Hacienda Bambusa is a bamboo and clay house in the southern part of the coffee region near Armenia. Located on 500 acres, the lodge is surrounded by mountains, centenary trees, gardens and crops (mostly cocoa and bananas). Our room’s balcony overlooked the pool.
There were multiple bird feeders around the hacienda and we loved sitting and watching the birds.
Our guide, Guillermo, was a certificated barista and gave us a private lesson about coffee. We started with an activity to get our nose accustomed to the smells and tastes. He then prepared coffee using four methods. The first was mixing hot water with grounded beans (typical for the area). This was very bitter and undrinkable. Then we tasted the pour over method with a Chemex. Delicious and smooth. The third coffee was a different type of pour over method using a cone; also smooth. The final method was a vacuum siphon (a little like a science project). This was probably the best coffee of our lives, but not worth the effort to make at home.
We took a tour of the property to learned about the farming techniques and how they processed the cocoa before it is sold.
The guide set up a surprise picnic in a five year old guadua (similar to bamboo) forest. What a magical place. Be careful about planting guadua—it is very invasive.
We visited the Jardin Botanico del Quindio. The garden is an NGO created in 1979 for conservation, research and education. The guided tour highlighted the more than 600 plants species (including 57 types of Heliconia flowers and 210 types of palm trees) and animals at the garden. We even saw a few agouti (rodent that looks similar to a large guinea pig). We wondered the paths, took a suspension bridge and hiked a tower to view the property.
The botanical garden is also known for its butterfly farm (shaped like a butterfly). The guide said the farm can have more than 1,500 butterflies in the midst of hundreds of flowers. We did not see that many butterflies.
We went on a bamboo rafting trip down ‘la Vieja’ River. We drove to Quimbaya and met up with the rafting team and got our life vests and lunch. After a short drive in a Willy Jeep to the water. We started our adventure. Willy Jeeps are one of the first military vehicles mass produced in the US. It was a very pleasant ride and the current was swift but not fast. We learned the raft owner had once drudged sand for an asphalt company before starting the rafting company years ago. He knew everyone along the river and became the unofficial naturalist for the area.
We were the only guests for one of our three nights at the hotel. To make our stay special, the hotel set up a romantic dinner; we were escorted along a candlelit pathway to our table. It was covered in flowers and surrounded by fire torches. The ambiance and food were restorative.
It often rained in the late afternoon and evenings. However, there was a sunset so stunning the hotel staff ran out to take pictures alongside us. The cows even wondered over to say hello.