Coffee and palm trees - Colombia's Coffee Triangle
- Marion Marquardt
- Dec 3
- 5 min read
Into the oven
While we spent the first few weeks in Colombia traveling through cooler and wetter regions, we're now approaching the Tatacoa Desert. We're expecting temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) here. We're curious to see how we'll cope. Our refrigerator will also have its work cut out for it. Before leaving Germany, we had considered a portable air conditioner, especially with the Central American countries in mind, but ultimately decided against it due to supply issues and brought two battery-powered fans instead.
We can already feel the temperature rising as we approach the desert. Incidentally, the Tatacoa isn't actually a desert in the true sense, but rather a tropical dry forest. For us, though, the heat is no different from the Sahara. We've chosen a beautiful campsite with a view and—most importantly—a pool. It's bathwater warm. Bliss! All three of us are enjoying it. The often tedious hours behind the wheel are quickly forgotten. Tedious, not because of Diego. He often sleeps in his car seat or enjoys the view from his prime spot. There's always plenty to see. Horses on the road, goats at the roadside, and often a wild cacophony of horns, accompanied by our comments :-)
A sand flea rarely comes alone.
After our fun in the water, we all noticed lots of red spots... No itching, it looked like a rash. We didn't think much of it at first. It only cooled down slightly in the evening. We definitely wanted to avoid cooking in the camper so it wouldn't heat up unnecessarily. So we grilled outside. Despite mosquito repellent and wearing long clothes, we quickly felt the bites. But it wasn't until hours later that the real terror began. We were already in bed when everything started itching like crazy. And I don't mean normal mosquito bite itching. I mean the kind that makes you want to scream. Diego tossed and turned wildly on his sleeping spot, yelping. The next morning, we were all exhausted. We had barely slept because of the heat and this absolutely insane itching, which hardly let up during the day. Scratching only made it worse, and our "pseudo" antihistamine in the fridge was useless. After a few Google searches, it was clear: we had fallen victim to sand fleas. No home remedy helps with that. We try to distract ourselves with a walk through Red Canyon. It's probably the most scenic part of this desert. Beautiful it is, but it can't compare to the Atacama Desert in the slightest.
Our plan to stargaze at the observatory at night was unfortunately thwarted by approaching clouds. So we made a beeline for the nearest pharmacy. Cortisol ointment was supposed to be the miracle cure. To make matters worse, Micha had an allergic reaction and suffered even more. At least the medication helped after just one day and provided significant relief. We then drove for a few hours to cooler climes and settled into a lovely campsite. Far away from sandflies and mosquitoes. A paradise for Diego – there were chickens, ducks, ponies, parrots, alpacas, and of course, dogs and cats. And we enjoyed the pleasant temperatures.
Cafe or Tea?
Next stop is Colombia's coffee region, the so-called "Eje Cafetero." Here, everything revolves around the bean. It's the main coffee-growing region. Even on the approach, we notice the importance of exports. The roads are packed with trucks. We crawl along at 20 km/h behind the 60-tonners, winding our way up the serpentine roads. The area lies at an altitude of about 2,000 meters in the Andes. Our first stop is the region's botanical garden. We learn a lot about the local flora and fauna. However, we won't see the endemic wax palm, the national symbol, here. Colombia is home to over 600 different palm species. And that's just one example of the abundance of plant life. Bamboo, orchids, ferns – there are countless shades of green and beautifully colorful blossoms. Hence, of course, the great diversity of birds. Micha manages to photograph some of them in the park. Diego walks almost the entire way through the botanical garden on his own. Finally, we visit the butterfly house with its many colorful specimens of all sizes. It reminds us a bit of Mindo in Ecuador. It was similarly green and biodiverse there.
From plantation to cup
We take another drive through the small, traditional villages of the coffee region, enjoying stunning views and, of course, delicious coffee. Although, good coffee isn't quite so straightforward these days. Until a few decades ago, only "bad" coffee was consumed in Colombia. The best quality was exclusively exported. Fortunately, this has changed with the growth of tourism. Vincent, a French expat who has been running his own coffee farm for several years, explains this. He leads us around his property, a rather small farm at about 3 hectares. Nevertheless, it's very labor-intensive, especially during the main harvest seasons of May and October. Incidentally, coffee can be harvested year-round in Colombia. On the coffee plants, we find green, light red, and dark red beans, depending on their ripeness. Interspersed among them are plenty of tropical fruits, most notably bananas. The plants need warmth, moisture, and shade. The latter comes from the enormous vines. Coffee isn't a monoculture. The surrounding fruits contribute to the aroma; the art lies in preserving this during roasting and striking the delicate balance between intensity and aroma. Vincent sells his harvest unroasted. He earns about €80 per 12 kilos. Considering the effort involved, it's not a very lucrative business. Luckily, he trained as a cheesemaker and makes a living from that as well! We get to taste some of the "maître fromager's" specialties. A real treat after so many weeks of tasteless sliced cheese :-)
A valley full of wax palms
Now we're off to the Cocora Valley, home of the wax palm. At up to 60 meters tall, it's the largest palm tree in the world. The sight is truly surreal and beautiful. However, the valley is very popular with tourists and practically a must-see on any trip to Colombia. We were advised to arrive early in the morning to avoid the crowds. So we spent the night at the trailhead parking lot and were among the first to arrive. We hiked leisurely into the valley, practically having the viewpoints and photo spots to ourselves. By 10 a.m., when the buses started arriving, we were already relaxing in a café, enjoying our second breakfast. We made the right decision. Even though we generally avoid the tourist hotspots, it was definitely worth it.
