A Day in Filandia, Quindio, Colombia

After spending more than week in Armenia looking for a suitable apartment I gave up and decided to move onto Medellin instead, but before leaving I spent a day in Filandia.

Filandia is a pretty little pueblo located in-between Armenia and Pereira. It is really easy to get to (from Armenia) and is great for a day trip.

A Day in Filandia

I arrived in Filandia at around noon and got off the bus at some random stop in town.

Luckily, Filandia is not very big so I quickly found my bearings and started to make my way towards the Mirador Colina Iluminada, also referred to as Mirador De Quindio. You can see it in the distance.

It took about 10 minutes to walk there, but I also saw some jeeps taking people. You can board these at the town square. I don’t know how much it costs though. Less than 3,000COP I imagine.

Here is the mirador up close.

The mirador is 6 or 7 levels and most of them have a little information about the history of Filandia. Apparently Filandia is known for being the set in some famous Colombian TV shows due to its beautiful scenery, and in one show because of this graveyard.

Note: The Mirador Colina Iluminada costs 8,000COP to enter.

From the top the view is breath-taking.

Here is a shot of Filandia from the top of the Mirador Colina Iluminada.

They even made this tiled butterfly pond in the mirador.

The surrounding area was nice too. There is this mural.

And this old tyre pot-plant shaped into a swan.

Walking back into town for some lunch I spotted a little street-art. There isn’t much of it in Filandia, but the general colors of the buildings makes the whole town look like one giant piece of art-work anyway.

Town square is nice. It has lots of places to sit, is surrounded by restaurants and other shops, and has free wifi.

At the town plaza is a nice church you can have a look in.

There is also a second mirador closer to town called Mirador Los Angeles. It’s got nothing on the main mirador but since it is so close to the town square it is worth the short walk. Also, it is free.

Getting to Filandia

From Armenia go to the bus terminal. As you enter turn right and to the right of the buses to Ibague (and other places) there is a door leading outside. Go through it and then turn right again and you will see a booth with Filandia written on it. Get on the bus with the sign Filandia on it. Just sit. They take money off you later. It costs 4,400COP.

To get back to Armenia from Filandia the best place to board the bus (I think) is at the bottom of Carrerra 7, just around the corner from the central plaza. You can catch it from other places (just wave it down when you see it) but you may not get a seat.

The bus back to Armenia stop out the front of this shop, at the bottom of Carrerra 7.

Have you spent a day in Filandia before? Share your thoughts in the comments