Visiting a coffee farm near Salento

Why visit a coffee farm in Salento

The Quindío has lived from coffee for generations, and Salento is the easiest place to see it up close. A few kilometres from the village, on the slopes of the vereda Palestina, several farms open their plantations to visitors. You walk between the coffee bushes, see the cherries turn from green to red, and follow the bean all the way to the cup.

It is a visit that works for everyone: coffee lovers who want to understand what makes a good arabica, curious travellers who have never seen a coffee plant, and families, because there is always something to touch, smell or taste.

What you discover on the tour

Every farm has its own way of telling its coffee story, but the steps are usually the same. The tour starts in the plantation, where you are shown the coffee bushes, their white flowers and their cherries at different stages of ripeness. Next comes pulping, which separates the bean from the fruit, then fermentation, washing and drying the beans in the sun.

The end of the visit is the tastiest part: roasting, when the bean takes on its colour and aroma, and then the tasting. That is often when you finally understand the difference between an everyday tinto and a speciality coffee, and learn to recognise the notes of an arabica grown at altitude.

How to reach the farms from Salento

The farms are in the vereda Palestina, very close to Salento. You have two options:

• On foot: allow about an hour’s walk from the village, along a country road between pastures. Remember to allow time for the way back too.
• By Willys: jeeps leave from Salento’s main square roughly every hour, from 8 am to 5 pm, for about 10,000 to 15,000 COP return. It is the most practical option if you want to fit another visit into the same day.

For an overview of the village and its other highlights, see our page on Salento and our article What to do in Salento in one day.

The main farms at a glance

The prices below were checked in 2025 and 2026. They change often: check them on site or on the farm’s website before your visit.

Finca El Ocaso

A well-known farm, well organised for visitors. The traditional tour costs about 60,000 COP, lasts about 1 hour 30 minutes, needs no booking, runs in Spanish or English, and is free for children under 6. To go further, El Ocaso offers premium tours with tasting and roasting, from about 120,000 to 150,000 COP, booking required, for ages 15 and over.

Good to know: El Ocaso does not offer tours in French. Information and bookings on the official website: fincaelocasosalento.com.

Finca Don Elías

An organic farm, simpler and more family-run. The tour costs about 35,000 COP, lasts about 1 hour 15 minutes, and runs every day from 9 am to 4 pm, with no booking needed. It was operating normally in September 2026.

It is also the easiest farm to visit in French: a tour with a French-speaking guide is offered on GetYourGuide, from about 20 USD.

Las Acacias

A small family farm, perfect if you like to get hands-on: you pick, roast and grind the coffee yourself. The tour costs about 30,000 COP, lasts about an hour, runs in English from 9 am to 4 pm, and booking is recommended.

Finca Buenos Aires

The longest visit, about 2 to 3 hours, for about 50,000 COP, in Spanish or English. Tours leave every hour from 9 am to 4 pm, and the farm lends you a poncho and a hat for picking.

What about a tour in French?

It is a question we are often asked, so let us be clear: the farm tours described here run in Spanish or English. El Ocaso does not offer tours in French.

You have two options:

• Book Finca Don Elías with a French-speaking guide through GetYourGuide, from about 20 USD.
• Add our French-speaking guide to your day with us: 200,000 COP per group for a full day, or 100,000 COP for half a day. All the details are on our French-speaking guide page.

When to go

The best time to see the harvest is from October to December: the bushes are heavy with red cherries and the pickers are at work on the slopes. A smaller harvest, the mitaca, takes place in spring. The rest of the year the visit is still worthwhile: you will see the flowers, the green cherries, the drying and the roasting.

As for opening hours, the tours described here generally run between 9 am and 4 pm. Coming in the morning gives you time to wander the plantations at an easy pace and get back to Salento without rushing.

Our practical tips

• Closed shoes: the paths between the coffee bushes are dirt and can get slippery after rain.
• A warm layer and a rain jacket: Salento sits at 1,895 m, with an average of about 17 °C, and the weather changes fast.
• Sun protection: even when it feels cool, the sun is strong at altitude.
• Some room in your suitcase: if the farm sells its coffee, it is the best souvenir to take home.

With Tinto Tours: Salento by Willys

Our tours that pass through Salento do not include a coffee farm visit, but they take you to the village by Willys, and you can plan the farm for the day before or after:

• Cocora + Salento: the wax palms of the Cocora Valley, entrance included, followed by the streets of Salento.
• Salento, Filandia and Cocora by Willys: the valley, Salento and Filandia in one day, with lunch and sunset over the Quindío mountains.

If you would like to fit a farm into your day, the Private Willys for the day is made for it: 8 hours with the Willys and its willysero all to yourselves, on the route of your choice, for 650,000 COP per Willys and up to 8 people. The farm entrance fee is not included. Add our French-speaking guide if you would like someone who speaks French by your side all day.

All our tours leave from Quimbaya or Filandia and start with a tinto with Daniel on the square. A good way to warm up before discovering where that coffee comes from.

Plan your tour in a few taps, we confirm the date on WhatsApp.