Hacienda El Paraíso: Private Sugar Cane Tour from Cali

From $149 USD per person

The Cauca Valley runs flat and green for a hundred kilometres north and south of Cali, and almost all of it is sugar cane. It has been that way since the colonial period, and the valley’s music, food and demographics all trace back to it. Hacienda El Paraíso, about two hours out of the city, is where you can see the whole thing in one day: the fields, the pressing, the house, and a lunch that comes out of the same history.

Seven hours, private, hotel to hotel.

Check live availability and prices — or read on for how the day is built.

How the day works

• Pickup and the drive out (about 2 hours). A private car from your hotel in Cali, north through the valley.
• The cane fields (about 1 hour). The hacienda’s own guide walks you through how cane is grown, cut and processed, and what it becomes: sugar, and panela, the unrefined block that is in half the kitchens in Colombia.
• Guarapo tasting (about 1 hour). You watch the stalks pressed and drink the juice straight. It is the everyday drink of this valley.
• Lunch and the drive back (about 3 hours). A traditional valluno lunch, then your driver takes you back to your hotel.

What’s included

• A private English-speaking guide
• Private hotel pickup and drop-off in Cali
• Entry to Hacienda El Paraíso
• A traditional lunch
• All-risk insurance

Not included

• Extra purchases

Good to know

• Two hours each way. Four of the seven hours are driving. The tour is private, so the car and the pace are yours, but the distance is fixed.
• No vegan option. Tell us about dietary needs when you book so we can check what the kitchen can actually do.
• Comfortable shoes. The paths around the hacienda and through the fields are unpaved and flat.
• Sun and heat. The valley is warm and open all year. Hat, sunscreen, water.
• Rain or shine. Most of the day is outdoors, so dress for the weather rather than hoping.
• English or Spanish. Your guide works in both. Say which you prefer at the start.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Hacienda El Paraíso?

In the Cauca Valley north of Cali, roughly two hours by road each way. The house is a nineteenth-century estate and the fields around it are still worked.

What is guarapo?

Fresh juice pressed straight from the cane stalk. You see the press run and then you drink it. Your guide explains what else the same juice becomes.

How much walking is there?

Some, on flat unpaved ground around the grounds and fields. The pace is set by your group, and nothing about it is strenuous.

Is lunch included?

Yes, a traditional valluno lunch. There is no vegan option, so let us know in advance if you need something different.

Is the tour private?

Yes. Private guide, private vehicle, pickup and drop-off at your hotel in Cali.

How do I get to Cali in the first place?

Fly in and we take the ground. For the arrival, book a Cali airport transfer. For getting around once you are here, see transfers in Cali.

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