Fall of the Dragon: A Hidden Waterfall in Jardin

Fall of the Dragon was one of our favourite waterfalls to hike to in Jardin, Colombia. It’s nestled in the forests of the Andes mountains and isn’t the easiest waterfall to get to. However, for us, the payoff was worth it!

In this guide we want to cover our own experience of hiking from Jardin to Fall of the Dragon. We’ll explain the complexities of the trail, tips on how to tackle it and much more!

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About Fall of the Dragon, Jardin

Fall of the Dragon is the second waterfall along the Four Waterfalls Trail in Jardin. It takes a bit of stamina to climb up to it but generally it’s not too bad. We managed it by taking a slower pace on the uphill sections!

The waterfall itself is in the rainforest and is about 50m tall. But from the base you can only see the bottom 15m or so. If you continue along the trail after Fall of the Dragon you’ll find viewpoints at different levels of the waterfall.

We actually have no idea why it’s called Fall of the Dragon, so if you do, let us know on Instagram!

The hike to Fall of the Dragon

So let’s outline the details of the hike and explain our own experience of trekking to Fall of the Dragon. Here are the stats from Jardin to the waterfall and back:

What we did was actually add the Cristo Rey and Cafe Jardin loop trail to this hike. This added a bit of extra mileage on the trail but the view from Cafe Jardin was worth it!

However this guide is about Fall of the Dragon, so we’ll cover the route directly from Jardin.

Jardin to Cascada la Escalera

We’ve broken up this trail into two parts. The first section is to hike from Jardin to Cascada la Escalera! Cascada la Escalera is the first waterfall along the Four Waterfalls Trail.

From Jardin’s main plaza head east along Carrera 3. When you reach Calle 13, swing a left. Now you need to follow this road north-east all the way to the trailhead, which is here!

You can also hire a tuk tuk to this trailhead which will set you back about 15,000 COP ($3.66).

Once you’ve got to the trailhead, this is where the AllTrails route starts. This trail is pretty easy all the way to the waterfall. Just follow the signs to Cascada la Escalera! There are a couple of shallow water crossings, but with the right shoes you’ll be good!

If you want to know more about your options, check out our full guide to Cascada la Escalera!

Cascada la Escalera to Fall of the Dragon

The second part of this trail will take you from Cascada la Escalera to Fall of the Dragon. This is where the trail starts to become more difficult!

After admiring the 60m tall Cascada la Escalera, continue along the trail. At one point, you’re gonna reach a house – this house is private property. Luckily, they’ve built a nice gate to the right of the house for hikers to pass by!

Keep following the trail past the house and eventually you’ll have to step over a low wooden fence. Trek through the grass until you reach the bottom of a hill.

This hill is the steepest elevation of the hike in the shortest amount of time! It’s where Sara struggled the most in terms of stamina. But with a slow pace and regular breaks, almost anyone can manage it! And the views across the valley from here were spectacular!

Continue traversing along the side of the trail and eventually you’ll reach an overgrown path that heads into the forest. Take this path for a short distance and you’ll arrive at Fall of the Dragon. Actually, you’ll probably hear it before you see it!

Now it’s time to relax and eat some lunch before heading back down. If you decided not to stop at Cafe Jardin on the way up, we recommend you do on the way back!

Other waterfalls to visit in Jardin

Fall of the Dragon and Cascada la Escalera aren’t the only waterfalls to see in Jardin. So here are a few other fan favourites in the area!

Cueva de los Guarachos & Salto del Angel

Cueva de los Guarachos and Salto del Angel are the third and fourth waterfalls along the Four Waterfalls Trail. We actually tried to get to these ones but we couldn’t find the trail!

We followed the AllTrails map for a further 45 minutes after Fall of the Dragon. However, we reached a very steep downhill section that was way out of our skill level! It was raining heavily now, so we decided to call it a day and head back to Jardin instead.

If you want to see these waterfalls, we highly recommend booking a local guide! These guys know the forests so well and will guide you along the right path. If we head back to Jardin, this is definitely what we’ll do!

Alternatively, if you’re feeling lazy, you can book a jeep to bring you most of the way to Cueva de los Guarachos. Then you’ll only have a short hike to reach the falls.

Cascada del Amor

Cascada del Amor is the closest waterfall to Jardin centre. As a result, this is also the most popular waterfall in the area! Here are the stats if you plan to walk:

Cascada del Amor, or ‘Waterfall of Love’, is called such because of a local legend. Apparently if you kiss your partner while standing underneath the waterfall, your love will last forever! We weren’t appropriately dressed for a soaking, so let’s hope the reverse isn’t the case!

To get there, we started the hike from the Camino de la Herrera trailhead. Then you simply follow the Camino de la Herrera until you reach Cascada del Amor!

Again, if you’re feeling lazy, you can hire a tuk tuk to bring you to the falls. This’ll only cost about 8000 COP ($1.95).

If you want to know more, check out our full guide to Cascada del Amor!

Cueva del Esplendor

Finally, Cueva del Esplendor is probably the second most popular waterfall in Jardin. Over the years the falls have eroded away a cave roof. So when you arrive, you walk into the cave and see the waterfall cascading through. Hence the name, ‘Cave of Splendor’.

You can choose to hike the full 20km there and back, or you can book in a jeep tour. Personally, we would recommend a jeep tour, especially if you plan to do the Four Waterfalls Trail too.

Bear in mind that they only allow 40 people to visit Cueva del Esplendor a day. Also, you have the pay for entry and a guide (if you don’t take a tour) and you only get 30 minutes at the falls.

How to get to Jardin

The main route to take to Jardin is to catch a public bus from Medellin, which is the closest city to Jardin. This is how we travelled to and from Jardin ourselves and would be our number one recommendation for you guys too. It’s by far the most budget friends option at only 38,000 COP ($9.32) each way.

The process of getting from Medellin to Jardin is a simple one:

1. Head to the busbud.com website.
2. Check for buses leaving from Medellin to Jardin and choose the option that suits you best. We went with Rapido Ochoa which is the most popular company to travel with.
3. Head to Terminal del Sur in Medellin and plan to arrive 30-45 minutes before your bus departs.
4. If, like us, you booked with Rapido Ochoa, you need to check-in and get your tickets at desk 34.
5. Head to the bay number on your ticket and board your bus! 

We published a full guide on how to get from Medellin to Jardin and back. We cover how to book the bus, where to catch the bus and out experience of the journey!

Where to stay in Jardin

There are tons of places to stay in Jardin, but these are some that particularly stand out!

• Rosita 2 – where we stayed ourselves. It’s a great budget option if you manage to book the private double room!
• La Casa de Ana – a three bedroom house that’s only $60/night! We would recommend this if you’re in a group or if you want a mid-range option.
• Casa Passiflora Hotel Boutique – our luxury pick! A popular place to stay in Jardin, this hotel comes with it’s own restaurant, cocktail and hot tub!

Final thoughts about Fall of the Dragon, Jardin

Fall of the Dragon is a beautiful waterfall nestled in the forest and should be on everyone’s itinerary. Even if you’re not a keen hiker, we recommend leaving early in the day and just taking it slow. Pack a lunch and enjoy the day in the countryside of Jardin!

Once again, if you decide you want to take on the full Four Waterfalls Trail, then we highly recommend a guide. Put aside a full day for this as it’s going to take upwards of eight hours to complete the trail.

Check out our other Jardín guides:

• Cascada la Escalera in Jardin: Everything You Need to Know
• Cascada del Amor: A Guide to Jardin’s Waterfall of Love
• Best Cafes in Jardin Colombia: Where to Get Your Coffee?
• 37+ Things to do in Jardin: Colombia’s Best Kept Secret
• How to get from Medellin to Jardin by bus (and more)
• Is Colombia safe to visit in 2024? Everything you need to know

We hope that our guide covered everything you need to know about visiting Fall of the Dragon in Jardin. We always strive to offer the most accurate and up-to-date information we can but if you think something we’ve said is wrong, please let us know!