City: Pereira
Altitude: 1.410 meters ( Pereira )
Temperature: 24 degrees C
Number of municipalities: 14
Population: 550.000
Telephone prefix : 6 (096)
Getting there: air or land
Distance and time to Bogota:
Land: 298 km
Air: 25 minutes
Economy: Textiles, commerce, agriculture, coffee, citrus, pineapple, casaba, beans, tomato, plantain, banana, tropical flowers, tourism.

This region was once inhabited, before the Spanish conquest, by the Quimbaya indigenous peoples. During the conquest, this tribe was exterminated by the Spanish and, unfortunately, never recuperated. Risaralda was founded in 1966 when Old Caldas was divided into the three departments of Caldas, Risaralda, and Quindio.

 

ATTRACTIONS

COMMERCE

PEREIRA: "La querendona, trasnochadora y morena" "The beloved, all-nighter, and dark city" Industrial center, commerce and capital of the department.

NATURE

MARSELLA: 45 minutes from Pereira, Marsella conserves a great part of the typical architecture of the Coffee Region -- the House of Culture stands out among the prettiest and best-preserved buildings. In Marsella, you can visit the Nona Reserve, the Botanical Garden, the Immaculate Temple and a number of beautiful coffee farms.

SANTA ROSA DE CABAL HOT SPRINGS: 8 km from Santa Rosa is a charming and pristine place where you can enjoy medicinal hot springs surrounded by ecological paths, mud baths and more.

OTUN LAGOON : The source of the River Otun that flows through Pereira, the capital of Risaralda. The Lagoon has a spectacular landscape -- flora and fauna. Here, you'll enjoy walking through fields of frailejónes, The Mosquito Lagoon, and a view of Santa Rosa, the Nevado of Tolima, and Santa Isabel.

UCUMARI RESERVE: 4, 240 hectares of High Andean Forest with a grand variety of fauna, flora, and beautiful waterfalls. It's where, if you're lucky, you can see the famous Eyeglass Bears "oso de anteojos."