Filandia looks a lot like Salento: bahareque houses, colorful balconies and a square with a church. But it gets fewer visitors, and on weekends you notice. If you already know Salento, it is the best half-day or full-day trip from the valley.
Getting there from Lumbre
It is 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes by car: drive down to Salento, take the Armenia–Pereira highway and head up to Filandia.
If you fly in or out of Pereira, Filandia is close to the route and worth a lunch stop.
Without a car, we can arrange a private transfer. Ask us for the rate.
Basket weaving
Filandia has been weaving baskets from bejuco vine for more than a hundred years, a craft recognized as cultural heritage. In the town’s shops you can watch the artisans at work and buy directly from them. A small basket is the best souvenir of the trip.
What is closed
Other guides will tell you about the Colina Iluminada viewpoint, the 27 m (89 ft) wooden tower. It has been closed since the earthquake of 10 August 2026, and the mayor’s office has announced it will be demolished. The Casa del Artesano is also closed.
The rest of the town is open as usual: streets, square, shops, cafés and restaurants.
Cloud forest and howler monkeys
Near Filandia is the Barbas-Bremen reserve, a cloud forest that is home to howler monkeys. You visit it with a local guide; check before you go that it is open. If you like birds and forest, pair it with birdwatching at Lumbre.
A well-planned day
- 8:00 am: breakfast at Lumbre.
- 9:00 am: leave for Filandia.
- 10:00 am to 3:00 pm: the square, the streets, basket shops and lunch in town.
- 4:30 pm: back in the valley before dark. A massage or the ofuro, then your terrace fire.
Salento or Filandia?
- One free afternoon: Salento, 15 minutes away.
- A full day, or you already know Salento: Filandia.
- Flying in or out of Pereira: Filandia, close to the route.
