| Colombia is the coffee lover’s Mecca. Colombia | | | | plantations can also be a fabulous experience as well. |
| produces ten percent of the world’s Arabica | | | | You can travel to Bogota, explore the way of life in |
| beans, exporting ninety percent of that so the world | | | | neighboring towns and learn about the coffee |
| can enjoy the rich taste of Colombian coffee. Even | | | | growing process – perhaps sampling a little of the |
| the aroma itself is satisfying. Visiting Colombian | | | | delicious brews made from mild Arabica beans. After |
| coffee plantations can also be an immensely | | | | a full day of exploration and traveling around the |
| satisfying experience. Coffee, the region’s most | | | | region, you return to your luxurious accommodations |
| important export, is helping draw tourists to Colombia. | | | | to enjoy rest and relaxation. |
| They may come for the coffee, but they are | | | | Take the time to visit the premiere coffee-growing |
| captivated by the beauty of the land, the diversity | | | | regions of Armenia, Montenegro, Salento, and the |
| of the culture, and the hospitality of the coffee | | | | Cocora Valley. Discover that Colombia is far more |
| growers of Colombia. | | | | than coffee beans; travelers can visit the Congress |
| In the 1990s, coffee prices dipped precipitously. | | | | Palace, the Cardinal’s Palace, cathedrals and |
| Farmers faced the loss of their farm land, livelihood, | | | | churches, and the world-famous Gold Museum and |
| and way of life unless they could find other avenues | | | | Fernando Botero Museum that displays the incredible |
| of income. Resourceful farmers began sowing a far | | | | and diverse art of the region. Drink in the history and |
| different crop. Tourists became their best cash crop. | | | | culture of this remarkable country; it is as rich as its |
| Perhaps borrowing the idea from Italian agriturismo, | | | | famed coffee. |
| Colombians offered visitors the chance to stay at | | | | Colombia is becoming a premiere tourism locale |
| their homes, experience the rural life, and of course, | | | | because of the complexity of the country’s past |
| taste the rich fruits, or beans, of their labor. Coffee | | | | and the optimism for its future. It is a country rich in |
| fincas, as they are known, are tremendously popular | | | | culture, heritage, and promise. Just as you can see |
| with foreign tourists and even visitors from | | | | the process of a seed becoming a cup of the |
| Colombia’s busy cities. | | | | world’s finest coffee, you can see Colombia |
| Most of the coffee grown in Colombia is produced on | | | | blossoming into a world class destination. |
| small farms such as these, but visiting larger | | | | |