Ciales

Ciales sits above the karst country of the north-central mountains, and coffee has been its business since the nineteenth century. A coffee museum in the town covers the crop's history on the island, the processing and the equipment, and small producers in the hills around sell their own. The town holds a coffee festival in the spring. Below it, the Río Grande de Manatí runs through canyons in the limestone.

What you actually see

• The coffee museum - displays on the crop, its history and processing.
• The hill farms - small producers in the mountains around the town.
• The karst canyons - limestone gorges below the town on the Río Grande de Manatí.
• The coffee festival - the town's spring event centred on the harvest.

When to go

December to April is the drier season. The coffee festival is usually in the spring. The museum keeps limited hours and is best checked ahead.

Honest expectations

The museum is small and often closed outside its stated hours. The town has little else for visitors. Mountain roads are narrow and winding.

Nearby

Manatí is north on the coast, and Utuado is west.