, only occasionally broken up by small houses or clusters of cows.

And every now and again, you happen upon a coffee farm.

The landscapes of Salento, Colombia

Salento coffee is some of the best you’ll drink in Colombia – and there are plenty of Salento coffee tours where you can learn about the process of growing, harvesting and preparing Colombian coffee beans.

The only question is deciding which Colombian coffee tour to choose. 

Each of the hostels in Salento recommend their favourite coffee farms for different reasons. I was staying at La Serrana (an amazing farmhouse-turned-hostel which feels more like someone’s country manor than a place for backpackers ) and when I asked about the best coffee tour in Salento, every guest spoke fondly about Don Elias and his coffee farm, a 45 minute walk from the hostel.

So I gathered up a crew of other hostel guests, and we set out for the Don Elias Coffee Tour!

Unlike a number of other places in the area, ‘Finca Don Elias’ is family-run – a factor which is obvious from the outset. When we walked into the front yard, we were greeted by a number of different women sitting on broken sofas on the porch, a teenage boy, and a small child screaming, “Que? Que? Que?” at everyone. The teenager, Carlos, turned out to be Don Elias’s grandson, and chatted to us on the broken sofas while we awaited the arrival of the Don himself.

I’d gleaned from other travellers that it was Don Elias himself who showed visitors around his plantation – but after ‘the Don’ had eventually arrived in a car, we simply shook the famous man’s hand and set off into the plantation with Carlos instead.

Clearly the Don had other important matters to attend to.

Touring the Don Elias coffee farm in Salento

Our Salento coffee tour around the plantation was brief; walking along narrow grassy pathways between the endless bushes. Carlos would pause at intervals to point out the coffee plants flowering; the two different strains of coffee, Arabica and Colombiana; the fact that, though they both produce the same flavour and intensity, their colour is different; and, moreover, that the Arabica plant itself is stronger, and supports the Colombiana’s growth.

He explained that the Elias family also cultivate a range of different fruits because they contribute to the overall welfare of the coffee plants; banana trees help shade the coffee, yuca helps the roots to grow, dropped avocados from the trees above help with composting the land, and the sweet smell of pineapple plants and orange trees attract the bugs away from the coffee bushes.

Inside Finca don Elias, Salento

Carlos led us through the rest of the very humble operation – to the shelling machine which all the beans are put through, falling straight into a tank where they ferment for no more than 24 hours.

Afterwards, they’re collected into piles and set out to dry – either on a roof in the sun, or under a tent of heavy duty plastic sheeting when the weather’s bad. It takes anywhere from a few days to a month for the drying process to be complete.

Carlos demonstrating the shelling machine

Next, the dried beans are roasted in a pan on the fire – “no agua, no aceite, nada,” the teen told us. And finally, after roasting without water or oil, they’re ground up through a machine which looked so fascinating that I immediately decided I wanted to own it.

The coffee bean process: from drying to roasting to grinding

Finally we were led to a small wooden table, back on the front porch, while Carlos prepared the grand finale; actually sampling the coffee. And luckily, when he returned, he’d brought the infamous Don Elias with him.

Don Elias and his clear passion for Colombian coffee

Don Elias has been running his coffee farm for twenty years, ever since he moved to Salento from Cali. Two family members plus six hired workers harvest the coffee beans twice a year, for three months each harvest.

The beans are all picked by hand and are 100% organic. The farm produces anywhere from 3 to 3,000 kilos of coffee each year, depending on the weather: not a huge amount, but enough to support the family.

Coffee chats at the Don Elias ‘coffee shop’…over some Salento coffee.

The Don is a perfect representation of Colombia’s coffee culture, dressing the part in an ironed shirt and white cowboy hat. His eyes were constantly crinkled as he spoke in soft Spanish, smiling at each of us in turn.

When we asked about the humble coffee bean’s very beginning, he hurried outside and reappeared holding a stalk: “the tree” in miniature, he said.

Don Elias and his Salento coffee beans

Of course, the Elias family also make a regular income from the  influx of foreign tourists eager to see the inner workings of a Colombian coffee farm. It’s a rapidly expanding business model, particularly in the coffee region, and the smaller and more ‘authentic’ a place seems, the more likely it is to receive a barrage of visiting backpackers.

Particularly when the coffee is fresh, organic and cheap, and the man in charge takes selfie photos on request.

Have you visited a coffee farm on your travels? Would you take the Don Elias coffee tour in Salento, Colombia?

A cheeky selfie with Don Elias

Do you want to read more about my Colombia adventures?  Head to my Colombia archives  or check out these articles:

A travel guide to backpacking colombia, playing with gunpowder – the colombian sport of tejo, is parque tayrona worth the price for paradise, celebrating easter in the mountains of jardin, the magical world of guatape, spanish classes in cartagena, sleeping in a giant hammock in minca, pin this article if you’ve enjoyed it.

Flora Baker is the founder and editor of Flora the Explorer, where she writes about her travels around the world, her volunteering exploits and her ongoing attempt to become fluent in Spanish by talking to anyone who'll listen. Follow her on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

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11 comments.

Your posts are making me excited to get to Colombia! I’ve heard great things about Salento.

Woo! I love it when people go to the same places I do 🙂 If you want any tips for Colombia let me know – I’m a tad obsessed with the country 🙂 And definitely stay at La Serrana in Salento, you’ll never want to leave (although book ahead as they get full quickly!)

Through Speak Espanol we invite to you have another experiencie in Caribbean side of Colombia South America. As colombians we are happy with your greate experiences in Colombian coffe areas. Wishing the best. Cucuman International

Muchas gracias amigos!

What a fantastic post!! I would love to visit more coffee regions – parts of the Philippines, Uganda, and Kenya have been my only experiences so far, and they’re perhaps not quite as well-known for coffee as Colombia. Thanks for sharing your gorgeous photos 🙂

Aha but they’re still some pretty epic places to learn about coffee!

Great post! I, like you, adore coffee. I’m trying not to drink it at the moment (which is a bit easier in London than Colombia, I’m guessing). I love the coffee farm, I wanted to visit one on my recent trip through Central America but I didn’t get the chance too.

Alas I’m equally worried about cutting down on coffee in London – it’s such a treat to get a cappuccino when I’m out! Although I have a feeling the shocking price differences are going to affect my buying abilities in good old London Town…

The Spanish Challenge: Walking the Camino with Spaniards

[…] my head was filled with burgeoning sentences that couldn’t quite get themselves going. A caffeine lover already, I began to associate the morning’s first coffee with renewing my Spanish […]

Our first time in Colombia – Backpacking with a fork

[…] PLACE TO GO: Finca Don Elias – Organic and traditional coffee […]

Our first time in Colombia – Backpacking with a fork

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Moscow Muled

Why do moscow mules come in copper mugs.

Oct 18, 2019

Have you ever wondered why the Moscow Mule cocktail is served in a copper mug? In this post, we answer that question in detail. As it turns out, the answer is partly based on historical events and partly based on the extra "kick" that copper brings to this classic cocktail. Let's dive in!

Introduction

A remarkable cocktail is something you notice from across the room, easily identified by the signature drinking vessel it's served in. Few are more distinct than the burnished copper mug of a Moscow Mule. 

Great cocktails aren't just alcohol and mixers––they should be something more, a full sensory experience from beginning to end. It starts as you observe the precise convergence of ingredients in a golden ratio that blossoms into flavors and aromas of citrus and spicy ginger. It is then delivered into an ice-filled copper mug and garnished with fresh mint and a slice of lime.  Finally, it is presented before you, shiny and cold, compelling you to taste.

The copper mule mug not only tells the story of the drink it contains, but also is essentially functional to the full experience. You might already know that the cone-shaped bowl of a long-stemmed Martini glass was designed so that olives would stand perfectly upright, and the elegantly curvaceous welled Margarita glass was designed to add ample salt, sugar and garnishes.

But why are Moscow Mules served in copper mugs?

Inquiring minds want to know, so this article will sum up the science and history of why traditional Moscow Mules come in copper mugs, and other legit benefits of serving cocktails in pure copper mugs. This includes:

A Brief History of the Moscow Mule

The science of using copper mugs.

• How Copper Mugs Amplify the Taste & Aroma of your Moscow Mule
• The Enhanced Experience of Drinking from a Pure Copper Mug

The origin of this timeless cocktail is the tale of the American Dream. One fateful day in 1941 , three struggling entrepreneurs had a serendipitous meeting at the Cock 'N Bull bar on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood: A bar owner passionate about his unpopular home-brewed ginger beer, a businessman who took a big chance and purchased Smirnoff vodka, and a Russian immigrant with a cache of copper mugs she couldn't seem to sell. That day, the unlikely trio wisely decided to join forces in a bold venture that would not only save their individual businesses, but also create an iconic American cocktail.

Essentially, the Moscow Mule is the most successful marketing campaign in cocktail history. At a time when most Americans had never even heard of vodka, this cocktail introduced them to the traditional Russian alcohol, and established Smirnoff as a necessity in both bars and homes alike.

Thanks to celebrity endorsement, the Moscow Mule soon took the Hollywood cocktail scene by storm, and quickly became the most beloved mixed drink of the 1950's.

It's popularity understandably waned during the Cold War, and it was briefly re-branded as the Smirnoff Mule to distance itself from communism. However, the recent cocktail renaissance of the 21st century has seen the Moscow Mule come kicking back, as evidenced by lists like Esquire's Top 10 Cocktails of 2019 , and Business Insider's 8th Best-selling Cocktail in the World, 2018 .

But the answer to why Moscow Mules are served in copper mugs goes much further than a conveniently clever alliance between co-founders desperate for a big break. The story of the Moscow Mule is both the struggle of the immigrant searching for success, and the flashy lifestyle of the rich and famous.

It boasts a simple recipe , yet a complex flavor profile, encapsulated in a shiny copper mug. And as delicious and refreshing as the Moscow Mule may be, it's the copper mug that makes the cocktail so extraordinary.  Like the drink itself, the pure copper mule mug is a balance of form and functionality.

The most scientific benefit of the copper mug is its ability to regulate temperature. When a drink is served in a copper mug, it gets cold fast––and stays that way.

Copper is a renowned thermal conductor that will keep your beverage frosty in any weather, and is one of the reasons the traditional Moscow Mule has become synonymous with summer. Add a little ice, and the copper chills drinks instantly, and sustains a refreshingly icy rim with every sip.

Because copper is such an excellent conductor, it can keep your cold beverages colder for longer. The downfall of many ill-fated cocktails on a hot summer day is melting ice. Copper mugs stay brisk, and don't disrupt the recipe's ratio, so the simple yet distinct flavors of the Moscow Mule remain strong till the last drop.

Another important feature of the solid copper Moscow Mule mug is the handle. Much like the stem of a wine glass, the copper mug handle keeps the nearly 100 degree body temperature of your hand from impacting the status of your deliciously frosty cocktail.

How Copper Mugs Amplify the Taste and Aroma of Your Moscow Mule

If you want to know what a Moscow Mule tastes like, purists would insist the only way to experience it is in a 100% copper mug. Aside from being a great American tradition, copper mugs offer some unique enhancements to both the flavor and aroma of the Moscow Mule (or almost any finely-crafted cocktail).

Although subjective, most discerning drinkers would agree that copper mugs imbue cocktails with a superior taste. Experts explain that the copper oxidizes the vodka upon contact, thus enhancing the flavor profile and potency of the aromatics.

The intense cold of the copper also creates more stability in the bubbles of the ginger beer carbonation, and balances the tangy citrus of the lime with the earthy spice of the ginger.

For the skeptics out there, the theory of superior taste is easily verifiable. Simply make or order two Moscow Mules––one served in a plastic cup, and one served in a copper mug. Take a moment to inhale deeply, enjoy a big sip, and let your senses be the judge.

The epiphany should take a matter of moments, and you soon realize why a Moscow Mule is best served in a copper mug, and why any other cup or glass is vastly inferior. The difference can be so vivid, you might even consider drinking all your favorite beverages from copper mugs, even hot tea and coffee!

The Enhanced Experience of Drinking From a Pure Copper Mug

Throwing back shots with reckless disregard is a great way to get hammered, but a terrible way to enjoy something delicious. People order cocktails for the full package––observing its creation, revelling in its presentation, and slowly savoring its captivating story and unique taste.

Not only is a cocktail a well-balanced combination of spirits and mixers, it's also about the aesthetic and function of the vessel it's served in. A cocktail should be an object of inspired beauty, presented thoughtfully in a suitable glass or mug and garnished appropriately. It should take time, because it's made by hand.

Although the copper mug has become the symbol of Moscow Mules, it can also pair exquisitely with many other cocktails. Many people seem drawn to the shine and nostalgia of the metal, and Mixologists seem impressed by the scientific properties of the copper mug. Other drinks prominently featured in copper mugs include Dark 'n Stormy, Mescal, Gin & Tonic, and Cuba Libre.

No matter how frosted a beer glass gets, nothing can keep a mixed drink colder than a copper mug. The sensation when one's lips touch the ice-cold rim with every sip is part of the unique experience.

The flavors are heightened, the aromas amplified, and the balance of vodka, lime juice and ginger beer is never watered-down by melting ice. Provided your Moscow Mule is served in a pure copper mug, the last sip should be just as robust and enjoyable as the first.

The benefits of drinking from copper mugs aren't a newfound discovery. In fact, copper has been the preferred metal for drinking vessels for thousands of years.

Gurus in India have been using copper mugs for hundreds of years, and copper goblets called Escra have been found in ancient Irish ruins. Even American settles in 1645 drank exclusively from a massive tankard made of pure copper, known today as the Virginia Tankard .

The Moscow Mule is a classic drink served in a magnificent copper mug because it tells a compelling story, and enhances your consumption experience. It is an unforgettable drink because it's served in a mug that is both more beautiful than and functionally superior to glass.

Three Reasons Moscow Mules Come in Copper Mugs

The reason your Moscow Mule is served in a copper mug is not a fluke. It is not because it's the latest trendy hipster craze. It's not just a marketing ploy (although it definitely started out as one), nor is it a conspiracy by the lobbyists for Big Copper.

Moscow Mules come in copper mugs for three reasons: taste, temperature, and presentation.

The unique experience of drinking a Moscow Mule is a balanced combination of these three elements. It's also the reason this drink is not only the most recognizable, but also consistently one of the most popular drinks in global cocktail culture history.

Taste: The natural properties of the copper oxidize the alcohol, resulting in powerful aromatics and superior flavors. The bubbles of the ginger beer stay fizzy, and perfectly counter the acidity of the fresh lime juice. It's spicy yet refreshing. Simply put, it's delicious!

Temperature: Copper is an ideal thermal conductor, instantly chilling your beverage upon creation, and maintaining a consistently arctic temperature. This prevents the ice from quickly melting and dulling the cocktail ratio, while keeping the rim refreshingly frosty with every sip. The handle also keeps your hot little fingers from fluctuating the temperature with every touch.

Presentation: A glinting copper mug looks authentic and catches the eye. It is vintage, yet modern, and tells a story of creativity, charm and resilience. It is instantly recognizable, and makes for a fine looking beverage. Yes please!

The Bottom Line

The copper mug is iconic, a great American tradition of nearly 80 years, and is the only proper way to drink a Moscow Mule. Cheers!

Did You Enjoy This Article?

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this article, you might also like the following articles:  How to Clean and Care for Copper Mugs: The Definitive Guide and  Why You Should Only Use Moscow Mule Copper Mugs With Stainless Steel Lining

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Moscow Mule Copper Mug

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