Tenza Valley - Where Andes whispers abundance

Colombian Coffee 

When people talk about Colombian coffee, people think of “el eje cafetero” or the coffee axis - predominantly covering the departments of Quindío, Risaralda and Caldas.

Fun fact: In Colombia, coffee is widely grown in a lot of regions. Some of these coffee are even better than the ones from the coffee axis - Tenza valley is one such region.

Tenza valley - An introduction

With altitudes ranging from 2,100 to 1,400 meters above mean sea level, this fertile region is a botanical playground—ideal for cultivating tropical fruits, coffee, corn, and flowers that burst with color and flavor.

It is a mosaic of municipalities, each with its own rhythm, heritage, and terrain. The region unfolds across three distinct clusters:

1. Almeidas province (Cundinamarca): Machetá, Manta and Tibiritá 

2. Eastern Boyacá: Guateque, Almeida, Chivor, Guayatá, La Capilla, Somondoco, Sutatenza and Tenza

3. Neira: Garagoa, Chinavita, Macanal, Pachavita, San Luis de Gaceno and Santa María

Geography

Tenza valley is a vast geographical region that is to the east of Cundiboyacense plateau. This region has one of the most beautiful landscapes of Boyacá department, with steep valleys, fruit and coffee farms. A sudden disappearance of the road as we snake up or down the mountains, a view of a small town around the corner, is never far away here. This is something that we will deal with, and see again and again during our Tenza valley travels.

This is Guayatá, the town of the curd arepa, Eastern Boyacá province, Boyacá department

Tenza Valley formed part of an ancient trade route from the Andes to the plains, which it faithfully serves through this day.  The highway RN 40 connecting Bogotá with Villao, gets closed often due to landslides. During this time, it is actually RN 56 road, connecting the town of Chocontá, Cundinamarca with Sabanalarga, Casanare that becomes the lifeline to the llanos. During such times, a 3-4 hour trip to Villao from Bogotá increases upto 8-9 hours.

A street in Santa María, Neira Province, Boyacá department

How to reach Tenza Valley

1. Take the Autopista norte towards Tunja. This is called the Autopista Norte or by its official name - The Liberators’ highway | Avenida de los libertadores 

2. After crossing Sisga reservoir, take the exit to the right towards Machetá , Cundinamarca. Here the RN 56 starts. Machetá is about 2100 meters above sea level and as you go downhill, you can notice that the weather changes. The landscape changes as well with plantains and fruits growing as we continue the trajectory deep inside Tenza valley territory.

3. From Machetá, it is a direct road to the provincial capitals of Guateque and Garagoa.

4. There are paved roads to some towns and unpaved roads to the others from Guateque and Garagoa.

The entrance to Machetá town with the distance boards

For all practical purposes, the town of Candalaria - Machetá is the gateway to the Tenza Valley from the Cundiboyacense plateau.

Machetá - Historical Center

 

Tenza comes from the language of Muiscas, called Chibcha - It means going down at night. It probably has a significance to the altitude and the route, keep thinking!

As part of my ongoing #ProjectBoyacá and #ProjectCundiamarca, I have been exploring the towns of this region whenever there is an opportunity.

Shall we now take a trip to the land that is beautiful and mystical?

                                                        Rural Tenza Valley