Hacienda Venecia
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Hacienda Venecia is a working coffee farm near Manizales with 100 years of tradition and extensive experience in the cultivation processing, exporting, roasting of Coffee. They have different types of accommodation are available and a variety of great activities. Its award-winning coffee is supplied to top Colombian hotels and restaurants and exported to Japan, Belgium, Canada, Sweden and USA.
The Main House is surrounded by the beautiful coffee landscapes and colorful plants and birds. It offers five beautiful and spacious bedrooms from 14m2 to 28m2, all with private bathroom. The interior of the rooms reflects the farms’ tradition in all its beauty. All of the bedrooms are decorated with brass beds, vintage bookshelves, black and white photos, small bedside cabinets and cupboards.
There are a variety of seating areas for you to relax and enjoy the impressive surroundings. Lounging on the Iguana’s Balcony or the Bird Watching Terrace you can snooze in one of their comfortable hammocks or read a book or observe a variety of birds around the trees. For those looking for more action, take a walk in the expansive garden to find colorful birds and extraordinary plants wherever you look. The Main House is also distinguishable by its architecture. Its 'Bahareque' construction uses bamboo and clay on the walls and clay tiles on the roof and is very typical for this region. The house is painted in shades of red and white to contrast with the lush green surroundings. A balcony surrounds the entire property so you can admire the splendor of the coffee landscape. Listen to the river. Take a dip in the pool. The Coffee Lodge is located on the hillside and offers a sweeping panoramic view and is the perfect place to hang out. With its coffee station and honesty bar you can make yourself at home – just grab a drink and relax. It is a place to meet new friends or play a round of carom billiard on the terrace. Share a bottle of wine on the porch or have a refreshing swim in the pool.
It has eleven bedrooms (each approx. 18m2) which all, except one, have their private en-suite bathrooms and a small private balcony to enjoy the beauty of nature. All of them have either two single beds or one double bed. Two rooms even offer space for an extra bed – so it perfectly suits couples, friends, young families or single travelers. The buffet style breakfast has everything your heart desires - from breads, jams, cereals, eggs and fresh fruits to juices and of course fresh brewed Hacienda Venecia coffee. You can order a set lunch and/or set dinner, which will indulge you with traditional Colombian dishes such as frijoles, ajiaco and sancocho - plenty of corn, beans, avocado, arepa, chicken and rice. All meals are lovingly prepared by the local staff, who endeavor to put all their dedication and passion in each dish. They can adapt their recipes to guests’ dietary needs and special requests. All meals are served outside or in a quaint traditional dining room.
Feel free to make use of the coffee station and bar at the seating area while lounging at the swimming pool. Rest in one of the hammocks, grab a yoga mat to greet the sunrise or read a book while listening to the rushing river. Experiences Near the Hacienda (at extra cost - must be booked in advance) Rio Blanco Natural Reserve
The nature reserve is located in the Río Blanco and Quebrada Olivares Protected Forest Reserve, which covers an area of 4,943 hectares. It is considered one of the richest regions of biodiversity on the planet. Río Blanco is broadly accepted as being one of the best birdwatching sites in the world.In total there are 362 species including 13 endemics in the reserve. We take you to the nature reserve by car, where a specialized birding guide will take you to the four different observation points of endemic and semi-endemic birds within the reserve. LOS NEVADOS NATIONAL PARK For the adventure seekers, we invite you on an extraordinary full day excursion where you see the changes in elevation, climate and landscape, starting from 1,300 meters up to approx. 4,180 meters above sea level. On the car ride to the Los Nevados National Park, we will see beautiful coffee farming landscapes with noticeable mini-ecosystems along the way. The Los Nevados National Park lies in the coffee-growing region in Colombia, encircled by snow-capped volcanic peaks. The park features special and unique flora and fauna. Each visitor falls in love with the strange but beautiful mountainous vegetation and more than 32 species of hummingbirds from the region. At the Los Nevados National Park, a local guide will take us up to the volcanic landscapes to four carefully chosen stopping point to help you adjust to the climbing altitude. A warm cup of coca tea is served to help avoid altitude sickeness and is a tradition in Colombia as well as a remedy. You will observe first hand the Páramo vegetation that grows high in the mountains and is comprised of huge grasses, shrubs, and frailejones (common high-altitude plants from 2000 to 4500 meters belonging to the sunflower family). All of these form the unique appearance of the Páramo Ecosystem. The diversity in the landscape will keep you speechless, as it is a unique experience. Finally, after visiting the mystical area around the Los Nevados National Park , you will arrive at the hot springs Termales del Ruiz to take a dip in the steaming hot water. These hot springs are known for their therapeutic effects, such as soothing stress and encouraging general well-being. But the real birdy delight of the Termales del Ruiz is the 10 species of hummingbird that come and visit the feeders set up in the main garden. You can buy little hummingbird feeders and the hummingbirds come right to your hand to feed - what an experince! After a full day of adventure, you will return back for a good night’s sleep!
SALENTO & COCORA VALLEY
Welcome to Colombia’s marvel: Salento and the Cocora Valley! We start our full day trip with a car ride to Salento, one of the most picturesque, quaint and traditional villages in the coffee region. Its houses are painted with vibrant colors, which match the charismatic character of the locals. After strolling down Salento’s delightful streets, we will enjoy a delicious coffee at the plaza. Then we embark on a 90 minute hike in the spectacular Cocora Valley, where you will be astonished by the tallest palm in the world (wax palm) which is the national tree of Colombia. Take time to immerse yourself with nature. Let all the local impressions sink in while we will take you for lunch. Trout is always on the menu, caught daily by local fisherman! This delicacy is an experience as it is not a fish exported outside of Colombia. SALAMINA
Salamina, in many aspects, personifies Colombia and is one of its most splendid towns. The brightly painted buildings are the hallmark and are almost like works of fantasy. The physical and architectural wonder of Salamina is worth a visit and the buildings in the center have earned the town National Heritage status. We offer round trip transportation so that you can enjoy walking through the streets and take the time for a long and leisurely lunch in town. TINAMÚ BIRDING NATURE RESERVE
An unforgettable experience of bird watching at the Tinamú Birding Nature Reserve. They are more than happy to take you on a round trip transportation to the reserve, where you will get a guided tour of the reserve on 3 different trails and a delicious breakfast. Enjoy a unique experience in bird watching, with a comprehensive and specialized service for photographers and birders in a reserve of 15 hectares with 260 species of birds. FINCA ROMELIA ORCHIDS
This place has more than 850 orchid plants, an interesting variety of carnivorous plants and around 218 species of wild birds. They will take you roundtrip to the Finca Romelia where you get a guided tour of the farm and the orchid nursery. You will also visit the farmhouse where they will have a little snack ready for you. |
Excursions Based at the Hacienda COFFEE TOUR - FROM SEED TO CUP
Dedicated coffee enthusiasts can be immersed an entire coffee experience around those magic little beans at the daily coffee tour. You will leave with much understanding and passion and will understand your cup of coffee in a whole new way. First you will get a general introduction to the world of coffee in the cozy Coffee Lounge. You will learn about the origin and history of coffee, the worldwide distribution, the different coffee varieties and qualities, as well as about the aromas and properties of coffee. After the perfect morning cup, the interactive tour continues with a walk through the plantation to learn more about the growing and harvesting and the coffee processing and marketing You will have the chance to taste and see the beans with different grades of roasting to experience the different aromas, as the roasting brings out the aroma and flavor that is locked inside the green coffee beans. Shared morning or afternoon private tours of about 3 hours at extra cost . (Saturdays, Sundays and holidays the coffee processing plant is closed) COFFEE CUPPING & BARISTA WORKSHOP
For the true coffee connoisseur who is obsessed with the art of drinking coffee, this is the workshop for you. It offers an advanced insight into the further complexity of tastes and brewing. Each of your senses will be engaged as you become saturated in each magical caffeinated morsel. You will learn about the influential factors that produce the aroma and taste of coffee. For that, we will identify different flavor profiles. All of these have an impact on the taste of the coffee you get in your cup! Once you have trained your senses to smell the variety of fragrances, you will be able to identify smells and flavors in a myriad of coffee preparations all over the world, every time you drink coffee. Be amazed how the smell changes in the preparation process and be even more excited to learn the nuances while drinking local sourced coffee. After that, we will show you how to prepare an extraordinary cup of coffee. But even more important – you will become the expert on how coffee should not taste. It’s not only about the roasting, the grinding, the water temperature and the water pressure, but also about the amount of coffee you are using per cup and even the altitude and climate where you want to enjoy your cup of coffee. You will become the expert on serving the perfect cup of coffee! (private afternoon tour at extra cost, minimum of 2 people) CHOCOLATE WORKSHOP
Take part in our unforgettable interactive chocolate workshop that will let you appreciate chocolate in a splendid way! You will pick a fresh fruit from the cacao tree and taste the raw cacao bean. After that, you will learn about the journey of the dried and fermented bean that magically transforms into chocolate splendor. You will roast and grind your own cacao beans to discover the whole chocolate making process. The cacao experience is full of delicious aromas, colors and flavors. Create your homemade custom chocolate delight with the flavors that match your taste buds to enjoy after the class or as a treat to bring home. minimum of 2 people at extra cost BIRD WATCHING
They are situated in a very privileged location for bird watching. To take full advantage of this, they have developed a Self-Guided Bird Watching Tour. With simple tools, which are explained in the Hacienda, every visitor can become an amateur birdwatcher and admire the colorful bird show at different bird hotspots of the hacienda. The whole thing is free of charge and only requires a short introduction by the staff of the Hacienda. If you prefer something more specialized, you can also hire a guide and go birding with him early in the morning. About 260 species can be discovered at the Hacienda. ARTISAN RUM WORKSHOP
They have developed a rum experience where you can learn about the fermentation process of sugarcane guarapo, the process of distillation of alcohols through alembics, and the aging processes in an artisanal way. Extra cost. About 2 hours BIKE TOURS
Come and discover in a unique way the beauty of the coffee plantations and the Coffee Cultural Landscape, a World Heritage place. This tour contains uncovered roads without a lot of incline and very shallow descents, so it is pretty easy. About 1 hour. HIKING Open to all at no cost
Explore 6 hiking trails carved between the mountains and coffee plantations with various levels of difficulty, all starting just from Hacienda Venecia. Real hiking aficionados can explore more challenging hiking trails, which extend out to small neighborhoods around the farm, where hikers experience the local culture and enjoy the rich landscape from the Andean Tropical Forest. Others can opt for more leisurely walks around the farms trails. Plantain Experience - THE ART OF COOKING A PLANTAIN
It is easy to confuse a plantain with a banana. Although they look similar and bananas are close relatives, plantains are very different. They are not always sweet, and are used as starch in many savory and sweet recipes. You will learn how to make different recipes for sweet, ripe or green plantains! And you will leave prepared to make plantains like a Colombian chef to cook for your friends at home. Plantains can be steamed, boiled, fried, mashed or curried. Sometimes they are even used as a filling, in salads and soups or in sauces. The culinary staff will show you different ways to prepare both ripe and green plantains to enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Go home with simple recipes to serve and enjoy as side dishes, as an appetizer or as part of the main course. After using your skills and practice, finish the class by savoring the fruits of your hard work. minimum of 2 people at extra cost |
