Finca Luger: Be a Coffee Farmer for a Day, with Salento

From $162 USD per person

Finca Luger has been a working coffee farm for over a hundred years, in the hills that earned this part of Colombia its UNESCO Cultural Landscape designation. What separates this from a farm visit is that you are not watching. You plant a seed in the seedling beds, pick ripe cherries off bushes in full production, and follow the harvest through pulping, drying and roasting until you are holding the bean you watched change colour under heat an hour earlier.

Four and a half hours, farm and town. Salento is the second half, and the day closes with a tasting run by the farm’s own baristas.

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

How the day works

• Pickup and the drive to the farm (about 1 hour). Through the green hills of the Eje Cafetero.
• The farm, hands on (about 2 hours). Your guide walks you through every stage of production and puts you in it: planting a seed in the seedling beds, picking cherries, then following them through the process.
• Salento on foot (about 1 hour). Paisa architecture, the handicraft shops, the streets the town is known for.
• Tasting with the baristas (about 30 minutes). How to read a good Colombian coffee: aroma, acidity, body. This is where the morning turns into something you can use.

What’s included

• Private transport to and from Finca Luger
• An expert guide and a coffee specialist for the full farm tour
• Hands-on participation in planting, picking and roasting
• A coffee tasting session with barista instruction
• A guided walking tour of Salento

Not included

• Breakfast and lunch
• Personal purchases and gratuities

Good to know

• Closed-toe shoes. The plantation rows are uneven and the soil is soft.
• Dress in layers. Cool mornings, warmer afternoons, the occasional shower. A light jacket earns its place.
• Light outdoor activity at moderate altitude. If you have health concerns, tell us before booking so we can advise properly.
• Bring a little cash for Salento. The craft shops do not always take cards.
• It runs in all weather. Coffee farming does not stop for rain and neither does the tour.

Frequently asked questions

What will I actually do on the farm?

Take part in the production process: plant seeds in the seedling beds, pick ripe cherries, and follow them through pulping, drying and roasting.

Do I need to know anything about coffee first?

No. The tour is built for people with no farming background. The guide and the farm’s coffee specialist explain as they go.

Why is Salento part of it?

It is a short drive from the farm and it is the town at the centre of this region. Finishing there means the coffee has a place attached to it.

Is the tour in English?

Yes, throughout. Your guide also translates for the baristas and the local vendors in Salento so you can ask your own questions.

How is this different from the Cocora Valley tours?

This one is about the crop, not the landscape. If you want the wax palms, take the Filandia, Salento and Cocora full day or Cocora on horseback.

How do we get to the coffee region in the first place?

We drive that leg. Bogotá, Medellín and Cali, plus a Pereira airport transfer.

Ready? Check your date and lock it in