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Slow Living in Colombia's Tropical Mountains

Buenavista, Colombia - June 10, 2023

Slow Living in Colombia's Tropical Mountains

by Sylvia Marie

Initially, this little sleepy town lost in the mountains of Quindío, Colombia, was just to be another routine stop in our repertoire of Colombian destinations. We booked an Airbnb for a month, randomly, without any prior knowledge of the place. This place is called Buenavista and what a buena vista it has! 


After 5 months living here, the view from our kitchen window has still never ceased to amaze me. It’s the kind of view I dream about when I look at old paintings by Monet, Cézanne, or H-E Cross. The town’s center is small and cozy – as in everyone here knows you after the first few weeks of your arrival. The rural area, which is composed of vast hills of tropical green beauty, is a short distance from our rental apartment. A sense of peace and tranquility envelops the entirety of Buenavista. 


I'm getting ready to head to my next destination soon, outside of Colombia. Five months is a long time for me to stay in one spot but that speaks to how much I love it here. (Not to mention that I needed a break from moving to different cities every month—yep, a vacation from a perpetual vacation.) 


This little nook nestled in the mountains of Quíndio, Colombia, is a hidden gem, still unaltered by tourism. Its surrounding cities are where the crowds tend to go when visiting the famous Colombian coffee triangle or el eje cafetero. I figure, give it a year or two and it’ll be on the map as a must-see destination in beautiful Colombia.

Paragliding over Buenavista

I was able to enjoy the entire landscape from a bird's eye view on my last week here as I paraglided over the whole place. It was my first time paragliding and I think it was the perfect place to do it. From so high above I could see it all: the central square where we sat many times people-watching, our apartment building which we called home for 5 months, the beautiful green mountains that we explored through our hikes, our friend’s land where he is building his home, the coffee plantations that seem to go on forever: everything and beyond. 


The surrounding mountains of Buenavista are so majestic that I even considered living somewhere in one of the cozy nooks, somewhere tucked away peacefully in a tiny Colombian finca. Waking up to the sounds of nature, watching the endless variety of exotic birds fly by, and never getting tired of how the wavering skylight kisses these mountains ever-so-gracefully, everyday... 


Anyway… next stop, Brazil, baby!

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