Tatama

In the heart of the Colombian Coffee Axis, in the western mountain range and one hour away from the city of Pereira, there’s the municipality and small town of Apía. This small town is a famous scenery for its immense diversity of bird species that can be watched, people’s passion for music, the proximity and perfect view of the Tatama peak and natural park, and of course, for its coffee. Apía is visited year-round by national and international tourists for ecotourism and extreme sports such as mountain biking and paragliding. Additionally, it is the cradle to many music bands and music festivals. They celebrate a yearly Rock Festival in November, receiving international and national artists, as well as their anniversary festivities celebrated in August with music and traditional dances.

The National Tatama Natural Park is astounding for its intact biodiversity and the beautiful landscapes made up of forests, mountains, hills, and valleys of paramos. The Park is still very well conserved and protected by the local government, restraining, and limiting the entrance of people and community. Tatama is considered a paramo, a very humid ecosystem only found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, that reaches high altitudes such as 4,000 MASL, but not enough to become a snow-peaked mountain. Some people say that Tatama means “la tierra más alta” in Indigenous language or “the highest land” in English, and others say that it means “the grandparent of rivers.” Thousands of animal species such as spectacled bears, deers, pumas, otters, jaguars, and monkeys as well as many bird species have found a habitat in this natural paradise.