How to get from Medellin to Jardin: A full guide
Medellín is Colombia’s second largest city and Jardin is a tiny pueblo in the countryside of the Antioquia department. In our opinion, Jardin is a stunning town with a lot of things to do. But you also need to know the best ways to get from Medellin to Jardin!
Spoiler: we think taking the public bus is the best way!
By the end of this guide you will know step-by-step how to book and take the bus from Medellin to Jardin. We’ll also cover other possible transport methods, why you should visit Jardin and how to get back to Medellin.
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Why you should visit Jardin
Jardin is a small town tucked away in a valley of the Andes mountains in the Antioquia department of Colombia. It’s about a three hour drive away from Medellin and an incredibly popular place for travellers to visit.
So why has Jardin become so popular?
Jardin is an old colonial Colombian town with a lot of history. Full of life and colour, Jardin boasts the huge Basilica of Immaculate Conception, amazing coffee and cafes and some tasty Colombian street food.
But in our opinion, the magic allure of Jardin comes from the surrounding areas. Hike to waterfalls such as Cascada la Escalera, Cueva del Esplendor, Cascada del Amor and Fall of the Dragon. Visit the natural reserve and see the elusive Andean Cock-of-the-Rock or go horseback riding through the Andes mountains.
Jardin has something for everyone!
Planning your trip?
We wrote an entire guide on things to do in Jardin and include every activity there is to do in the town and surrounding area!
Best ways to get from Medellin to Jardin
There are a few different ways of getting from Medellin to Jardin. Each method comes with its own pros and cons. So let’s cover them all!
Bus from Medellin to Jardin
The first way from Medellin to Jardin, and the way we’d recommend, is by taking the bus! The public buses run between Medellin and Jardin multiple times a day and are by far the most affordable method of transport. So it’s the best way to save money!
We bought return tickets with the bus company ‘Rapido Ochoa’ – the most popular company running this route. The entire process of buying tickets to catching the bus was super simple. We’ll cover the process and our experience with the bus later in the article!
Taxi from Medellin to Jardin
There are three ways of catching a taxi from Medellin to Jardin:
- You can book and Uber through the app
- You can hail one of the yellow ‘servico publico’ taxis
- Booking a taxi online through sites like Viator
From a technical standpoint, Uber is illegal in Colombia. It was actually banned completely once before and then came back again.
However, Uber is very popular in Medellin with both the locals and tourists. From our experience, Uber’s aren’t that much cheaper than the yellow taxis though.
The pro’s of catching a taxi are that you can leave whenever you want, it’s more personal so you can make requests and you can choose who you travel with.
An Uber from Medellin to Jardin will cost roughly 400,000 COP ($97.90). We’re assuming that the yellow taxis would charge about the same, but it will depend on the driver!
Private driver from Medellin to Jardin
Probably the fanciest way to get from Medellin to Jardin is by hiring a private driver. A quick search and I found this site which seems to have drivers available for about the same price as an Uber. So you might as well grab an Uber or taxi!
Hiring a car
Hiring a car comes with a different set of pro’s! For instance, once in Jardin you will have access to your own vehicle. This means it’ll be easy to explore the surrounding areas around Jardin. You could take a day trip to the neighbouring town of Andes or drive up to Cafe Jardin instead of hiking.
There are plenty of car rentals to find in Medellin. Alternatively, you can head to kayak.com and pick up a car from there. Hiring a car in Colombia costs about $20-25/day at the cheapest end.
Don’t forget travel insurance!
Sara and I have both been using SafetyWing for over two years! They offer both travel insurance and nomad health insurance tailored specifically for long-term travellers. But they’re also great for short trips too!
How to get the bus from Medellin to Jardin
Alrighty, back to the bus! As we mentioned, we think the bus is the best transport method between Medellin and Jardin. It’s the route we took and we didn’t have any issues at all!
Buying your bus ticket from Medellin to Jardin
To get the bus, you’re first going to need to purchase tickets. We booked our tickets through busbud.com.
We booked to go with ‘Rapido Ochoa’ and tickets cost us 38,000 COP ($9.30) each way. This was by far the cheapest way to get to and from Jardin!
Getting to Terminal del Sur
All buses from Medellin to Jardin leave from terminal sur. This is a bus terminal and shopping mall located next to Aeropuerto Olaya Herrera. You can find it here.
We just caught a taxi here from Laureles and got dropped off right outside the main door for about $4.
Checking in
If, like us, you booked with Rapido Ochoa, then you’ll need to head to desk 34 to check-in. If you booked with a different company, then just inside Terminal del Sur is an information desk that will point you in the right direction.
When we checked-in at the desk, we were given our bus tickets. Because we booked a return, we got both the outbound and return tickets. DON’T LOSE THE RETURN TICKET!
Next to the desk are some turnstiles. We scanned our tickets and headed through to the waiting area. When our bus was ready, our driver came into the waiting area and shouted “para Jardin!”. Then we just followed the driver to the bus!
If you have luggage, they’ll give you a numbered tag to keep hold of. This tag is to pick up your luggage at the other end so you get the right bag!
About the bus journey from Medellin to Jardin
The bus journey from Medellin to Jardin itself was a breeze!
To start, we were very impressed by the giant leather seats and had an abundance of leg room. The A/C was great and the bus even has wi-fi! The wi-fi signal was sporadic in the countryside but we still count it as a plus!
The travel time totalled just over three hours. We stopped twice for a toilet break for about 5-10 minutes every hour. The driver also lets on some food peddlers if you fancy some cheap Colombian snacks!
The only warning we would give is that if you get travel sick, prepare for this! The roads along the route are well paved and the first half of the journey was along a highway. But as we got to the mountains the roads started to become very twisty-turney! The driver wasn’t the most gentle either, thinking himself a bit of a Sebastian Vettel!
Arriving in Jardin
The bus dropped us off on a small road in Jardin. Actually, we were surprised the bus fit down it! We disembarked off the bus and handed the luggage tag to the driver. We got our bags back without any issues!
Then you can either hire a tuk tuk or walk to wherever your accommodation is! Jardin is small, taking only about 20 minutes to walk from one side to the other – so we decided to walk.
If you’re looking for somewhere to stay in Jardin, we recommend:
- La Casa de Ana – for those travelling as a group.
- Casa Passiflora Hotel Boutique – a popular luxury hotel in Jardin.
Getting from Jardin to Medellin
Getting back from Jardin to Medellin is pretty simple. You just do the same trip but in reverse!
You can find the small Rapido Ochoa office on the road where the bus dropped you off. If you didn’t come to Jardin from Medellín, you can find it here on Calle 8. You’ll either hand your return ticket to the driver or you’ll head into the Rapido Ochoa office to check-in and get your ticket.
The journey back to Medellin is exactly the same as the journey we described coming out. You’ll get dropped off back at Terminal del Sur!
Final thoughts on getting from Medellin to Jardin
We said it once and we’ll say it again – GET THE BUS! The bus is by far the most affordable travel option for this route, if not for any route in Colombia.
The second option would definitely be to hire a car. We could definitely see the benefits of having access to your own vehicle in Jardin. Especially if you want to explore some other nearby towns!
FAQs
What’s the cheapest way from Medellin to Jardin?
The cheapest way is to take the public bus. You can book tickets easily through busbud.com.
Which bus companies go from Medellin to Jardin?
The main bus company that runs this route is Rapido Ochoa. There are some other companies but they’re not as common.
How much do bus tickets from Medellin to Jardin cost?
A ticket from Medellin to Jardin costs 38,000 COP ($9.30) for a single and 76,000 COP ($18.60) for a return. This is with the company Rapido Ochoa.
What time does the bus from Medellin to Jardin leave?
Rapido Ochoa buses travelling from Medellin to Jardin leave at 4:45am, 8:50am, 11:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:25pm and 6:45pm most days.
Check out 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?
- 37+ Things to do in Jardin: Colombia’s Best Kept Secret
- Is Colombia safe to visit in 2024? Everything you need to know
We hope that our guide covered everything you need to know about getting from Medellin to 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!
