Hacienda Bambusa

It’s not everyday you come across a place so special, so serene that your first thought is to count down the days until you can come back again. A place that quickens the pulse with pleasure, but enables complete relaxation. Hacienda Bambusa is just such a magical little spot, surrounded by astonishing natural beauty. It’s one of my top 3 happy places.

A brisk 25 minutes from the local airport in the southern part of the Coffee region, down a dirt road, nestled between cocoa and plantain plantations, bamboo forests, tangerine farms and rolling mountains, sits this charming, two-story Hacienda. Traditionally constructed from bamboo and clay tiles, it has just 8 rooms, all bright and airy. The two junior suites feature large balconies with hammocks, overlooking the pool, and the perfect spot from which to listen to the bird chorus in what is one of the most bio-diverse regions of Colombia.

For lunch, a locally sourced shrimp salad on the terrace by the pool hits the spot, and for dinner, the location changes throughout the house. One night we eat out front overlooking the rolling verdant hills under a canopy of glimmering stars. Another night, we are serenaded under candlelight in the interior courtyard by local musicians. Each morning breakfast is served with a view spanning out across the stunning green mountainous grounds while you fill your belly with fresh fruit from the hacienda.

Spend your days enjoying this enticing playground, from cycling or horseback riding to zip-lining and hot-air ballooning. You can hike in the Cocora Valley to see the Wax Palm, Colombia’s national tree, meander the streets of the colourful colonial towns of Salento and Filandia, or become a coffee connoisseur by visiting local coffee farms and tasting the different flavours. Don’t miss an afternoon with Camillo, a resident guide and biologist who will take you though the 400-acre labyrinth of plantain, manioc, orange, pineapple and cacao plantations around the hacienda, teaching you about production and the history of the area.

The striking contrast between this region and the rest of Colombia reinforces the country’s broad cultural diversity. A stay at Hacienda Bambusa is wild and authentic, a real oasis of tranquility among pristine Colombian countryside.

After spending several months on the ground digging in Latin America, Victoria has taken on planning Colombia and Ecuador. Contact her here.