Life on a Colombian Coffee Farm

After a long wait for a flight this morning, and another wait for a ride, we made it to Colombia’s famous Zona Cafeteria! We will be enjoying delicious fresh coffee for the next few days from our base on a coffee farm (finca) outside of Manizales. The finca is called Hacienda Venecia and it is proving to be a lovely place to relax after the hectic pace of our city stays the past week. We are experiencing life on a Colombian coffee farm.

Coffee Farm Location

The finca is outside of the city of Manizales. We flew from Bogota this morning and took a very winding cab ride through the mountains to get here. I should have taken a pill before the drive because it was worse than a roller coaster, but we arrived safe and not sick.

About The Coffee Farm

This is a working coffee farm, with a hostel and two guest houses. They offer tours every day to the public, and three meals a day. There are birds and wildlife, green trees everywhere, an orchid house, hammocks for resting, trails for hiking and pools for swimming. We will be here for 2 nights and plan to experience as much as is on offer, which includes the coffee tour, 7:30am yoga and free coffee all day long! (I’ve already had an espresso and it is delicious!)

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A Long Hike Up a High Hill in Bogotá: Quebrada la Vieja or Chapinero Mountain

A Guided Hike in Bogotá

We knew we needed the exercise, and our host Robin was willing to take us up the nearby mountain for some outdoor entertainment and views of Bogotá. We got up early this morning and started at 6:30am for a long hike up a high hill in Bogotá.

Like hiking? Read my post about hikes in Curaçao

Chapinero Mountain

We left so early because the hike is on privately owned land and is only open to the public until 10am. It’s a beautiful spot along a river with eucalyptus and pine trees so it also smelled great too!

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A Bogotá Experience at Andrés DC

Don’t trust everything you read. About a half hour north of Bogota is a very famous restaurant called Andrés Carne de Res, considered one of the many recommended things to do in Bogota. Yet, because of its distance from the city, we determined was too far for us to go. We resigned ourselves to missing this one. Well, last night we were having a beer at a local brewery in a Bogotá barrio called Zona Rosa and noticed that Andrés DC, an outpost of this famous restaurant, was right around the corner from us. Lonely Planet said it wasn’t worth it if you couldn’t go to the original. We threw aside our fears and ignored Lonely Planet. Good choice. We had a great time and a true Bogotá experience at Andrés DC!

Exterior of Andres DC in Bogota
Exterior of Andres DC
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