The Willys, the iconic jeep of Colombia’s coffee region
In the Quindío, the Willys is no museum piece: it carries coffee, families and travellers up the mountain tracks. Here is its story, its legends and its big festival, the Desfile del Yipao, told by a team that only travels by Willys.
A military jeep turned farmhand
When you arrive on the main square of Salento or Filandia, there they are, lined up, bonnets gleaming and bumpers dented: the Willys jeeps. For travellers, they are often the first image of the coffee region. For the people who live here, they are a working tool, a member of the family, almost a symbol.
The first Willys jeeps reached Colombia in the late 1940s (1946 or 1950, depending on the source). They were former military jeeps: sturdy, easy to repair, with four-wheel drive. Commercial jeep transport began as early as 1952, and these vehicles built for war found the perfect terrain in the coffee mountains.
Rojas Pinilla’s 10,000 jeeps: a lovely legend
If you talk about Willys jeeps with a Colombian, you may hear that General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, then the head of the country, had 10,000 jeeps imported in one go to hand out to coffee growers. It is a nice story, it is told everywhere, and it even turns up in some guidebooks.
It is, however, most likely a legend. Serious sources keep no solid trace of it: no document confirms an import on that scale. What is certain is that the jeep earned its place on its own, farm after farm, because it did jobs nothing else could do.
The jeep that replaced the mule
Before the Willys, everything moved by mule. Sacks of coffee came down narrow paths and equipment went up the same way. The jeep changed life on the farms: it carries pulping machines, mills and water pumps along barely marked tracks, with a load of more than 600 kg.
Families also use it to move house, go to market, take the children to school or bring back bunches of plantains. A fully loaded Willys, with sacks on the roof and passengers hanging on at the back, is as much a part of the Quindío landscape as the wax palms.
That is where the word yipao comes from: it is simply “jeep” pronounced with the local accent. A yipao is a Willys loaded to bursting point and, by extension, everything that goes with it.
The Desfile del Yipao, Armenia’s big festival
Every October, Armenia celebrates its anniversary (the city was founded on 14 October 1889), and the highlight of the festivities is the Desfile del Yipao. It has been held since the late 1980s. In 2024, the 36th edition brought together 120 yipaos.
The idea is simple: spectacularly loaded Willys jeeps parade in front of the crowd and compete in several categories:
- Trasteo: a whole household move on a single jeep, with about 135 items, from the bed to the cooking pot.
- Carga de café: the Willys loaded with 10 to 12 sacks of coffee.
- Pique: the moment the crowd cheers loudest, when the loaded jeep rears up on its back wheels.
Only period models are allowed: CJ3A, CJ3B and CJ4. At the time of writing, the dates for the 2026 edition have not been published yet: keep an eye on the official announcements for the Armenia festivities before planning your trip around the parade.
The Desfile is not the only date in the jeep lover’s calendar. In February 2006, more than 350 Willys jeeps paraded through Calarcá, a record for the longest jeep parade according to the press.
A heritage recognised by law
The yipao is not just folklore for tourists. Law 2057 of 2020 recognised the Yipao and yipera culture as cultural heritage of the Nation. That culture means willyseros who look after their jeeps for decades, mechanics who can still track down an impossible spare part, families who hand the same vehicle down the generations, and a whole vocabulary that exists only here.
The Willys today
The Willys has not retired. It is still at work on the farms and in rural transport across the Quindío, Risaralda, Caldas and Tolima. Where the road ends, it keeps going. On market days it brings the harvest down; the rest of the time it links hamlets that buses never reach.
It is also the Willys that takes visitors from Salento up to the Cocora Valley, from the village square, along about 12 km of mountain road. For many travellers, that ride is their first taste of the jeep, wind in their hair, watching the valley open up. Standing at the back is part of the typical Willys experience, but only on the tracks, at low speed and with the driver’s agreement, never on the main road: for the rest of the ride, you stay seated. If you are planning your visit, our page on Salento has the practical details.
Why all our tours are by Willys
At Tinto Tours, we did not choose the Willys for the photos. We chose it because it is the most genuine way to discover the region: along the tracks, at the pace of the people who live here, waving to the farms as you pass. All our tours are by Willys, with 8 seats per vehicle, leaving from Quimbaya or Filandia, and they always start the same way: a tinto with Daniel on the square.
Daniel is our willysero. He knows his jeep inside out, every sound of the engine and every bend in the mountain tracks. He is the one who drives, who tells you the local stories, and who knows when to stop for a view or a coffee.
A few ideas to make the most of the Willys:
- For a first time: the Cocora + Salento tour, with the Cocora Valley entrance included, followed by a stroll through the streets of Salento.
- For a real dirt track: the La Carbonera tour, from 7 am to 4 pm, to the largest wax palm forest. This is where the Willys shows what it can do. If you are torn between the two valleys, read our article La Carbonera or Cocora.
- To plan your own day: the Private Willys for the day, 8 hours with the jeep and its willysero all to yourselves, on the route of your choice, for 650,000 COP per Willys and up to 8 people.
The Willys is also a great way to reach the region’s parks: our Willys transfers to the parks take you from your hotel to the entrance.
Our tips for riding in a Willys
A Willys is nothing like a minibus when it comes to comfort, and that is exactly its charm. Bring a light jacket: at altitude, the air is cool at the back of the jeep, especially in the morning. Keep your things in a small bag you can hold on your lap, and hold on to the bar on the bends. For everything else, leave it to Daniel: he knows the road better than anyone.
And if your trip falls during the Armenia festivities, go and see the Desfile del Yipao. You will never look at a Willys the same way again.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the word “Yipao” come from?
It is the word “jeep” pronounced with the local accent. By extension, a yipao is also a Willys loaded to the roof, and the name of the big parade in Armenia.
When is the Desfile del Yipao in Armenia?
During the city’s anniversary festivities in October. The dates for the 2026 edition have not been published yet: keep an eye on the official announcements for the Armenia festivities.
Is it true that Rojas Pinilla imported 10,000 jeeps?
It is a widely told story, but most likely a legend. The first Willys jeeps reached Colombia in the late 1940s, and commercial jeep transport began as early as 1952.
Are all your tours by Willys?
Yes. All our tours leave from Quimbaya or Filandia in a Jeep Willys, with 8 seats per vehicle and Daniel, our willysero, at the wheel.
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