At 1,895 m and about 24 km northeast of Armenia, Salento was founded in 1842 after the Guerra de los Supremos, when political prisoners sent to improve the road were given land once their sentences ended, making it the first modern settlement in Quindío. Its historic centre belongs to the UNESCO Coffee Cultural Landscape, inscribed in 2011. Calle Real, lined with craft shops and bahareque houses, climbs to the Alto de la Cruz, reached by 250 steps with views over the Cocora Valley. Jeep taxis cover the 11 km up that valley from the square, among the wax palms that are Colombia's national tree. Square restaurants serve trout farmed upstream on a giant fried plantain.
Nights sit around 15°C and afternoons around 23°C.
Salento barely changes season: afternoons sit around 23°C and nights around 15°C most of the year.
It rains all year — about 2700 mm in total, from 476 mm in November down to 62 mm in July — so there is no dry stretch to aim for.
Wind is rarely an issue; most months sit between calm and a light breeze. Air quality is worth watching: March averages an AQI of 63, while October clears to 52.
Daylight is steady all year, around 12.0 hours a day.
No month in Salento matches what you're after, so come for the place rather than the weather. Expect fast internet (294 Mbps) and a moderate cost of living (about €1300 a month).
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