Travel Guide Pereira

Pereira, nicknamed "the pearl of the Otún" (in reference to the river), is synonymous with commerce, manufacturing, livestock and modern agriculture. The capital of the department of Risaralda is located in a region of transition, between the mountain range and the valley with green and luminous plains. The coffee plantations give way to sugar cane fields. The melancholy of the mountain and its metaphysical nature fade away in front of the calm and the good mood of the people of the valley. Many activities are possible to escape from this dynamic city which does not present any particular tourist interest, even if its inhabitants are very welcoming. Most of them left the neighboring lands during the period of the Violencia (1948-1960). This immigration brought a cheap labor force that stimulated the textile industry. Many farms and livestock cooperatives occupy the land. Sugar cane, soybeans and poultry are the main products. The main tourist sites in the Risaralda are La Virginia on the Cauca River for its landscapes, the snowy peaks of Los Nevados, the Otún lagoon and the thermal waters of Santa Rosa de Cabal