For the majority of our time in coffee country, we based ourselves in a rural area outside of the tiny town of Filandia. We stumbled across the perfect place online, Casa Country Finca, and were surprised to find it run by a coffee-loving Ontario native and his friendly Colombian wife. No buses run past the hostel, so after taking a few different buses from Jardín, we hopped on a shared Willy's Jeep that makes regular runs between Filandia and Alcalá, the two towns between which the finca was located. It was a unique way to get around, but we instantly loved it. The locals were always up for good conversation and for sharing tidbits about the area with us, and there's nothing better than standing up in the back and catching a breeze! The Willy's Jeeps were ubiquitous in coffee country, acting as collective taxis and connecting people in remote, rural areas. Most of these date to just after WWII, and seem capable of running for another 60 years. They are extremely bare-bones and although none of the dials in the dash work, the simple construction means that they can be easily and rapidly repaired over and over again - crucial when they are flying over dusty, bumpy, unpaved roads, day in and day out.

The sunsets from the finca were incredible, and paired perfectly each night with an ice cold cerveza. Benina, the sweet senior chihuahua that supervised operations, was the snuggliest little pup and as soon as you climbed into a hammock, she would be right below, pawing at you to lift her up for a cuddle.

One day we ventured away from the property with a hand-drawn map in order to find our way to a secret waterfall. On the way there, we passed through a farm, and acquired a posse of three terribly out-of-shape mutts that followed us to the falls. Upon arrival, they all collapsed in the shade, dead asleep, while we swam and cooled off in the refreshing waters of the cascade. As soon as we pulled out our snacks, they woke right up from their deep slumber and begged us to share.

One of the sights that we had been eager to see in coffee country was a valley filled with towering wax palms that grow up to 60m tall. We travelled the short distance from Filandia to Salento, and then settled into a cozy hostel on the outskirts of town for two nights so as to be closer to the park. We walked into Salento for lunch, and were shocked at the sheer number of tourists, guesthouses, and souvenir shops in the town. Filandia, although crowded with locals on the weekend, seemed sleepy in comparison! There were tons of people everywhere and we were glad that we had opted to stay in a quieter location outside of town. The next morning, we woke up bright and early and hopped on a shared Willy's Jeep out to the wax palm area. We had expected the mountain air to be cool, but it was hot and sunny and we were overdressed for the temperatures!