This post is my second post inspired by a coffee following the older one titled “Sicily – Inspired by a Marvelous Coffee” (click for the link).

A few months ago, someone from work brought my spouse a pack of Colombian coffee as a gift. As soon as I tried it having brewed in my filter coffee machine, I realized that I tasted a special coffee – strong enough to bring you to your senses, but not as strong as to bother you with a bitter taste, rather elevating you up with its rich notes and flavors minding you that it’s coming from a reputable coffee region – Colombia… (Header photo above: Locals chat outside a bar on Calle de las Carretas in Cartagena, Colombia (nationalgeographic.com))

Place of Colombia in America / Colombia map with its cities (Maps: solar.physics.montana.edu / infoplease.com)
(Once part of the Spanish empire and Gran Colombia (a federation created by Simón Bolívar that included Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama), Colombia became a republic in 1831.)

Colombia, known for its coffee globally, is nicknamed ‘gateway to South America‘ as it is located where South America connects with Central and North America. The country has coasts on both the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans as well as the Caribbean Sea, a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, and has diverse landscapes from the Amazon rainforest, to the Andes Mountains – a very long mountain range running along South America’s western side. As a country that lies on the equator, Colombia is known as the second most biodiverse country in the world. Its location and tropical weather allow it to grow high quality Arabica Colombian coffee – one of the best in the world. (theguardian.com, colombia.co, colombia.travel).

An image from Colombia (Photo: Getty Images via cntraveler.com)

On the package of the Colombian Coffee I mentioned above, it said ‘Salento‘. When I checked it out, I found out that Salento is the oldest town of “Coffee Cultural Landscape” – an UNESCO World Heritage Site within the coffee region of Colombia (‘Zona Cafetera‘).

The Colombian coffee I mentioned above / Cocora Valley, nearby the town of Salento, famous for the beauty of its landscape and its wax palms (the world’s tallest palm tree), is said to be perfect for camping, fishing, trekking and horse riding. (Photos: colombiancoffee.us / Pinterest)
(Wax palm is the national tree of Colombia. Wax palms can exceed 60 meters, and are sought by the yellow-eared parrots (seen on the coffee package above and thought to extinct until rediscovered in the Colombian Andes) for food and nesting.)

The coffee fields of Colombia’s Zona Cafetera (coffee zone) where some of the world’s finest Arabica beans grow.(Photo: kimkim.com)

“Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia”, an UNESCO World Heritage site for being an exceptional example of a “sustainable and productive cultural landscape” and a “symbol for coffee growing areas worldwide“, is made up of six farming landscapes of the departments of Caldas, Risaralda, and Quindío (respectively represented by the capital cities of Manizales, Pereira, and Armenia), and Valle del Cauca (Cauca Valley), and 18 urban centers located on the foothills of the Andes Mountains in the west of the country – urban areas mainly being situated on the relatively flat tops of hills above the coffee fields. (unesco.org).
The area comprises 6 regions with a total of 18 villages and 24,000 small coffee farms. (worldheritagesite.org)

Map of Colombia with its cities and the coffee zone along the Andes Mountains (worldatlas.com) / The Colombian coffee route or the coffee zone (‘Zona Cafetera‘) – referred as the ‘coffee triangle‘ which
includes the ‘Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia‘ ) – (Map: indietraveller.co)
(The departments of Antioquia in the north, near the city of Medellin, Santander in the east, and Valle del Cauca in the south, and all regions in between (including the departments of Caldas, Quindio, Risaralda) make up the central Colombian coffee region (the central region of the Colombian coffee belt (the Coffee Axis) located in the Andean Mountains of Colombia) – known as the “coffee triangle“.) (finalgrind.com)

The small coffee town of Salamina in Colombia’s Caldas department – in the ‘Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia’

The colorful town of Jericó in Antioquia department of Colombia, in the north of the coffee triangle – at about a 2 hours driving distance to the city of Medellín. (Getty Images via thetimes.com)

A coffee picker handpicking the coffee beans (Handpicking is said to be the only way to avoid unripe coffee which produces a bitter taste) / Branches with bright red coffee berries (Photos: exeterlatinamerica.com/ lonelyplanet.com)

Running along the Andes Mountains, the Colombia coffee route is lush green with many valleys and coffee plantations, and is known for its stunning landscapes including the snow-capped peaks of the Los Nevados National Natural Park, which the Cocora Valley, with breathtaking views and the world’s tallest palm trees, is a part of.

In the Andes Mountains near the village of Jardín , Colombia, 2017 – the hillsides full of coffee bushes (nytimes.com – Photo: Federico Rios Escobar for The New York Times)

In the Colombian coffee zone (Photos: colombia.travel)
(First imported from US for military purposes in 1940s, willy jeep or ‘yipao‘, is a traditional vehicle in the Coffee Cultural Landscape where you would spot everywhere – used to transport coffee and other products. Once a year, almost every small town in the region organizes a yipao festival or parade in which jeeps loaded with everything take part in.) (colombia.travel, bnbcolombia.com)

Traveling through the coffee route, you can observe willy jeeps full of sacks of arabica coffee, fruit stands, viewpoints of coffee, pineapple and banana plantations, coffee and cacao farms, coffee farmers wearing white cowboy hats, coffee pickers looking for work and playing dominoes to pass the time, poncho-wearing senior citizens gossiping in cafes, and people sipping coffee in town squares… (lonelyplanet.com, kimkim.com, uncovercolombia.com)

 Photo: Colombian men in white cowboy hats (Photo: indietraveller.co)

Plaza de Bolivar in Filandia – an authentic coffee town / Colorful houses in Salento – a pretty colonial town nearby the famous Cocora Valley – both towns in Colombia’s Quindio department in the ‘Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia‘ – declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2011. (Photos: (By Erik Magnus via colombiaplease.com (left) / kimkim.com (right))

Traveling along the coffee route, you can either visit the picturesque towns like Salento or Filandia with colorful wooden houses and flowered balconies, or the coffee farms to meet the coffee producers, and taste the region’s delicious coffee. You can attend coffee plantation tours led by the families tending the land. Many plantations welcome visitors to their farmhouses (coffee farms or ‘fincas‘) for lunch offering “bandeja paisa” (a traditional Colombian dish including rice, meat, beans or eggs) and coffee. The location of fincas within the countryside allow the outdoor activities like hiking, paragliding or visiting the hot springs like Santa Rosa in Risaralda. (bbc.com)

Santa Rosa de Cabal hot springs in Risaralda department (You can get to hot springs of Santa Rosa from the towns Pereira, Armenia or Salento) (tripadvisor.com)

Ripe coffee beans from the plantations in Colombia’s Coffee Triangle (thetimes.com) / Tasting Colombian arabica coffee in a coffee farm or finca (colombia.travel)

“Casa Rivera del Cacao“, a cacao farm in Córdoba, Quindío – a part of the Coffee Cultural Landscape. (Colombia also produces a lot chocolate.) (Photos: casariveradelcacao.com)
(The farm, a French-Colombian entrepreneurship, offers a cocoa experience from the tree to the chocolate bar promoted by French pastry chef Thierry Mulhaupt. The suggested farm also offers coffee and tea tours. Visitors can enjoy cocoa therapies and tastings, go horseback riding, bird watching or attend traditional Willys Jeep tours. (colombia.travel))

“Finca del Café“, Santa Rosa de Cabal, Risaralda – a suggested coffee farm and hotel with a three-story viewpoint set in the Coffee Cultural Landscape (left) / “Finca Buenos Aires“, Villanueva – Barichara (Santander) – an ecological hotel and coffee farm located an hour away from “Chimomocha National Park”. The hotel offers cycling activities and glampings. (right) (Santander region in the northeastern part of Colombia in the Eastern Andes is renowned for producing the country’s finest coffees. Barichara is one of Colombia’s most beautiful heritage towns.) (Photos and info: colombia.travel)

The main house at “Hacienda Venecia“, surrounded by coffee plantations – a suggested hotel and coffee farm at a 30-minute drive from Manizales, one of the three main cities in Colombia’s coffee triangle. (haciendavenecia.com)

Coffee tours run by Hacienda Venezia, where you can learn everything about coffee production from seed to cup (haciendavenecia.com)

In the Colombian Coffee region, you can either stay in boutique hotels in the big cities (Manizales, Pereira, and Armenia) or in farmhouses in the smaller towns. Many coffee plantations offer accommodation in traditional haciendas or coffee farms where you can learn everything about coffee-growing process, pick your own cherries and attend a coffee cupping (coffee tasting session). Besides accommodation, they offer activities like horseback riding and jeep tours.

(Sipping coffee in the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia (CCLC) – a UNESCO World Heritage Site
(Photo: wherenext.com)

El Silo – a suggested restaurant to visit while in Quindío in the coffee region. Its chef and owner Julián Hoyos Vallejo had been nominated as “best chef” in the Coffee Region in 2017 (larepublica.co)
Photos: tripadvisor.com / armenia.gov.co

Parque del Café – a coffee-themed amusement park in the department of Quindío, part of the Colombia’s Coffee Triangle – suggested for its adventure attractions, offering tours of the coffee farm and with a museum about coffee (Photos: business insider.com / parquedelcafe.co)

Colombia’s central coffee region (coffee triangle), home to Coffee Cultural Landscape, is found roughly within a triangle between the cities of Medellín, Bogota, and Cali in the country’s western region.

Maps: (britannica.com / Pinterest)

Bogotá

Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, is located high in the Andes. “La Candelaria“, Bogotá’s oldest district is noteworthy with colonial-era landmarks like “Teatro Colón (the National Theatre)” and the impressive 17th century “Church of San Francisco“. The district is also home to Gold Museum and Botero Museum – not to be missed.

Bolivar Square (Plaza de Bolívar) and the main Cathedral (Cathedral Primada de Bogota) with a beautiful neoclassical architecture (Photo by: Starcevic, Getty Images) (Plaza de Bolívar is a popular square of Bogotá in the historic center (nearby La Candelaria) with a statue of Simón Bolívar (liberator of South America) in the middle, bordered by buildings like Palace of Justice and the Mayor’s Office.)

Gold Museum houses a rich collection of pre-Colombian gold works. (Photo: colombia.travel) (The original pre-Colombian inhabitants of Bogota had been master goldsmiths, whose works are displayed at the museum (thetimes.com)) / Botero Museum, located in a colonial mansion, features the works of the Colombian artist Fernando Botero, whom I like for his jolly plump figures… (Photo: Tripadvisor)

La Candelaria, Bogotá’s colonial old town – with colonial homes, hostels, coffee and artisan shops, libraries and museums – located a few minutes walk from Bolivar Square. (Photo: thetimes.com)

A mural in Bogotá honouring Jaime Garzón, a beloved Colombian journalist and satiritst. (uncovercolombia.com) (Since Bogotá decriminalized graffiti in 2011, the street art had exploded in the city with murals, especially in neighborhoods like La Candelaria, turning it into an open-air art gallery (theguardian.com).)

Monserrate Hill, Bogotá – offering panoramic views of the city (Photo by a friend who visited Bogotá a couple of years ago) (It is said that no visit to Bogotá is complete without a trip to Monserrate offering panoramic views of the city. You can take the cable car or funicular or walk to the summit where there are artisan shops, restaurants and a sanctuary. (uncovercolombia.com))

Colors from Bogotá Botanical Garden (Photos by my friend mentioned above) (Botanical gardens are said to be an excellent way to explore the rich diversity of Colombia, home to tens of thousands of plants and flowers. (colombia.travel))

Bogotá must also be noted for its high quality-restaurants and nightlife. The small bohemian district of Chapinero Alto is a gastronomic center with artisan bakeries, casual bistros with organic food, brewpubs and empanada stands.

The broad avenues of Chapinero Alto district are lined with mid-20th-century red-brick mansions designed by French Colombian architect Rogelio Salmona / Mini-Mal restaurant and team in Chapinero Alto run by Eduardo Martínez – one of the pioneers of the Colombian food movement that rivals Peru in the 50 Best lists of restaurants and bars (cntravellerme.com) (Photos: visitbogota.co)

A dish in Mini-Mal (visitbogota.co) / A dish in Salvo Patria restaurant – at a mansion nearby Mini-Mal (theworlds50best.com)

Salvo Patria – the seasonal restaurant founded by Juan Manuel Ortiz, who had previously worked in Melbourne as a barista (cntravellerme.com)(Photo: larepublica.co) / Papas chorreadas and arroz con camarones (potatoes with sauce and rice with shrimp) at ‘Casa Mamá Luz‘ in La Candelaria, run by Luz Dary Cogollo (known as Mamá Luz), a star of Netflix’s Street Food Series – winner of awards for her ajiaco (chicken and potato soup) – an iconic dish in Bogota. (cntravellerme.com)

Leo restaurant (photo left) in Bogotá’s upscale Chapinero district, on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list, reopened in 2021 with a new bar ‘La Sala de Laura‘ above (photo right) designed and managed by Laura Hernández Espinosa, daughter of Leonor Espinosa – chef and owner of Leo, named the world’s best chef in 2022 (theworlds50best.com, cntravellerme.com)

Laura Hernández Espinosa with her mother and owner/chef of Leo, Leonor Espinosa / Coctails with Colombian distillates at La Sala de Laura (Four photos above: theworlds50best.com)

Paloquemao market in Bogota (Getty Images via thetimes.com) (I’ve read that more than one thousand varieties of fruit grow across Colombia.)

I also want to mention the “Sunday ciclovia” (‘cycle path’ in Spanish) about Bogotá. From 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday, the Colombian capital of Bogotá shuts down a main artery of streets and highways leaving them to cyclists, runners and walkers – an initiative which had inspired similar events across the world. (exeterlatinamerica.com)

The Sunday ciclovia – gives you the chance to explore the city with thousands of locals for a leisurely ride. (exeterlatinamerica.com)

Cali (Santiago de Cali)

Cali is Colombia’s third-largest city after Bogotá and Medellín, is in the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia – about a 3-hour drive from Armenia, a capital city in the Coffee Triangle.

The hill of ‘Parque San Antonio‘ in Cali’s oldest neighborhood provides a panoramic view of the city. (The hill of Parque San Antonio, where there is an 18th-century chapel is suggested to watch the sunset and listen to the salsa melodies rising from the city of Cali.) (Photo: By Kyle Price, Alamy for nationalgeographic.com via yahoo.com)

Cali is known as the world capital of Salsa, drawing dance-lovers since Puerto Rican and Cuban musicians arrived via New York in 1970s (nationalgeographic.com). In an article I’ve read, it says:
“Salsa is woven into the fabric of Santiago de Cali–or simply Cali, as it is popularly known; every restaurant, shop, and cab is set to an Afro-Caribbean beat.“(nationalgeographic.com)

Cali salsa – recognized by Colombia’s Ministry of Culture as Intangible Cultural Patrimony of the Nation (thecitypaperbogota.com) / Colombian salsa dancer Angie Osorio performing during the ‘15th World Salsa Festival’ in Cali, Colombia, October 2020. (Getty Images)

Zaperoco salsa bar in Cali (Photo: samiraholma.com

You can take salsa classes in SalsaPura, a well-known dance school in San Antonio – Cali’s oldest neighborhood. The Centro district is home to salsa bars and stirring clubs such as ‘La Pérgola Clandestina‘ – a nightclub ranking among the best in the world. There are also salsa clubs to explore in Barrio Obrero, where there is a salsa museum (Museo de la Salsa). (National Geographic Traveller, Jul/Aug 2024)

Cali Fair 2022 (colombia.travel) / La Pérgola Clandestina – a three-story nightclub (with a roof terrace) in Cali, among the best in the world, displaying a mix of reggaeton, salsa, house and R&B. (pergola.co)

A salsa lesson in Cali (calisalsaexperience.com) / El Mulato Cabaret – a cabaret in Cali offering shows with drinks and a local dinner menu (elmulatocabaret.com)

Among the suggested restaurants in Cali are “Domingo“, “Vice Positivo” run by the Afro-Colombian singer Nidia Góngora, and “Restaurante Ringlete” run by award-winning chef Martha Jaramillo.

Restaurante Ringlete in Cali offers traditional and typical dishes from Valle de Cauca department – mentioned as one of the best restaurants in the region. (Photos: regeneracionenaccion.org / matrimonio.com)

Two traditional dishes of Valle de Cauca region in Restaurante Ringlete (Right is encocado -a coconut seafood stew) (Photos: degusta.com.co)

‘Café Macondo‘ (named after the imaginary town of Macondo from Gabriel García Marquéz’s book “100 years of solitude“) is a suggested place for coffee (also dessert and salads) with a cinema showing different movies everyday. ‘La Colina‘ is mentioned as Cali’s oldest bar – open since 1942 with ancient decor, rustic furniture, great artisanal beers and salsa music.

Café Macondo (left) – / Cali’s oldest bar ‘La Colina‘ – both located in San Antonio, Cali’s oldest neighborhood. (Photos: eltiempo.com / thenonmad.com)

You may consider Cali river banks to spend the day leisurely in Cali, and pick up a lulada (a local drink made from ice, sour lulo fruit and sugar) from one of the vendors along Boulevard del Río. Nearby is Granada neighborhood with artisan cafes and boutiques selling Colombian made clothes and jewellery. Café Gardenia is suggested for its delicious banana bread. (nationalgeographic.com)

Boulevard del Río (The boulevard near Cali river) (Photo: travel.valledelcauca.gov.co)

Note that nearby the city of Cali are “Jardín Botánico de Cali”(Cali Botanical Garden) and “Los Farallones de Cali National Park” where iguanas roam.

Medellín

Medellín was once known for its drug cartels. Pablo Escobar and his Medellín cartel has been the subject of numerous films and series.

More than fifty years of political and drug-related violence in Colombia had officially ended in 2016 with a peace agreement between Farc guerrillas and the Colombian government under the former president Juan Manuel Santos, for which he won a Nobel prize. (theguardian.com)

“Narcos,” the popular 2015-2017 Netflix series about Pablo Escobar and Colombian drug cartels drew a great number of tourists to Medellín – hometown of Escobar / Wagner Moura as Pablo Escobar in Narcos series. (Photos: gcmag.com.au (left) / Daniel Daza/Netflix via nytimes.com (right)) (You may also have heard Cali cartel, whose founders had broken up from Escobar’s Medellín cartel.)

Children play in front of a mural of Pablo Escobar in the Barrio Pablo Escobar in Medellín / A man sells fruit in Barrio Pablo Escobar. In the background is a mural for Escobar whom residents view as a kind of hero saying he purchased hundreds of homes for them. (latimes.com) (Photos: Liliana Nieto del Río / For The Times via latimes.com)

Today, Medellín is known for its chic El Poblado neighborhood with its cafes, boutiques, high-end restaurants and vibrant nightlife, the cool Laureles district, and Communa 13 neighborhood where people eat in food joints among street murals sponsored by Amazon. (Condé Nast Traveler, Nov. 2024)

Artists’ graffiti murals in Communa 13 neighborhood, Medellín where once guerrilla bands fought with soldiers and police (Photos: uncovercolombia.com)

Berracas de la 13, a suggested restaurant in Communal 13 neighborhood – a women initiative / Seafood rice on banana leaves at Barracas de la 13 (Photos: TripAdvisor)

Miller Prada, Colombian executive chef of ‘Humo‘, a Michelin star wood-fired dining in Mayfair, London mentions about Medellín as the “city of eternal spring” as so called for it’s mild weather. He tells that while it used to be a dangerous city where you’d never go because of the guerrillas, now Medellin is totally different with some of the best places to go. He suggests “The Click Clack Hotel, Medellín” as a great stay and location and Sambombi bistro in the Provenza neighborhood for its tasty great food. (Food and Travel, October 2024 issue)

The Click Clack Hotel, Medellín (Photo: clicclackhotel.com)

Sambombi Bistro, Medellín (Photo: sambombi.com) / Mamba Negra, a nice rooftop bar and restaurant in El Poblado district, Medellín known for its cocktails
(Photo: theworlds50best.com)

Bogotá-born Miller Prada names the Caribbean Coast and the Coffee Triangle as his favorite areas in Colombia. He says the coffee triangle is very different where ‘the kindest, nicest, happiest people in the world are from‘, and an amazing place with insane palm trees and the old colorful architecture.

Prada mentions the Caribbean coast with the city of Santa Marta as a jumping-off point to the tropical forest through farmlands, rivers, vines, and stunning waterfalls. He also mentions the Lost City (Ciudad Perdida), perched high in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains dating back 1200 years, as ‘Colombia’s Machu Picchu‘. (Food and Travel, Oct. 2024)

Santa Marta, located on the Caribbean coast, is the first Spanish settlement and the oldest city in Colombia known for its great beaches and outdoor activities. (Photo: kayak.com)
Santa Marta offers access to the famous Lost City, and Tayrona National Natural Park known for its coastal lagoons, rainforest, beautiful beaches and rich biodiversity. (colombia.co)
(Note that the Caribbean is also the land of Nobel laureate Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez, born in Aracataca – less than an hour and a half from the city of Santa Marta.(colombia.travel))

The Lost City (La Ciudad Perdida) in Colombia – a historic indigenous settlement (Tairona site) built around 800 AD (colombia.travel) in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains / A stunning beach in Tayrona National Natural Park – at the foothills of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Photos: kimkim.com)
(Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is also an important coffee-growing region of Colombia.)

Colombian chef Miller Prada, owner and executive chef of Humo in London’s Mayfair, also mentions Cartagena, another port city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, and Rosario, an archipelago of small islands where you can relax in the Caribbean. He suggests Carolina Island as the best place to stay in the Islas del Rosario, in the heart of a national park.

The Rosario Islands, Colombia – around 45 minutes by boat from the port of Cartagena. (Photo: aquaexperiences.com). Isla (island) San Martin de Pajares and Isla Grande are said to be great for snorkeling, with crystal-clear waters. (nationalgeographic.com)
(Note also San Andrés Island and Providencia Island, the Colombian Caribbean islands near Nicaragua – mentioned as paradise islands with wonderful sandy beaches and spots for scuba diving)

San Andrés (Photo: tomplanmytrip.com) / Providencia (Photo: thetimes.com)

In an article I’ve read about Colombia’s Rosario Islands, it says:
“… Dozens of shiny speedboats are moored up around us, fitted with 10 times more speakers than they really need…..They all blast out reggaeton music … Beneath a bright-blue sky, hundreds of day-trippers from Cartagena in tiny bikinis sip icy limonadas — a thick rum, coconut and lemon cocktail…” (nationalgeographic.com, Nov. 28, 2022)

Cartagena’s historic city centre, with the modern Bocagrande district in the distance.(thetimes.com)
(Cartagena was the first Colombian city to declare independence from Spain in November 1811.)

Cartagena (Cartagena de Indias)

Cartagena is known for its Caribbean beaches, colonial architecture, colorful buildings and cobblestone streets. The Caribbean islands of ‘Isla de Baru‘ and ‘Islas del Rosario‘ can be reached by boat trips from Cartagena. Its historic center, Colombia’s best preserved colonial city founded in 1533 by a Spanish commander and surrounded by defensive walls (The Historic Walled City of Cartagena), is a UNESCO World Heritage site. (thetimes.com)

Historic City Centre of Cartagena (Centro Histórico) with colorful colonial buildings (Photo by a friend who has been to Colombia a couple of years ago)
(The head image of this post had been taken in the historical center of Cartagena.)

The bell tower of canary-yellow Cartagena Cathedral, finished in 1612 / A couple poses in front of Alquímico cocktail bar, which Colombian chef Prada mentions as the best bar in Colombia with an amazing rooftop – located in Cartagena’s historic center. (Photos: nationalgeographic.com)
(An article I’ve read says by midnight, all of Alquímico’s customers dance to DJ-spun salsa and reggaeton joined by bar staff and their coctail shakers… The bar had appeared on the World’s 50 best bars rankings several times first in 2020 (National Geographic Traveller, June 2025))

Bocagrande, Cartagena (Photo by my friend mentioned above)
(The Miami-like Bocagrande district of white skyscrapers, and a huge beach is a relatively wealthy neighborhood, home to ‘beach-facing luxury hotels’ and ‘highbrow restaurants’. Bocagrande is next to the bohemian Getsemani neighborhood. (thetimes.com, nationalgeographic.com ).)

The waterfront between Centro Histórico and the Getsamani district (nationalgeographic.com) / Street dancers in Getsamani, part of a local wedding celebration (passportnomads.com)

The cool and hip Getsemani is a working-class district of Cartagena with restaurants, bistros, bars, low-budget and luxury hotels – famous for nightlife and street food (Note ‘patacones‘ (fried plantain – a popular dish in Latin America made with green plantains) and ‘arepas de huevos‘ (fried flatbreads filled with egg – a traditional Colombian dish from the Caribbean region).

Colombian chef and owner of London, Mayfair’s Humo says the food on the Caribbean coast is the best in Colombia, super tasty and strong in flavor with a lot of African influence.

Mama Africa cocktail (with gin, coconut and Liquor) at “Celele“, an upscale restaurant in the Getsemani neighborhood with murals depicting the people and wildlife of Colombia inside – featured in the Latin American 50 Best Restaurants list, offering modern Caribbean food / Local pale ale and ceviche at “La Laguna Azul“restaurant and liquor shop in Getsemani, that has mostly Colombian clients, and offers live music at its courtyard. (nationalgeographic.com)

Street vendors selling fruit at Cartagena’s Centro Histórico – an image like a vivid pastoral painting in striking sunset tones… (Photo: nytimes.com)

Época – an all-day artisanal cafe in Centro Histórico, which is suggested to start the day in Cartagena with specialty coffee at a seat by the window… (National Geographic Traveller, June 2025 issue)
(Photo: cartagenaconnections.com)

Carajillo coffee (made with coffee and either brandy, rum or liqueur) and breakfast at Época (Photos: cartagenaconnections.com)

Cartagena is a colorful city which is said to have inspired Nobel prize winner Gabriel García Márquez for his novel ‘Love in the Time of Cholera‘ (Photo: istockphoto.com)

Barranquilla

Nearby Cartagena is the city of Barranquilla – another colorful Colombian city in the Caribbean located on the banks of the Magdalena River – the main longest river of Colombia.

Barranquilla is famous with its UNESCO-listed carnival, which is the second largest in the world after Rio de Janeiro. Carnival of Barranquilla is celebrated in February each year with colorful parades, traditional music, dance and costumes.

Barranquilla Carnival – carnival floats adorned with giant masks and coloful flowers (Photo: Getty / Luis Acosta via popsugar.com)

It says in an article I’ve read: ‘carnival is a state of mind in the city – where beats of cumbia, a musical genre originated on the Caribbean coast, rattle from radios‘… Shakira, the city native, had timed the Barranquilla leg of her world tour to coincide with this year’s carnival. (National Geographic Traveller, September 2025 issue).

The giant bronze statue of Colombian pop singer Shakira in her native city of Barranquilla standing at the Gran Malecón, a tree-lined promenade along the Magdalena River – a meeting point of locals and tourists with its riverside cafes, restaurants and bars suggested to try traditional Colombian dishes and enjoy live music performances. (Photo: Getty Images) (Near the Gran Malecón (in Riomar neighborhood) is El Prado – the chic neighborhood of Barranquilla.)

The article in National Geographic Traveller says “Baranquila’s food is as diverse as its people – a blend of Indigenous, Caribbean, Spanish, African and Arabic influences.”. Chef Manuel Mendoza’s Manuel restaurant is suggested with its menu of flavors of the region.

Manuel restaurant in Barranquilla – currently number 42 on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list (National Geographic Traveller, Sept. 2025 issue) (Photo: revistaaxxis.com.co)

Chef Manuel Mendoza – owner of Mauel restaurant / A dish of corn, milet and banana at Manuel restaurant (Photos: elestimulo.com)

I’ve read that Gabriel García Márquez, Colombia’s world famous Nobel prize winner author, lived in both Barranquilla, and the nearby city of Cartagena and both cities were crucial in his life and work.

The home of Gabriel García Márquez in the small mountain town of Aracataca – his childhood hometown – at about three hours driving distance from Barranquilla. (The home where Márquez was born is now a museum.) (Photo: nytimes.com)

Finally

Well, it all started with a cup of Colombian coffee , a coffee from the pretty town of Salento in Colombia’s Coffee Triangle – inspiring this post…

Colombia Coffee Map (linkedin.com (Henry Wilson) (Salento is in Colombia’s Quindio department within the ‘Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia’) / Illustrated coffee map of Colombia (Getty Images)

I have read in an article that Colombians start their morning with a ‘tinto‘ – a small cup of coffee, black, and sweetened with sugar or panela (raw sugar common in Latin America) and often drink café (coffee with milk) later in the morning and with their afternoon snack. They also drink tinto throughout the day and at night.

As coffee is an export crop for Colombians, people within the country are said to drink a cheaper lower quality mostly imported coffee. However, due to their brewing method where the grinds to the bottom, Colombians make the coffee taste good. (Article by Karen Attman, Colombian Coffee Expert, flavorsofbogota.com)

Tinto, a sweetened Colombian espresso, is said to be popular in cafes in city centers. / Colombian way of coffee brewing (Photos: notesonslowtravel.com / exeterlatinamerica.com)
(In people’s homes, coffee is often made with a colador – a cloth filter. Alternatively, an olleta is used – a pot to pour out coffee slowly when the grinds sink to the bottom. (flavorsofbogota.com))

Juan Valdez, a premium Colombian coffee / Serving tinto in Colombia (Photos: cafecolombianroast.com / purotintocoffee.com)

You probably know Juan Valdez coffeehouse chain – with more than 300 stores in Colombia and more than 600 worldwide, first store opened in 2002 in Bogota to support Colombian coffee growers and promoting premium Colombian coffee. (juanvaldez.com)

A Juan Valdez coffee shop in Colombia (Photo: Victor Cohen / Colombia One via colombiaone.com)

It was interesting for me to read the story of Juan Valdez, the Colombian farmer – a fictional character created by a marketing agency in New York City at the end of the 1950s, after being commissioned by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia (FNC or Fedecafé). Juan Valdez and his mule appeared on bags of coffee and in various advertising campaigns as the symbol of Colombian coffee and Colombian coffee growers. ‘Juan Valdez’ marketing campaign, undertaken by FNC (created in 1927 to protect and promote the coffee industry in Colombia) was a great success. (cafecolombianroast.com, flavorsofbogota.com, the book ‘The World Atlas of Coffee’ by James Hoffmann)

Colombian actor Carlos Sánchez as the most widely recognized Juan Valdez, and his mule
(Photo: cafecolombianroast.com) (Juan Valdez was portrayed by three different actors over years.)

There is a lot to discover in Colombia, a large country with many diverse regions spanning the Pacific, Caribbean and the Amazon…

View from Monserrate, Bogotá / Color’s of Cartagena (Note the long distances in Colombia – Cartagena is about 17-hour drive from Bogotá, the capital.) (Photos: cntravellerme.com / istockphoto.com)

Main square of San Vicente in North Santander – a jolly square with an avocado monument (Photo: colombiatravelreporter.com) / Jolly figures of Botero in Botero Museum, Bogotá (Photo: nytimes.com)
(I also discovered the beauty of an arabica body lotion while writing this post, made from arabica coffee, that was given to me as a gift.)

You may discover the Amazon rainforest, the Caribbean islands, or lush green coffee fields and coffee farms, or enjoy the country’s rich food heritage, the Caribbean music and the carnavals, and other jolly things in Colombia – with a cup of rich Colombian coffee…