All about Pijao-What to do and tips
About Pijao
Pijao is an authentic coffee village in the Colombian coffee region, an hour’s drive from Armenia in the district of QuindÃo. The colorful village was founded in 1902 and is home to over 7,000 people, some 4,000 of whom live in the countryside. Pijao is at an altitude of 2,600 meters and the air is pure and fresh.
Pijao is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has another special title in addition to this status. The village has been recognized by the ” Cittaslow” organization namely designated a “slow village.” In a slow village, the local government and the community work together to promote sustainability and quality of life. And with the quality of life, we believe there is nothing wrong with Pijao.
This is a village where you can enjoy the tranquility and observe local life, without the crowds of villages on the tourist route such as Salento and to a lesser extent Filandia. So if you love nature and traditional villages, this village is definitely worth a detour. It is also one of the best places in the coffee region for bird watching. Special accommodation can be found on one of the fincas outside the village. In the village itself there are a few hostels and hotels. Transportation between Pijao and the fincas is by Willy Jeep “cab.”
Can you see yourself chilling out in this traditional coffee village? Then read our travel guide with information and tips on activities and fun things to do, transportation, restaurants and the best hotels in Pijao.
Our tips
What to do in and outside of Pijao
Pijao is off the beaten track and so are some of the activities you can do around Pijao, such as hiking in the paramo scenery. There are also a number of fun things to do in the village itself and in nearby Buenavista. Here are our tips for the best things to do in Pijao.
1. Explore the colorful city center
It’s great fun to take your time exploring the village, starting with the Plaza Principal. The red church San José de Pijao is the focal point of the central plaza and around the plaza you will see beautifully renovated houses in colonial style.
From a terrace you can best observe local life: jeeps and trucks passing with bags of coffee beans and “campesinos” who come there to eat or drink after hard work in the fields. In the side streets you will find quaint stores and businesses where you can have a cup of coffee, fresh juice or craft beer. A nice little store to look around is El Portón on Calle 11 #5-42. Here you will find beautiful books and natural products produced locally.
It also sells clothing by local designers. Tip: head to the village during the morning and stay for lunch. Check here the nicest restaurants and cafes in Pijao.
2. Stroll down the Calle del Cafe
Pijao “breathes” coffee and at the cafes you can order a -made with care- cup of coffee. In the Calle del Café (Calle 11) is café La Floresta. Local, organic coffee has been produced here for 30 years. La Tienda del buen vivir is next to La Floresta and here they sell coffee produced exclusively by women. The Calle del Café is a cozy little street, full of color and beautiful murals.
If you want to know more about coffee -from bean to cup-, do a coffee tour in the village of Buenavista which is near Pijao (see tip 7)
3. Take a walk in the forest around Pijao
From our hotel Finca Tradicional El Otoño we made a short hike to a small waterfall in the tropical rainforest. The first part of the hike was over the plantation with coffee plants and banana trees, then the landscape changed to tropical rainforest. Nature was beautiful: huge ferns, meter-long lianas and ancient trees. If you want to do more extensive hikes, check tips 9 and 10.
4. Spot the colorful birds
From the hammock of our finca, we could already spot many beautiful birds, but with a tour with a specialized guide you have the best chance to spot birds. Tour operator Bio-Onda tours is an expert in this field. Check their Instagram for more info. A good place in Pijao for bird watching is Casa Solaz, see tip 5.
5. Pay a visit to Doña Olga at Casa Solaz
Cra. 4 #9-15
Here you can discover a whole other world without leaving Pijao. Owner Olga welcomes you with open arms in her traditional -more than 100 years old- house, which she has restored. Each room in the house has its own story, which the owner is happy to tell you. Besides learning about local traditions and culture, you can also enjoy the beautiful garden, which is home to 70 different species of birds. Reservations are necessary and can be made by calling +573108491829. More info can be found on Casa Solaz’s Instagram page or Bio-Onda tours.
6. Learn all about medicinal plants at El Patio
At Vivero El Patio on Cl. 10#10-22 Doña Ligia grows and sells medicinal plants and herbs and she is happy to tell you all about their use. On the cozy terrace you can taste one of the different kinds of herbal teas that are prepared for you with love.
7. Take a side trip to Buenavista
Buenavista is a small traditional village located 12 kilometers from Pijao. A Willy Jeep will get you there in half an hour. Buenavista is mainly put on the map by Hacienda San Alberto. The coffee beans from their plantation are among the best in Colombia, which is why many coffee lovers like to make a detour to Buenavista. Here find more information about Buenavista and Terraza San Alberto.
9. Visit a palm grove (without the many tourists)
Almost everyone who goes to the coffee region knows the Valle Cocora, the valley with the famous palmas de cera, the national tree of Colombia. Pijao has its own palm forest, which you can visit with a guide, including Kevin, of ecotours Pijao. Kevin can be reached at +573197750694.
8. Go paragliding
It’s not just coffee that rings the bell in Buenavista. You can also paraglide there, for example. We did not do this, but the driver who took us to Buenavista could heartily recommend this tour operator.
10.Hike to the Paramo de Chile
This paramo is located above Pijao, at an altitude of 3,700 meters. At this altitude you will find a special landscape, with the iconic Frailejones trees. You can also do a tour to the paramo de Chile -Tierra FrÃa as the locals call it-, with Kevin. Check out Kevin’s Instagram for more information.
Here’s how to plan your trip to Pijao
How to get there.
How to get to Pijoa?
1) The cheapest way: by bus
There is a direct bus from Armenia to Pijao. The ride takes over 1 hour. (COP10,000/€2.50).
If you’re staying in Salento or Filandia, you’ll catch 2 buses: first the bus to Armenia 50 min / COP6800/€1.70, then the bus to Pijao. If you arrive in Pijao, you can catch a Willy Jeep for transportation to your hotel if you stay outside the village. The trip from Salento/Filandia takes a total of about 3 hours including transfers.
2) The most luxurious way: a car with a private driver
Even though bus transportation is well arranged to and from Pijao, it can also be convenient to hire a car with a private driver, especially if you want to take a different route and stop in the village of Buenavista, for example. We also did this when we went from our prior accommodation –Glamping Entre Rios in Calarcá – went to Pijao via Buenavista. This was ideal because the driver stopped where and how long we wanted. Also, the car was very comfortable, a spacious Duster.
We paid COP250,000/€62 for this service for two people. If you are interested in this, then driver Angelo is recommended. He is a reliable driver who comes from the region and knows a lot about it. Knowledge of Spanish is handy to communicate with him though, as his knowledge of English is basic. Angelo can be reached via WhatsApp number +573127287120. He can also pick you up from Armenia airport.
3) The most flexible way: eand car hirefrom the airport in Armenia.
The main roads are good in this region. We do recommend a sturdy, higher car to rent such as a Jeep, due to the steep inclines and potholes in the road off the main roads.
4) With an organized tour
During this tour of a full day, you can visit the villages of Pijao and Buenavista. The tour includes a visit to a coffee plantation.
How many days of Pijao?
Pijao is a lot quieter than Salento and Filandia and there is not much to do in the village itself. In 1 day you can explore the village and take a Willy jeep to Buenavista. If you want to do the hike on the paramo and the palm grove, take an extra day for this.
Where to stay in Pijao?
Pijao has a modest choice of hotels and hostels, but there are some fine accommodations to stay a few nights.
#ToColombia hotel tip
We stayed at Finca Tradicional El Otoño
This finca is located in a natural reserve in the mountains one kilometer from Pijao. The finca is beautifully situated and you look out on the village of Pijao from the terrace and the room.
There is a beautiful garden where you can see birds and in the backyard there is a heated pool with jacuzzi. We did not use that because we were too cold -:)
The delicious breakfast was served at the communal dining table and Don Diego -retired doctor and owner of the finca- joined us in the morning.
We exchanged stories about his hometown of MedellÃn, our hometown of Curaçao and Europe. Breakfast was included in the price (65€ per night for a double room) and for a reasonable amount we could order lunch (COP35,000/€8.75) or or a light dinner (COP25,000/€6.25).
This is not a luxury accommodation, but the room was fine and spacious.
We were the only guests and got a lot of attention from Diego. When he heard me sneezing from a bad cold, he rushed to his room and came back with medicine . He also took us on a walk to a small waterfall. The first part of the hike was about the plantation, where Diego gave a passionate explanation of the coffee plants. After this, the landscape changed to tropical rainforest, where we clambered over the rocks to the small waterfall.
At times it was quite slippery and we held on to the vines and trees. Dog Kiri cozily joined us!
Hike from Finca el Otońo to Pijao
From the finca to the village, it’s an easy, fun walk down past pastures with horses and cows. It was wonderfully quiet! We passed a small river and saw beautiful butterflies and flowers.
Including occasional stops, it took us half an hour. The houses with their many colors in the traditional architectural style were fun to see and people were obviously very creative with the different color combinations.
Upon arriving in the village, we immediately saw the contrast with villages like Salento and Filandia. There was activity in Pijao, but we saw only locals: school children followed by faithful dogs and people on their way to work or the square. When we returned to the finca in the afternoon, we took a Willy Jeep, to avoid the uphill hike. The Willy cost us COP30,000/€7.50. Tip: Are you going to rent a car and want to stay overnight at Finca El Otoño? Then rent a 4 WD. The driver who took us to Pijao had an SUV but no 4WD and he did not manage to get up the little hill to the Finca, after which Don Diego came to pick us up -:)
If you prefer to stay in the village, there are also a number of hostals you can go to, such as Hostal Casa Victoria Pijao. From the hostal you look out on the beautiful nature of Pijao.
€ price range up to €35
€€ price range €35 – €60
€€€ price range above €60
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- Finca tradicional el Otoño
- If you are looking for more luxurious accommodation, there is little choice in Pijao, but you can rent a hotel or villa near Buenavista, which is a half-hour drive from Pijao, such as:
La Cima Eco Hotel, La Font Ecolodge, Finca Tradicional El Balcón, Casamalva villas and Eco glamping Cordillera.
Eating and drinking in Pijao
At the Plaza Principal de Pijao are several cafes, bars and restaurants. You can also find nice places in the side streets. For example, we previously mentioned Calle 11 (Calle del café), where two nice coffee shops sit next to each other: La Tienda del buen vivir and Café La Floresta. Here are our tips for the best places for drinks and snacks in Pijao.
Our tips
La Tienda del buen vivir
Calle 11 #5-67
Here you can not only drink or buy coffee, they also sell cakes and craft brewed beers. We wanted to try the coffee-flavored beer, but we were advised to have a lighter beer and take the heavier coffee-flavored beer for the evening.
In retrospect, we were glad we took this advice, because the “coffee beer” was tasty but heavy. Too heavy at the beginning of our “sightseeing” trip through Pijao -:)
Cafe Dimonte
# a 11-29 Carrera 4, #111
Perfect spot on the square for “people watching,” on the corner opposite the church. This cafe has a special “coffee of the day” every day, which is written on a board, with all the specifications of the coffee bean.
You get a cup that is one-quarter full of coffee, with a jug of water next to it, so you can make the coffee as weak or strong as you like.
Bodega Pijao
Plaza principal Pijao
Want to escape the bright afternoon sun and have lunch or a drink inside? Then Bodega Pijao is a fine place. The bodega sits on the central square and is tastefully decorated with wine bottles and coffee props.
Here you can go for a traditional Colombian meal, a burger, pasta, a cup of coffee or a cheese board with a glass of wine. There are also vegan and vegetarian options.
Bar Social
Cl. 12 #41
This cafe is a favorite with locals, who come there to drink coffee or play billiards. It is a good place to have a chat and listen to locals’ anecdotes about this historic bar. The coffee is made with a more than 100-year-old coffee machine!
Bar los Recuerdos
Cra. 4 #11-9
This bar was recommended to us, but when we were there on a Monday afternoon, the bar was closed. The owner of the bar, is a fan of movies and old LPs, which shows in the interior.
Asadero El Mana
Insiders tip! You’ll find this restaurant just off the square. It was packed with locals when we were there. Among other things, you can get a cheap menú del dÃa order. Toen wij er waren bestond het dagmenu uit soep met kip, banaan en ei. Het hoofdgerecht was gegrilde kip met spaghetti, rijst, banaan en koolsalade. We kregen een grote portie en de maaltijd smaakte prima!
Including a guava fruit juice, we paid only COP24000/€6 for 2 people! This restaurant is on the little street opposite the Banco Agrario de Colombia, near the mural of the butterfly.
Practical info A-Z
Is Pijao safe? What is the weather and temperature like? What should I bring with me? What about how to withdraw money in Pijao? Check here for practical information and useful tips for your stay in Pijao.
Drinking water
The water from the tap is not drinkable
Cash withdrawals
There are two banks in Pijao, Servibanca and Banco Agrario de Colombia, but we did not see an ATM.
Climate
The temperature in Pijao ranges from 12 to 20 degrees. We did find the wind chill in the evening and at night a lot lower than in Filandia/Salento, especially since our accommodation was in the mountains.
Packing List
- Rain jacket
- Warm sweater
- Thermos for water
- Hiking shoes
- Sunscreen
- Hat or cap
Vaccinations
No vaccinations are required for Pijao.
Safety
Pijao is a small and friendly village and it is very peaceful and safe. This has not always been so, because In 2001 there was an invasion by the guerrillas which caused the residents to live in fear for 10 years. Fortunately, Pijao has been a peaceful village for years now, where the residents do not have to live in fear and which is also for travelers, very safe. As our Willy jeep took us to the finca, we noticed a police officer on a motorcycle stopping us. He was asked where he was going and it was actually a very friendly conversation. In such a small village like Pijao, we didn’t really expect this, but it was also kind of a good feeling to have a police presence.
Wifi and telephone
At the finca where we stayed, we had good internet. If your accommodation is further into the mountains, coverage may be worse. If you want a data package for your phone, provider Claro has the best coverage in Colombia.
Stores
We did not see large supermarkets, but we did see small stores selling all sorts of things.
