Pereira, the capital of the department Risaralda in Colombia < >
Pereira is beautifully situated at the foot of the Central Cordillera between the rivers Rio Otún and Consota and offers visitors an impressive variety of landscapes, breathtaking natural beauty, surprising biodiversity and extremely warm and hospitable inhabitants. It is the largest city in the coffee region and the fifth most important city in Colombia after Bogotá, Medellin, Cali and Barranquilla.
The capital of the Risaralda department was founded in 1863 and boasts a whole range of tourist attractions: from the icy glaciers of the Parque Nacional Natural de los Nevados to the warm banks of the River Cauca. The rural surroundings offer a whole range of possibilities.
Today, together with Dosquebradas, it has about 900,000 inhabitants and the trend is rising. In 1997, the César-Gaviria-Trujillo viaduct was inaugurated, a bridge over 600 metres long and over 100 metres high that connects the towns of Pereira and Dosquebradas.
The bridge, like the monument Bolivar Desnudo, has become a landmark of the city and attracts many tourists.
Pereira is the city with the largest trade volume in the so-called Triángulo de Oro del Café (the Golden Triangle of the Café). Here there are more shopping areas and large shopping centres than in the neighbouring cities. There is also a wide range of national and international gastronomy.
Pereira, until now rather a business city with economy and trade, advances by its very good infrastructure and central location to a popular central point of contact for tourists. Here, too, it is developing more and more into an attractive metropolis and is the starting point for the magnificent natural beauty of the coffee region with its national parks "Nevado del Ruiz" and "Otún Quimbaya". Many nature reserves such as Tatamá, San Rafael, Santa Emilia etc. offer unspoilt nature with its diverse exotic plant and butterfly species.
This is why tourism is so important. Pereira can be easily reached by the Matecaña International Airport, which will be modernised and enlarged in the next few years, or by intercity bus from all cities in Colombia. The road network around Pereira is also very well developed.
Many different types of accommodation are available to the traveller, ranging from a simple good backpacker hostel to typical traditional coffee fincas in beautiful nature to an exclusive boutique hotel. You are really spoilt for choice.
Pereira itself likes to dress up and show the guest what it has to offer. Musical and cultural highlights are organised, visits to the theatre are also no problem. In the Expofuturo (exhibition area), interesting and varied exhibitions and events take place regularly. A highlight is the fascinating annual orchid show, which attracts numerous visitors.
And what else makes Pereira attractive? Of course ..., the numerous shopping centres. They are spacious, clearly arranged and you get everything that not only the (fashion) heart desires.
There are still many things to enumerate that are worth a visit. The best thing is to discover Pereira and the coffee zone for yourself, the extremely warm people, the joie de vivre and the music. Pure South American flair!
Holiday in Pereira, with our partner Estancia El Caney
