Experience the best of Ibagué

Ibagué is the capital of the Tolima department, in the Central Cordillera of the Colombian Andes, at the foot of the Combeima canyon and about 1,300 metres above the sea. It was founded in the sixteenth century and is called the musical capital of Colombia, home to the Tolima Conservatory and, every June, the Colombian Folk Festival, with parades, dance and bands in the streets.

Los Nevados National Natural Park lies to the west, where the Nevado del Tolima rises above 5,000 metres, and a road follows the Combeima canyon up toward it, past rivers and mountain farms. The main road west climbs the La Línea pass into the coffee region of Quindío, with Salento and the Cocora Valley beyond.

Lechona tolimense, a whole pig roasted with a filling of rice and peas, is the best-known local dish, along with large steamed tamales and the crumbly biscuits called achiras. Coffee grows on the slopes. The weather is warm and spring-like all year, with rain in two seasons.