What You Should Know About Parque del Cafe in Armenia, Quindio

Written By Nathan Mahoney

What if I told you that Colombia has an iconic amusement park that is ranked one of the top theme parks in Latin America? It is called Parque del Café, and it is one of Colombia’s hidden gems you need to visit. Similar to Hershey Park, a Chocolate-themed amusement park located in Hershey, PA, USA, Parque del Café is a coffee-themed park located in Colombia’s coffee region, which is a beautiful place to visit. They have restaurants, gift shops, rides, and of course, coffee and lots of it. In this post, I’m going to tell you what you should know about Parque del Cafe in Armenia, Quindio, Colombia.

Admission

Admission to the park is in 3 passports sections: Multiple, Junior, and Senior. These are your standard air travel passports, but they are merely tickets to enter the theme park.

  • Multiple are for people who are taller than 124 cm (4.06 ft). Basically adults.

  • Junior is for people who are between 90-124 cm (2.9 ft - 4.06 ft).

  • Senior is for anybody over 70 years old

The prices go as follows:

  • Multiple Passport: 75,000 COP ($18.82 USD as of Jan 2022)

  • Junior Passport: 54,000 COP ($13.55 USD as of Jan 2022)

  • Senior Passport: 54,000 COP ($13.55 USD as of Jan 2022)

  • Parking: 5,000 COP ($1.25 USD as of Jan 2022)

The tickets can be purchased in advance on their official website. If you buy them this way, they will take 10% off the passport (ticket) prices. Which will turn the prices into this:

  • Multiple Passport: 67,500 COP ($16.82 USD as of Jan 2022)

  • Junior Passport: 48,500 COP ($12.17 USD as of Jan 2022)

  • Senior Passport: 48,500 COP ($12.17 USD as of Jan 2022)

The passes guarantee unlimited entry for the day, therefore if you wanted to get something from outside and return to the park, you can. You also want to find out at the ticket booth about this but you can get free admission if it’s your birthday. You just have to bring your ID to the box office and they’ll give you a multi-pass (Multiple Passport). Children under 90 cm (2.9ft) can get free admission as well as courtesy passes may be granted to though with disabilities depending on the level of the disability. Be sure to ask questions

Hours of Operation

They operate during two seasons: Low Season and High season. The Low Season is from September to May and High Season is from June to August. The hours of operation goes as follows

  • Low season: Wednesday - Sunday and holidays from 09:00 am to 06:00 pm

  • High season: Every day from  09:00 am to 06:00 pm

How To Get There

The Parque Del Cafe is located in the municipality of Montenegro. It's about 3.72 miles through Pueblo Tapao and just 20 minutes from the city of Armenia, the capital of Quindío and the heart of the coffee region. 

From Armenia

  • Transportation Terminal

    • Look for Promo Tour Cafetero located in Exit #2 going towards Pueblo Tapao. The price is subject to change and I believe it was 20,000 COP. It was a red bus. If you can’t them be sure to ask within the terminal which company goes to the park. It takes about 35 minutes and leaves you in front of the park after going through the village of Pueblo Tapao.

  • From Downtown

    • Alternatively, you can hop on a bus from Parque Cafetero on the cross street Carrera 14 and Calle 25 (25th Street and 14th Road/Avenue). Takes about 45 minutes

From Pereira

  • Take the Autopista del Cafe or look for Coomotor and Coochoferes bus towards Armenia and then follow the steps from Armenia to Parque del Cafe. It should take 1 hour

    • Company -  Autopista del Cafe | Coomotor | Coochoferes

    • Length - N/A | Direct | 9,200 COP

    • Price -  N/A |  12,000 COP ($3 USD) | 9,200 COP ($2.31 USD)

    • Hours - Monday - Friday from 7:00 am - 5:00 pm



From Manizales

  • Take the Autopista del Cafe or look for Expreso Palmira bus towards Armenia and then follow the steps from Armenia to Parque del Cafe. You might have to ask the bus terminal for routes because the companies and prices are scheduled to change. It should take 2 ½ hours

    • Company -  Autopista del Cafe | Expreso Palmira

    • Route - N/A | Direct 

    • Price -  28,000 COP ($7.06)

    • Hours - Varies. Makes sure to ask in the terminal

From Cali

  • Traveling from Terminal de Cali to Armenia. When you arrive in Armenia, follow the steps from Armenia to Parque del Cafe. It should take about 3¼ hours. 


  • Company - Coomotor | Expreso Trejos | Tax Belalcazar    

  • Route - Direct | Multicity | N/A 

  • Price - 34,000 COP – 41,000 COP | 40,000 COP, 39,000 | 40,000 COP

  • Hours - 12.30pm - 8pm (Every 3 hrs)| Every 3 hrs, 7.30am | 10.00am (Every hour)

From Medellin

  • Traveling from Terminal de Sur (South Terminal) to Armenia. When you arrive in Armenia, follow the steps from Armenia to Parque del Cafe. It should take about 6 hours. 

    • Company - Flota Occidental | Empresa Arauca

    • Route - Direct (via Pereira) | Direct

    • Price - 49,000 COP ($12.25USD) | 65,000 COP

    • Hours - 4:30 am - 11:30 pm

From Bogota

  • From the Terminal de Transporte S.A. to Armenia, many buses leave here in various comfort levels so it's ultimately up to you. It takes about 7 hours to get there Here are a couple of suggestions.

    • Company - Bolivariano | Velotax

    • Route - Direct | Direct

    • Price -  41,000 COP – 69,000 COP | 66,000COP

    • Hours - 8.00am, 8.30pm and 9.30pm | 10pm

Nearby Hotels

There are various hotels near the hear of Parque del Cafe. I will only talk about the ones closest to the Parque for your convenience

 

Company - Country Hotel La Tata

Distance from the Parque - 0.1 km (0.06 miles)

Price -  about 205,000 COP ($51.66 USD)

Some Amenities - Billiards, hammocks, jacuzzi, table games, ease of transport, restaurant


Company - Hotel Campestre Las Camelias

Distance from the Parque - 3 km (1.86 miles)

Price -  about 330,000 COP ($75.60 USD)

Some Amenities - Swimming pools, Jacuzzis, Water Park



Food

There are a plethora of eats within the park and a whole food court dedicated to this. You’ll see burgers, typical food, sweets, and brands from Frisby to SUBWAY. I recommend trying the ice cream in the park


Accessibility

 I really appreciate the accessible options here in Parque del Cafe. The signs and menus around the Parque are also in English. From the maps to self-guided tours. Many of the shop owners may speak English as well. For the handicapped, there are ramps and pathways suitable for wheelchairs


Attractions

There are water rides, rollercoasters, family-friendly activities, children rides, and coffee farm experiences. There is also horseback riding throughout the park, but there is a weight limit. You cant be no more than 100kg (220.4 lbs) to mount the horse. There are some rides that those in the Junior category cannot board because of the height limit. They have measuring sticks to let you know if your child is legible to board the attraction. For the water ride, make sure you ask in advance whether or not they are available if that is the only thing you’re going for. When I went they were closed. Be sure to ride the Crater, if you are into thrilling G-force rides. One thing I should point out is that the rides in the Parque leave no anticipation like the rides in the United States. Once it reaches its peak, you go down immediately.



Conclusion

Parque del Cafe is a popular Latin American theme park suitable for families, couples, and tourists alike. There are a few pricing options for adults, children, and seniors and even freebies for those with special needs and those who have birthdays. They operate from 9 am - 6 pm and there are many ways to get there, whether you’re coming from Cali, Medellin, Bogota, Pereira, or Manizales. There are few nearby hotels and it has a large food court when you get hungry from going through all the rides they have. Want to see more about Parque del Cafe? Check out the video I did on my channel.


Nathan Mahoney
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