We managed to squeeze in many activities during our 5 night stay... there were just too many things to see and do!
We visited an award winning coffee farm called Hacienda Venecia where we had a tour to learn about the types of coffee, processes etc. The coffee was absolutely delicious and we loved the green mountain setting and traditional, brightly coloured farm houses. Needless to say, it was a little difficult to sleep after our crazy coffee consumption from the day!
Although the weather was terrible, we headed out to an eco reserve called Recinto del Pensamiento. A guide walked us through the reserve, explaining the different medicinal plants and after a short break at a hummingbird lookout, we continued on to a butterfly farm, orchard forest and Japanese gardens.
Los Nevados National Park was a little disappointing because of the horrendous weather, but there were glimpses of its beautiful landscapes between the pouring rain, wind and snow. After the day driving through the park, we finished the day back in Manizales at the thermal pools. It was soooo nice to warm up and relax after a wet, freezing day in the park!
From one disaster to another, we were again disappointed by terrible weather on our day trip to the bird reserve, Rio Blanco. Because of the heavy rain, we saw one bird in total (from a distance) in what is supposed to be one the best bird watching destinations in the world. And to top it all off, we hiked through the forest, up hill in the pouring rain for 2 hours to reach the closest shelter. A day we'd rather forget. One positive, we were able to meet one of the Andean bears that lives on the site up close and personal. It was pretty special being so close to it as our guide fed it a carrot by hand!
All in all, despite really bad rain during our trip, we still had an amazing time in Manizales. There aren't many places in the world where you can reach tropical coffee farms, snow-capped volcanos and many beautiful parks and reserves all within 2 hours of the city.
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