Bucaramanga is situated at 959 m a.s.l. in an area that used to be populated by the indigenous guanes, being in close proximity with other tribes such as the chibchas, chitarreros, laches and muiscas. Bucaramanga was established as a native town in 1622 and some mines were operated by the spaniards were established in the neighboring areas.During the XIXth century the town formally became a "Villa". At the end of that century it endured political struggles between craftsmen and traders, while during the XXth it had to endure the misery left over from the Thousand Day's War. The city managed to thrive and became one of the most important cities in modern Colombia. Its touristic atractions and hotel enterprises made the city grow and is now known as the "Pretty City". It also has very atractive parks, which earned the nickname "The City of Parks".

Capital of the Risaralda Department, was founded in 1863, and its situated at an average 1550 m a.s.l. although some areas are at 1200 m a.s.l.It is one of the most populared cities in the "coffee belt". During the precolumbian times the area was inhabited by the cultures Quimbaya and Pijao, which were known for their craftmanship. It was first known as "Old Carago", but it adopted the name "Pereira" over time, in memory of Doctor Francisco Pereira Martínez, one of the heroes of the Columbian Independency Campaign who took refuge on the area.During the 1950's, during the Colombian Internal Conflict, the city received a lot of refugeed from different part of the countries, which is the reason of the diversity one can witness in the city. Pereira became known as "The loving, the never-sleeping and brown" because it receives and nurtures everyone who visits the city. It's the touristic hub for the coffee belt and also famous for its nightlife, the "Pearl of the Otún", in honor to the river that crosses the city. It's a municipality with great cultural development and social integration, and also, due to its location, Pereira is a gathering point for commerce between the most important colombian cities like Medellín, cali, Bogotá, Manizales and Armenia.