37+ Epic Things to do in Jardin, Colombia

I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of Jardin, Colombia until today! Full of history, Jardin is a small, colourful and bustling pueblo found just three hours south-west of Medellín. Despite being home to only 13,000 Colombianos and covering an area of just 224 km², Jardin is bursting with activities and things to do.

Sara and I spent a whole four days in this beautiful colonial village! However we still weren’t able to cover all the things to do in Jardin that are in this guide. Trust me, we tried!

From chasing waterfalls, to tasting some of the best coffee the country has to offer. To bird-watching for the elusive Andean Cock-of-the-Rock (yes, you heard that right) – Jardin has it all!

A full travel guide for those visiting Jardin Colombia. Including the history of Jardin, all the best things to do, where to stay, how to get there, safety advice and much, much more.

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The history of Jardin, Colombia

Jardin was named after a legend. It’s said that when the original settlers crested the peak of the Andes mountains, they believed the area looked like “the garden of Antioquia”. If you’re unaware, jardín is the Spanish word for “garden” – a pretty fitting name if we do say so!

Pre-Spanish conquest, there’s gravestone evidence suggesting that Colombian indigenous peoples lived in and around the area of Jardin for many years before the first settlers. However, Jardin itself was officially founded in 1863 by the settler Indalecio Paláez who claimed the land for agricultural purposes. 

Not long after in 1864, two priests arrived at Jardin fleeing from General Mosquera in Medellín. They came up with the idea to turn Jardin into a more independent village. After discussing with the farmers, in 1871 Jardin achieved parish status and in 1882, achieved township status.

Tips for visiting Jardin, Colombia

• Bring lots of cash – by the third day of our trip, we had run out of cash. Unfortunately for us it was a Sunday and all three of the ATMs in Jardin were out of service. Yes, ALL of them. Most places do not accept card payments, so make sure you bring enough spare cash for your trip!
• Don’t worry too much about where to stay! – Jardin is a small town and it only takes 15 minutes to walk from one side to the other. So don’t spend too much time looking at which area to stay in. We’ll give you some accommodation ideas towards the end of this guide!
• Plan in advance – as we’re about to show you, there are A LOT of things to do in Jardin. So if you’re on limited time, plan the activities you want to prioritise and create a schedule for each day.

Things to do in Jardin Town Centre

As mentioned before, there are a multitude of different things to do in Jardin. Some are easily accessible in the town itself, others are found in the mountains surrounding Jardin. So this is how we’re going to break down the list below!

We’re going to start with all the things to do in Jardin that are found within the town itself.

Plaza de Libertador

Also known as “the living room” by the Jardin locals, Plaza de Libertador is the main square of the town. This is where you can come to see people going about their day-to-day lives in Jardin. From restaurants, to bars, to museums surrounding the plaza, to sitting on one of the many benches watching the world go by. You can find it all at Plaza de Libertador!

The highlight of the main plaza is the beautiful fountain found right in the centre. It lines up perfectly with the giant basilica at the head of the plaza (more on that next!). The fountain is surrounded by well-maintained greenery. We thought this gave the plaza a more natural feel in the heart of the town.

If you’re peckish and on a budget, the plaza is home to a range of different street vendors. From fruit stalls during the day, to vendors offering traditional Colombian street food from evening onwards. We tried the fried potatoes and chorizo with the staple Colombian arepas and it was absolutely delicious – and only $2!

Basilica of Immaculate Conception

The Basilica of Immaculate Conception is a Colombian Catholic run church. It was built in a neo-gothic style back in 1918 by architect Giovanni Buscaglione. When we first arrived in Jardin, we were blown away by its size and aesthetic!

Fun fact: a local told us that the basilica was built completely out of hand carved stones that were sourced from a local quarry. If you could see how many stones the basilica is made up of, you’d realise how crazy that is!

Basilica of Immaculate Conception opening times are from 8:30am – 5pm on weekdays, and 8:30am until midday on weekends. Please bear in mind that this is a functioning house of God. It goes without saying to be quiet and respectful when exploring inside – especially if there’s an ongoing service! 

Eat all of Jardin’s street food

Let’s dive a bit more into Jardin’s aforementioned street food! From about 6pm onwards, the east side of Plaza de Libertador turns into sort of a mini street food market. The locals open up to offer you traditional Colombian street food at incredibly affordable prices!

If you follow us on Instagram, you’ll know how much we love going to markets in new countries and testing out different street food options. This is exactly what we did here!

These vendors offer everything from arepas, to empanadas, to churros (for those of you that have a sweet tooth). There’s something here that will satisfy everyone’s cravings.

When we were exploring the vendors, we noticed that the most expensive food on offer was only about 15,000 COP – or $3.50. So you can be happy with the knowledge that your bank account is safe!

Try locally sourced fresh fruits

During the day you can find other vendors lining the pathways of Plaza de Libertador. The main offer during the day is fresh, locally sourced fruits – and when we say local, we mean local!

Surrounding Jardin is agricultural land galore. Most of the fruits you can pick up in Jardin are usually picked the previous day, meaning the fruit is as juicy and sweet as it can be! It doesn’t get much fresher than that.

During the day you can find vendors selling apples, bananas, avocados, strawberries and mangosteen. By the way, if you’ve never tried a sweet, sweet mangosteen before, we insist that you pick one up! It’s one of our favourite fruits!

Go bird watching at Reserva Natural Jardin de Rocas

Okay, now we’ve reached the part about the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock (hehe). The Andean Cock-of-the-Rock is a large passerine bird with an incredibly unique look to it. This makes it a sought after species for tourists and bird watchers alike in Jardin. 

The best (and easiest way) to see the Andean Cock is to head to the Reserva Natural Jardin de Rocas. You can find it here, open between the hours of 3-6pm – this is what we decided to do.

At this time, all the birds flock to this area so males can compete for the admiration of the females. Because of the courtship, you’ll hear the male Cocks make a peculiar noise to go along with their peculiar dance. 

The nature reserve costs 12,000 COP ($2.83) per person to enter. If you’re on a tight budget and would rather avoid this extra cost, head to the yellow suspension bridge over the nature reserve.

If you’re lucky, you may spot the red feathers of the Andean Cock in the trees below. Although you won’t be able to get nearly as close as actually going inside the nature reserve itself. 

We thought that this was an incredibly unique experience! We don’t know if we’ll ever get another chance to see these little guys again. So we fully recommend heading into the reserve to watch the courtship for yourselves!

Casa Museo Cultura Clara Rojas

The Casa Museo Cultura Clara Rojas, or the House of Clara Rojas Cultural museum, is located in the south-east side of Plaza de Libertador.

The museum is split into two separate houses. One is a show-house of what traditional Antioquian architecture and interior design looks like (the house of Clara Rojas). The other houses the Gabriel Peláez Montoya municipal library. 

It’s a popular museum destination for tourists in Jardin and also a favourite of the locals too. However, unfortunately the day we visited it was closed for renovations (October, 2023). We hope that when you visit Jardin, the museum will be open and welcoming visitors once again!

Enjoy some baked goods from Café Macanas

If you’re a lover of pastries, cakes and all things sweet, then this is the place for you! 

On the northside of Plaza de Libertador, to the left of the Basilica of Immaculate Conception, you’ll find the one and only Café Macanas. We actually came across this by accident because we had run out of cash! It’s one of the few restaurants that accept card payment.

However, we couldn’t be more happy about this coincidental lunch spot we found! From the hours of 7am – 7pm, Café Macanas serves some of the tastiest desserts and baked goods you’ll find in Jardin! 

We both indulged in torta de chocolat y helado – chocolate cake and ice cream. You can trust us when we say, it was muy delicioso! Just bear in mind that the baked goods sell out throughout the day – when we went for lunch the brownies were already gone! So arrive earlier if you want your pick of everything!

Take a tuk tuk tour of Jardin

Jardin is an incredibly walkable pueblo. Although, if you’re tight on time, then why not take a tuk tuk tour of the town?

It’s not difficult to find a tuk tuk driver in Jardin. They can be found parked up all over the centre of town. The best thing is, the tuk tuk prices are fixed! You won’t have to haggle and you know you won’t be ripped off!

The drivers can also talk you through the history of Jardin and all the places you stop to see. But you best brush up on your Spanish!

A 30-minute tuk tuk tour of Jardin should run you back 18,000 COP ($4.21). The driver will take you to all the well known spots in town. Also, it was pretty fun to be in the back of a tuk tuk!

Eat a local lunch on Calle 6

This one is for our fellow travellers who are sticking to a lower budget! No doubt you’re told over and over that “if you want to eat cheap, then eat local”. Well, there’s no better place to do this in Jardin than on Calle 6! Calle means road in Spanish by the way!

Calle 6 runs along the south of Plaza de Libertador and spans the entire width of Jardin. Along Calle 6 are a multitude of different local restaurants, cafés and tiendas for you to take the pick of. If the place is full of locals, then it’s going to be a great meal!

We recommend heading here for lunch especially. You can ask the store owner for menu del día (menu of the day). The chef will whip you up a local lunch that will set you back between 10,000 – 15,000 COP ($2.34 – $3.51). 

You never know what you’re going to get for the menu del día as it changes daily. This turns the entire experience into a bit of a game which is great for all our lovers of spontaneity.

If you’re not sure if you’ll like it, and you’re not alone, ask for menu del día para compatir – menu of the day to share.  You’ll get an extra plate and cutlery to share the meal together!

Indulge in dessert from Dulces de Jardin

Dulces de Jardin, or desserts of Jardin, is a great place to come after a meal . Especially when you’re looking for a little extra sugar splurge!

Located here, quite far out of Jardin’s centre, you may not stumble across this place. This is why we wanted to tell you about it!

Unfortunately, due to our lack of cash issue, we weren’t able to indulge ourselves. However, we have heard great things about the sweet treats on offer at Dulces de Jardin.

The shop is open from 8am – 6pm. Go and try it out and message us on Instagram to let us know how it tastes!

Explore Jardin’s Town Hall

Jardin’s Town Hall, or Alcaldía Municipal de Jardin, is found on the north-west corner of Plaza de Libertador. It’s a two-story old colonial style-building that is used as the corporate office by the local authorities in Jardin.

Outside of the town hall, you’ll find a bronze bust of Simón Bolívar. Simón was a well known Venezuelan military man who was also called El Libertador – the namesake of Jardin’s plaza. If you’ve never heard of Simón Bolívar before, he was a key player in helping many countries in South America achieve independence from Spain.

Unfortunately we didn’t have time to go inside of the town hall, but next time, hey! It’s open to visitors between 8am – 4pm on weekdays and 7am – 1pm on Saturdays. 

Drink with the locals on Calle 6

Picture this, it’s a Sunday, you’ve finished your menu del día. Now you’re looking to wash it down with a nice cold Aguila Original. Well, you don’t have to venture too far! If you’re already on Calle 6 on a weekend, you’ll notice how the street is absolutely buzzing with locals.

We walked down Calle 6 on both a Saturday and a Sunday. Both days the small bars were packed with local Jardinians enjoying a cold beer on a hot weekend afternoon. If you’re looking to practice Spanish, make some new friends or hear local stories, this is the time to do it!

Go for date night at Bella Italia

There are lots of different beautiful restaurants in Jardin for a cute date night. One we really enjoyed our time at is Bella Italia!

Found not too far from Plaza de Libertador, right here, Bella Italia offers an authentic Italian cuisine in the dimly lit, cosy little restaurant. I dove into a mouth-watering carbonara and Sara was gifted with a HUGE slice of lasagna. 

Best of all, this meal only set us back about $10 each! For the quality of the food, we can’t complain about!

Try the local coffee

Jardin is found right in the middle of Colombia’s coffee region, so you know what that means… absolutely amazing coffee!

Now, I’m not a big coffee drinker (in fact I hate the taste). Sara, on the other hand, is a fan. She was raving about the coffee in Jardin!

There is no shortage of small cafés and coffee shops in Jardin for you to pick from. Some of our favourites were:

• Café Cuchillas
• Café Europa
• Café Latte
• Café Macanas
• Café de los Andes
• El Artisano

Hop on the funky trail

Okay, so we saw this really strange yet funky train driving around Jardin throughout the day. 

We’re not entirely sure what it’s called. We’re not entirely sure where you get on and off. We have no idea how much it costs – sorry, we’re pretty useless on this one! We did google it but we couldn’t find any information about it at all!

If you decide to take the train tour around Jardin, drop us an email and tell us about your experience! We really want to know!

People watching on Jardin’s streets

Being an old colonial town, the local Jardinians have established a very relaxing way of life in Jardin. Usually people are chilling on one of the many benches in Plaza de Libertador. If not, then they’re hanging out with friends in the little bars along Calle 6.

We fully recommend taking after the locals and just slowing down a bit for a day. Why not sit on a bench for an hour and watch the world go by. Or perch yourself out the front of a coffee shop and people watch as locals and tourists alike go about their day in Jardin. 

Sometimes it’s nice to just stop and smell the roses instead of charging around at 100% all the time!

Take Spanish lessons in Jardin

If you’re planning to travel around Latin America long-term, then we highly recommend investing in some Spanish lessons.

Honestly, it surprised us how few people in Colombia can speak even a small amount of English. Don’t get us wrong, we don’t expect them to! It’s just that we’re used to South-East Asia where most people have a good grasp of basic English.

Personally, we’ve been taking weekly Spanish lessons in Medellin. However if you’re spending a good amount of time in Latin America, find yourself a teacher to improve your skills! Or alternatively, head to Calle 6, consume some dutch courage and practice your Spanish with the locals!

Things to do around Jardin

Jardin is situated in the Andes mountains which is great for adventure lovers like us! There are a number of outdoor activities that can be found surrounding the town. 

Hike to Mirador Cristo Rey from Jardin

Mirador Cristo Rey is a small café in the Andes foothills surrounding Jardin. The hike to Cristo Rey is actually going to be the beginning stretch of a number of hikes we’re going to talk about in this Jardin guide.

If you’re not a hiker, you can hire a jeep or a tuk tuk up for about 15,000 COP ($3.50). But in our humble opinion, that’s not quite as fun is it! This isn’t a difficult trail! You don’t have to be the most advanced hiker, but you do have some elevation to climb.

Note: make sure you’re wearing sturdy footwear. You can find the boots Sara uses here, and the ones I use here.

The trail to Cristo Rey

The trailhead for Cristo Rey starts here, from the west side of Jardin town centre.

It’s very close to the now disused Cable Aereo de Jardin, a cable car that used to take you up to Mirador Cristo Rey from town. Unfortunately, we noticed that the cable car looks to be in a state of disrepair. It hasn’t been operational for at least a couple of years.

From the trailhead, you’re going to head downhill for a bit (passing a beautiful… willow tree?). Keep going until you reach the bottom of the pathway and cross a bridge.

This is where the trail starts to become fun! You’re going to start heading up the hill and at this point you’re going to be thankful for your hiking boots! 

As you climb, you’re going to move from a wooded area to a pathway that heads up past a bunch of banana farms. The higher you go, you’ll get an amazing view to your left that looks over the entire pueblo of Jardin. Essentially, you keep following this path until you reach Mirador Cristo Rey. You’ll recognise it by the statue of Jesus!

Cristo Rey opening hours

Here the little café is open from 10am – 6pm weekdays and 9am – 6:30pm on weekends. You can stop here, enjoy a coffee and a snack, admire the view and then hike back down. Alternatively, you can do what we did and continue up to Café Jardin!

Enjoy the view from Café Jardin

Café Jardin is a viewpoint café found here, on the side of the Andes to the west of Jardin. At Café Jardin, you can enjoy some delicious desserts, just like Sara did! A refreshing coca-cola or a tasty local coffee doesn’t go amiss either. We had four drinks and a cinnamon roll for only 49,000 COP ($11.48). 

But how do you get to Café Jardin? 

So we’re going to repeat what we said before – you can hire a jeep or tuk tuk to Café Jardin. Where’s the fun in that though?

Just know, if you’ve already hiked up to Cristo Rey, you’ve already done the hard part! In fact, stand behind Cristo Rey and look up the mountain. You’ll see Café Jardin not too far ahead of you!

To reach Café Jardin from Cristo Rey, it’s just a short walk along a paved road. Just bear in mind that Café Jardin is open daily from 10am – 6:30pm and closed on Monday’s.

We started our hike early, so it was closed on our way up. We actually had to visit on the way back down the mountain!

Café Jardin is actually the trailhead for a number of alternative hikes into the Andes, some longer than others. So from here you can walk back to Jardin the way you came. Alternatively, you can continue round the road that creates a loop back to Jardin.

What we did though, was continue further on a new adventure…

Trek to Cascada de Francia

Cascada de Francia (France Waterfall) is the first of many waterfalls we’re going to talk about in Jardin.

Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to this particular waterfall ourselves due to time constraints. Though we recommend that you add it to your itinerary!

If you’re hiking all the way from Jardin town centre, then this out and back hike will probably take you around three hours

However, if you’ve been following this guide, then you’ll already be at Café Jardin. Good news – you’re already one-third of the way to Cascada de Francia! Not only that, you’ve also already smashed the majority of the elevation! Well done you.

After Café Jardin, you’re going to take the road to the left and follow it all the way to the end. Then you’ll take the trail at the end of the road right up to Cascada de Francia. 

BEWARE: on AllTrails there are a lot of reviews mentioning three big dogs that may come running out from one of the houses barking at you. Apparently just holding your hands out and repeating the word “tranquilo” seems to do the trick!

Hike the Caminata de las Cruces trail from Jardin

The Caminata de las Cruces trail is another hike we didn’t have enough time to do. In retrospect, four days really wasn’t enough time in Jardin!

This trail takes you from Café Jardin to the summit of the nearby mountain. Here you’ll be greeted at the top by a giant metal cross. You can actually see the cross from town if you look hard enough and it’s lit up at night!

From Café Jardin, take the road right and walk down until you reach the trailhead for Caminata de las Cruces. You can find it here.

From the trailhead, follow the trail until you reach a fork and take the left hand trail. Take this trail all the way to the top! 

We recommend downloading the All Trails map beforehand. The further from Jardin you get, the sketchier the phone signal become!

Embark on the Cascada la Escalera Loop Hike

Cascada de Escalera is easy to reach and beautiful to see. It’s about 1.7km and 30-minutes away from Café Jardin. Again, you can hire a jeep to get here if you don’t want to hike. But we think hiking is more fun!

Our recommendation is to head straight here from Cafe Jardin, but otherwise you can find the trailhead on a bend in the main road.

You’ll spot it easily as there’ll be a sign for Cascada la Escalera. The trail is simple to follow with a couple of very shallow water crossings before you reach the waterfall!

The waterfall is 60m high and has two cascades. Although you can stand under Cascada la Escalera, it’s not the kind of waterfall you can swim in. We were a bit bummed about this when we arrived on such a hot day!

Hike to Fall of the Dragon from Jardin

Next on this trek we have Caída de Dragón (Fall of the Dragon). This is where the trail levels up a notch!

Fall of the Dragon is an 80m tall, multi-tiered waterfall found inside the Colombian rainforest. The trek from Cascada de Escalera took us about 1h30 to complete.

Continue past Cascada la Escalera and keep following the trail. There is a house en route that’s private property but there’s a handy gate to the right so you can go around it.

The trail heads up a hill – with some amazing views – and into the forest. Not long after entering the forest, you’ll reach Fall of the Dragon.

Bear in mind that there’s hardly any phone signal in this area of the mountains. We recommend either downloading the All Trails route to follow or downloading a map of the area on maps.me.

Hike to the elusive Cueva de los Guarachos from Jardin

Trying to get to Cueva de los Guarachos is where we hit a bit of a snag on this hike. 

Cueva de los Guarachos is about one hour further into the forest than Caída de Dragón and is part of the 7 waterfalls hike.

As its name suggests, it’s a waterfall found inside a cave. But trust us when we say, even with All Trail downloaded it’s difficult to find.

We actually failed to get to Cueva de los Guarachos! Still, we’ll talk you through the part of the trail we did follow.

What we tried to do…

To get to Cueva de los Guarachos, you need to cross the base of the Fall of the Dragon. Then continue climbing along the trail.

The majority of the elevation is already done. However, it’s at this point the trail becomes a lot more technical. Although, the trail isn’t so much a trail anymore than a scramble up over rocks, roots and mud.

We followed the All Trails route through a sequence of difficult sections. It felt like we were bush-whacking through the middle of the forest at some points!

I had read up on this trail beforehand and at my experience level it was manageable. Sara, as a more beginner hiker, struggled with a lot of the technical aspects. Bear that in mind if you chose to continue.

After climbing another 80m or so up the mountain, you’ll reach the top of the Fall of the Dragon. You’ll now have to follow the All Trails map to a tee. There are numerous intersecting trails in the forest!

We followed the map until we reached a very, very steep downhill bit. This is when we decided that this was way out of our skill level. Honestly, this part of the trail looked like you’d need professional rappel equipment to get down!

At this point we gave up looking for Cueva de los Guarachos. A storm was rolling in (and started not long after we turned back) and we were running low on water.

So we made the decision that it was time to head back down to Café Jardin to rehydrate. We did so in thunder and heavy rain… we would not recommend it!

What would we do next time?

The answer is simple, we would hire a guide from town.

While on the trail, we came across many groups of hikers walking through the forest with a guide. It seems because we were relying on All Trails and not local knowledge, we couldn’t find the waterfall!

If you’re looking to trek past the Fall of the Dragon to Cueva de los Guarachos and Cascada Salto del Ángel, do yourselves a favour and hire a local guide to take you!

Get holy at the Cascada Salto del Angel

Cascada Salto del Angel is the final waterfall along this four waterfall trail. It’s a beautiful 50m high waterfall that falls into a natural cave at the bottom. Inside the cave you’ll find bats, insects and birds all cohabiting together.

Fun fact: Cascada Salto del Angel was given its name because of the way it looks. From the front, it takes the shape of an angel.

Again, if you want to trek to Salto de Angel and Cueva de los Guarachos, then we would recommend hiring a guide.

However, there is another way to visit them! You can actually hire a jeep that can take you close to the correct trailhead. The driver can then point you in the right direction for a 60m hike through the jungle to reach the waterfalls. 

If you manage to get to Salto del Angel, send us some photos! We really feel like we missed out.

Take a horse ride through Jardin’s mountains

Being a remote colonial town, one popular mode of transport in Jardin is via horseback riding. You can book through agencies to take you horse riding through the mountains. It doesn’t matter if you’re an avid rider or just a beginner, there’s a tour for everyone!

On average, a horse riding tour will set you back about $30-35 per person. Some of the more popular tours are:

• La Herrera Serannía | 2-3h
• La Salada | 3-4h
• Chorro Blanco | 5-6h
• Coffee tour + horseback riding | 5h
• Bee Tour + Horseback Riding | 5h

Go on an ATV tour

Another method of exploring the mountains we saw by booking onto an ATV tour. We can imagine that getting a group of friends together and ripping around the mountains on ATVs with a guide can only result in a good time!

Make sure to wear old clothes, bring a hat and wear sunscreen on sunny days.

Hire a mountain bike

While hiking along some of the wider parts of the mountain trails, we noticed a lot of people riding mountain bikes. After a quick research, we discovered that there are a lot of “off-road roads” and a multitude of different bike trails in Jardin. So if you’re a keen biker, this could be for you!

We don’t think it would be too difficult to be able to rent a bike! There are a couple of hire shops we noticed in central Jardin. Or you could ask your accommodation owners and they’re sure to help you out.

If you’re really really into biking, then there’s a company called Pedaleando Almo that runs multiple day bike trips through the mountains. This wouldn’t personally be something we would do, but it may be your thing!

Head on a classy Coffee Tour

As we mentioned, Jardin is located in the heart of Colombia’s coffee region. Therefore a coffee tour in Jardin is sort of a must! Due to our lack of cash situation, we weren’t actually able to book onto a tour. However, there were two tours in particular we were looking at:

1. Finca Los Angeles Jardin – a coffee farm found in Casiana village near Jardin. The owners will take you around the farm so you can learn about every step of the coffee making process. Afterwards they’ll offer you a meal with ingredients sourced from the farm and a nice cup of their home grown coffee to go along. To book, you can message on WhatsApp (+57 305 3174109). 
2. Finca Milena Coffee Tour – a farm located up in the mountains. A tour will set you back $25/pp but the unique thing about Finca Milena is that you can actually book a stay with them in Airbnb for 400,000 COP per night ($93.69). This way you’ll get the full coffee farm experience over a couple of days!

No matter what coffee tour you decide on, we hope you have an amazing time! Sara feels like she missed out on a good, authentic Colombian coffee, so raise a mug to her!

Walk the Camino de la Herrera Loop Trail

The Camino de la Herrera will be a lovely change of pace to the other hikes in this Jardin guide. If you’re looking for a gentler trail with a few stops along the way, this is the one for you!

The Camino de la Herrera trailhead can be found at the north-east point of Jardin. It’s pretty close to Dulces de Jardin, and is well sign posted!

The trail starts along a cobbled path, which we actually thought was quite hard to walk on. This goes on for about 200m before carrying on along a dirt road. Keep following the dirt road and you’ll come across attractions such as Cascada del Amor and Cueva de los Murciélagos. 

Continue along the loop and it will spit you right back out on the east side of Jardin! Right besides the Reserva Natural Jardin de Rocas.

3 Hike from Jardin to Cascada del Amor and back

Cascada del Amor is a small yet popular waterfall that’s not too far from Jardin. It’s easy to reach along the Camino de la Herrera. In fact, it’s the closest waterfall to the town of Jardin that we’re going to talk about in this guide!

The legend goes, that if you kiss your lover under the cascade of water, then your will last forever. Hence its name “Love Waterfall”.

Being so close to the town centre, it means that Cascada del Amor is also the busiest waterfall in the area. Also, it’s possible to hire a tuk tuk driver to take you there from town. We highly recommend getting there early to beat the crowds.

Become Batman at the Cueva de los Murcielagos

Cueva de los Murcielagos, or The Bat Cave, is a 160m long and 2.5m wide man-made cave. It became the home to a cauldron of bats, specifically vampire bats… ooo scary!

To get to Cueva de los Murciélagos, you need to continue along the Camino de la Herrera. Head past Cascada del Amor for about another 5 minutes along the same road.

You’ll know you’ve made it because you’ll reach a big wooden gate! Also, there’ll be signs along the way reading “Charco Corazon”. You can find the exact location here.

You’ll also find a little café here and if you’re feeling a bit parched or peckish. This would be a good spot to fuel up!

Again, due to our money woes (dang cash machines) we couldn’t actually go in as they only accept cash. The cost for the tour is 12,000 COP ($2.80) per person. For a short time, a guide will show you around the inside of the cave.

Take a dip in the Rio Volcanes (Charco Corazon)

Right across the road from Cueva de los Murciélagos, you’ll find a point along the Rio Volcanes where two parts of the river intersect. Here, the river creates some natural pools among the rocks that you can head down and swim in.

From the bridge, if you look down you’ll see a ton of people taking a dip in the water. Just follow the path down and join them!

Bear in mind that the river water is fresh mountain water, so it is SUPER COLD. But if it’s a scorching hot Colombian day in Jardin, this could be exactly what you need. Take a dip to wash off the sweat and cool down!

Day trek to Cueva del Esplendor

Cueva del Esplendor is a unique looking waterfall located about a 2.5h hike away from the city centre. If you’re running low on time, you can actually hire a jeep to take you a good portion of the way. Then you only have to hike around 15 minutes through the forest. 

That’s what we planned to do. However the cash machines had other plans (sorry, we sound like a broken record now! Always bring enough cash, kids!)

The waterfall itself is magnificent! Over many years, the waterfall has eroded away the roof of the cave until finally the cascade broke through. The falls rushing through the cave roof is what gave the waterfall its name: Cave of Splendour.

It’s worth noting that the popularity of Cueva del Esplendor now means that tourism has been restricted for conservation purposes. The number of visitors is limited to only 40 per day and you can only gain access by paying a fee for the entrance and a guide. Or you can book a tour for around $30pp! 

Take to the skies paragliding

Multiple times while we were exploring the colourful streets of Jardin, we would see paragliders soaring overhead. After a recent trip to Taiwan where I paraglided for the first time, seeing these guys hovering over Jardin sent pangs of jealousy through my chest…

If we had the time to go back and do Jardin again, I would definitely book a paragliding session. Nothing sounds better than running off the edge of the Andes mountains and peacefully gliding down to the colonial town below.

Paragliding will cost about 110,000 COP ($25.76) per person. If you have some spare cash floating about, I implore you to give it a go!

Take a day trip to Andes

Andes is another Colombian colonial town situated just a 30 minute drive from Jardin. If you have a spare day, we fully recommend that you either hire a taxi, jeep or scooter and take the time to go and explore Jardin’s neighbouring town.

Spend the day exploring sights such as the Parque Principal de Andes and Parroquia Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes. There’s also a range of different restaurants to try out. Andes is similar to Jardin, but quieter and with fewer tourists. If this is more your style, don’t miss out!

Hire a jeep

And finally, if you’re looking to head out of Jardin further, then book yourself a jeep tour! While we were walking around, we noticed loads of jeeps driving around both the town and the surrounding trails (at least where they fit). 

You can find many jeeps parked up around town. Just ask the driver how much it would cost for a tour of Jardin and the surrounding area over X amount of hours and see if the price suits you! 

Alternatively, you can book jeep tours at any of the agencies that are dotting around Jardin town centre.

How to get to Jardin

Jardin is a pretty easy pueblo to get to from most of the main areas in Colombia. Albeit some routes may involve a plane if you’re not already in the Antioquia or Cundinamarca regions. 

The easiest place to get to Jardin from is Medellín, Colombia’s second largest city. This is where most people will travel from!

By bus

The way we got from Medellín to Jardin is via public bus. The most popular bus company to book with is Rapida Ochoa. They operates buses to and from Jardin several times a day. We booked our tickets online on busbud.com and paid 38,000 COP ($8.90) per person each way. The drive itself it took 3-4 hours!

The bus departs from Terminal Sud close by to Medellín’s smaller city airport. They have big comfy seats, a ton of leg room and even outlets for charging your devices! There’s onboard wi-fi! It’s worth noting that you might want to take a motion sickness pill in preparation!

If you want to know more, we published a full guide on how to get to Jardin. If you’re already in Jardin, you can use the same guide to get to Medellin, but in reverse!

Hire a driver to Jardin

It’s possible to hire a taxi or a driver in Medellín to drive you to Jardin. This method of transport is going to set you back a lot more, about $35-40. Especially if you’re travelling solo or as a couple.

Also if you’re returning back from Jardin to Medellín, you’ll have to arrange your driver in advance. You can hire a private driver through getyourguide.com , viator.com or mydaytrip.com to name a few.

Hire a rental car in Medellín

If you really don’t want to take the bus to Jardin, then you can hire a rental car for a few days from Medellín. The roads from Medellín to Jardin are well paved and easy to follow, so it’s unlikely you’ll get lost. Also, the mountain views from the road are astonishing!

Also, if you have your own car, you can use it to explore the area around Jardin. Head to places like Andes or San Rafael, without having to worry about hiring a driver to take you there.

You can hire cars from the usual companies: kayak.com, europcar.com and rentalcars.com. In addition, for a more local company, you can rent a car from localiza.com. A rental car will cost you about $20-30/day depending on which company you rent from.

Where to stay in Jardin

Jardin is a very small country town, so our recommendation would be to not worry too much about the location of your accommodation. If we had to give any advice though, it would be to just stay as close to Plaza de Libertador as possible.

Our go-to method of finding affordable accommodation is to look on booking.com. Then filter for lowest price first and choose the accommodation with the best rating. 

Here are a couple of options at different price points:

La Casa de Ana

If you’re travelling as a group, La Casa de Ana would be a great option! This accommodation is actually a three bedroom house not too far from Plaza de Libertador. At only $60/night, La Casa de Ana would be our mid-range pick for staying in Jardin.

The house boasts 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, flat screen TV, fully equipped kitchen and a terrace to enjoy the sun. Whether you’re travelling as a couple, or with friends, La Casa de Ana offers the privacy of having a house all to yourself.

Casa Passiflora Hotel Boutique

Casa Passiflora Hotel Boutique is a popular place to stay in Jardin and our luxury option. It’s a lot more expensive at 550,000 COP ($128.82) per night. However for that price you get a very fancy stay in a colonial-style hotel. There’s 24/7 concierge service, a hot tub and a sun terrace. 

Attached to the Passiflora Hotel Boutique is Óleo Bistró, a high-end restaurant offering a range of food, drinks and cocktails. This hotel has an exceptional rating on booking.com, so we can only imagine it’s a great stay!

Other notable accommodation

Obviously we can’t talk about every accommodation available in Jardin, so we’re just going to list off a few others:

• Hotel Valdivia Plaza ($37/night)
• Vísta Farallónes ($21/night)
• Jardin Amoblados ($111/night)

What to pack for Jardin

Jardin is nestled in the middle of the Andes mountains and is 1750m above sea level. As a result, the weather can change quickly from a pleasant mid-twenty degree day to a cold, rainy and wet day. 

An example of this was when we were hiking to Cueva de los Guacharos. When we left Jardin in the morning it was a beautiful sunny Colombian day. It stayed this way until we were three hours away from Jardin in the rainforest and a tropical thunderstorm rolled in rather quickly.

Bear in mind that while Jardin does receive heavier rainfall during Colombia’s rainy seasons. Its location in the mountains means it does rain in Jardin all year round!

Therefore, in terms of clothes, we recommend:

• T-shirts and shorts for sunnier days
• Jeans and a lightweight jacket for the overcast days and chilly evenings
• A waterproof jacket for when it rains

In terms of hiking, what we brought with us were:

• Sturdy hiking boots for more technical trails
• Runners for the easier trails
• DRI-fit t-shirts
• Hiking pants
• A bag to carry water and food

And finally, just some extra things you may need:

• Sun cream
• Sunglasses
• Insect repellent
• LOTS OF CASH – don’t be like us

Where to go after Jardin

Jardin should definitely be part of everyone’s Colombia itinerary, but where should you head to next?

Medellín

The chances are you probably came to Jardin from Medellín. But being Colombia’s second largest city, there’s always more things to do! 

Whether that’s visiting Comuna 13, exploring Parque Arvi, visiting all the different museums or having a night out on La 70. We spent a month in Medellín and still haven’t done everything!

Medellín is a 3-4 hour bus journey from Jardin.

Our Medellin guides:

• 19 Best Museums in Medellin: Art, History and Culture
• Visiting Pueblito Paisa: A Day Out in Medellin
• Comuna 13: A guide to visiting Medellin’s miracle transformation
• Is Colombia safe to visit in 2024? Everything you need to know

Bogotá

Bogota is Colombia’s capital city and the largest city in the country. Some people will tell you not to bother visiting Bogota, but we’ve also had people tell us we need to go! 

Unfortunately we decided to give it a miss this trip. If you decide to go, then check out sights such as:

• La Candelaria
• Botero Museum
• Plaza de Bolivar
• Experience the ciclovia

Bogotá is quite a long 12-14 hour journey from Jardin.

Salento

The town that provided the inspiration for the film “Encanto”. Salento is another mountain town known for its coffee estates, beautiful scenery and bursting village colour. Similarly to Jardin, Salento is a relaxing colonial town that takes a step back in time into Colombia’s past.

Exploring the town, you’ll find many waterfalls, hikes, coffee plantations and even chocolate tours.

The bus from Jardin to Salento should take 6-7 hours.

Manizales

Manizales is a city that’s a popular destination for travellers and backpackers alike. Found in the coffee zone of Colombia, it’s an integral part of the transportation and distribution of coffee around the country. 

Similarly to Medellín, Manizales is built up the side of a valley. It gives a really unique vibe to the city layout. Offering hikes, cafés, volcanoes and hot springs, you’ll never get bored in Manizales.

Manizales is about a 4-5 hour bus journey from Jardin.

Armenia

Armenia is the capital of the Quindia department of Colombia and is located not too far from Salento. Although it sits on the south side of the coffee triangle but doesn’t have as much to offer as the above destination options.

For the most part, Armenia is a good place to stop over for a couple of nights and just enjoy the food, shopping and nightlife of the city. Or it would make a great base to explore other pueblos in the Quindia area.

Armenia is a 5-6 bus journey from Jardin.

Jardin Antioquia FAQs

Is Jardin safe?

Yes, Jardin is very safe. Not once in Jardin did we ever feel unsafe. We were happy to walk around day and night without any issues.

When to visit Jardin?

The best time to visit Jardin is between January to April and June to September. Outside of these months is the rainy season. Although we visited during October and had a great time.

How long should you spend in Jardin?

We would recommend staying 4-5 nights in Jardin if you plan to do everything. If you just pick and choose a few things to do, 2-3 nights will be enough. 

Are there ATMs in Jardin?

Yes, there are three ATMs in Jardin. However, we recommend bringing enough cash to cover your trip as it’s possible the ATMs could be empty/broken. Especially on Sunday’s.

Our other Jardin guides:

• Cascada la Escalera in Jardin: Everything You Need to Know
• Cascada del Amor: A Guide to Jardin’s Waterfall of Love
• Fall of the Dragon: A Hidden Waterfall in Jardin
• Best Cafes in Jardin Colombia: Where to Get Your Coffee?
• 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 Jardin in Colombia. 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!