Armenia is the capital of Quindio, in the middle of Colombia's coffee country, and it makes a good base for a loop through the surrounding hills. The city has more than three hundred thousand people, set on a slope of the Central Cordillera at around 1,500 metres, and it was named after the country of Armenia by its nineteenth-century founders, a detail that still amuses visitors. Calarca, a smaller neighbour, runs into it along the main road.
As a stop, Armenia is all practicality: fuel, mechanics, supermarkets and hotels of every kind, with traffic that is busy but manageable. The real riding begins as you leave. The road north climbs and drops through hills carpeted with coffee bushes, banana plants and shade trees, with sharp and flowing bends, a lively surface with the odd pothole, and little villages with painted wooden houses and balconies every few kilometres. Filandia and Salento, the prettiest of the towns, are a short ride away, and weekends bring tourists, so aim for weekdays and early mornings. Rain showers are frequent, especially in the afternoon, so keep waterproofs ready. Dry spells from December to February and July to August are usually the best.
Armenia's history is surprisingly young. The city was founded in 1889, during the coffee boom that transformed the region, and the cultural landscape of the coffee zone is now recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage site for its farms, villages and traditions. The city was badly damaged by an earthquake in January 1999 that killed more than a thousand people in the region, and much of the centre was rebuilt afterward, which gives it a modern look. You will find museums devoted to coffee and gold, and good places to drink a very fresh cup.
Nature around the city is exuberant. Within an hour's ride you can reach the Cocora Valley, where the tallest palms in the world, the Quindio wax palm, Colombia's national tree, tower above green pasture and cloud forest, an extraordinary sight on misty mornings. Hummingbirds, toucans and many other birds are easy to spot, and the air is soft and warm, smelling of roasting coffee and damp soil.
Fill up here before the hills, and bring a light jacket for the cooler uplands. The food is hearty, with bandeja paisa, trout and plenty of sweets.