How to get there?
Quindío (Spanish pronunciation: [kinˈdi.o]) is a department of Colombia. It's located in the western central of the country, specifically in the Andean region. Its capital is Armenia. It's famous for the quality of the coffee plantations, colorful architecture, benign weather, variety of hotel accommodations and tourist landmarks. This department is located in a strategic area, in the center of the triangle formed by the three main cities of the country: Bogotá, Medellín and Cali. Quindío is the second-smallest Colombian department (0.2% of the national territory) with 12 municipalities. Ethnographically and culturally, Quindío is part of the Coffee Cultural Landscape, declared by UNESCO since 2011.
Quindío is conveniently accessible, with two international airports nearby: El Edén International Airport (AXM) in Armenia (Quindío) and Pereira (PEI) Matecaña International Airport (Risaralda). Both of them offer regular flights from major cities, making it easy to reach this captivating region.
El Edén Airport is equipped to handle commercial, regular, and charter flights from various airlines, such as Avianca, Wingo, Latam, and the international Spirit Airlines operate services from USA to this airport. The estimated flight time to Armenia is 35 minutes from Bogotá and 30 minutes from Medellín. For those traveling to Quindío from other Colombian cities, connections are typically made through Bogotá, Medellín or Cali.
After arriving at El Edén Airport, you can take a taxi or a bus to the Armenia bus terminal, which is about 30 minutes away. From the Armenia bus terminal, you can catch a direct bus to Salento. Buses run frequently throughout the day, and the journey to Salento takes about 45 minutes.
Upon landing at Matecaña Airport, take a taxi or bus to the Pereira bus terminal, which is around 20 minutes away. At the Pereira bus terminal, you can find buses heading to Armenia. Once in Armenia, follow the steps above to catch a bus to Salento. Alternatively, some buses from Pereira go directly to Salento, with the trip taking approximately 1 to 1.5 hours.
To travel from Cali to Armenia, start by taking a taxi from Cali Airport to the city's bus terminal. Once at the terminal, you can catch a bus to Armenia, with several companies offering this service. The bus journey to Armenia takes approximately three hours. Upon arrival at the Armenia transport terminal, you’ll find buses departing for Salento every 20 minutes. The total distance for this trip, including a stopover, is approximately 200 kilometers, and the journey takes around 3hrs.
