I arrived into Pereira on an early flight and was quickly met by Cesar and Rosa, my guide for the day. Cesar drove us through the valley, explaining the history of the agriculture and specifically the coffee farms. The valley is heavily populated, but is surrounded by coffee and banana plantations along the hillsides. The whole coffee region was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2011. To say that Colombians are proud of their coffee would be a huge understatement.
We stopped at a roadside coffee shop - similar to our roadside Starbucks, only much more low-key. They had espresso, cappuccino and cafe con leche. No flavors, no frills, just delicious Colombian coffee. And delicious it was. It was creamy, a little sweet and full of flavor. I generally like my coffee dark roasted, but I would learn over the next few days to appreciate the flavor of the lighter Colombian roast.
Cesar dropped Rosa and me off at the Finca del Colina, my home for the night, where we sat down for lunch. Originally built as a family home with additional buildings for the workers, the main buildings now served as hotel rooms, kitchen and a dining patio. The grounds were beautiful. I was definitely in the tropics! There were citrus trees in the yard, flowers everywhere and a large heliconia garden just down the hill. The farm still produces coffee, and we had the opportunity to explore the fields and the drying and production areas. We wandered through the heliconia gardens and ate fresh fruit from the trees growing throughout the property.
The rest of our group arrived in the late afternoon, and the owners of the finch joined us for dinner. My first day in the Colombian coffee region was a success! I was looking forward to many more cups of coffee and delicious local food.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.