Jardín, Colombia: The "Anti-Medellín"
This post is part of Everything to Know Before Visiting Medellin, a collection of no-B.S., unique guides to an unforgettable stay in Colombia.
For an ideal getaway from Medellín, you needn't look far. Just a few hours to the south, the town of Jardín is the perfect place because it's pretty much the opposite of Medellín:
- Medellín is hectic, rapidly modernizing, trendy, kind of dangerous, and full of beautiful "birds" (as Austin Powers would call them).
- Jardín is relaxed, charmingly timeless, old-school, friendly, and full of beautiful birds (real birds).
If you're not convinced, read on to find out some of the unexpected highlights from our awesome weekend getaway to Jardín.
[Oct 2018 Update: Don't miss the fantastic comment by Dave Richardson at the bottom of the post for more detail and tips on things to do in Jardin. He adds warnings and tips for the coffee farm tour and a couple other highlights. And don't forget to contribute your own experiences and tips after your own visit to Jardin.]
Finca de los Angeles Coffee Tour
Jardín is in coffee country, so you can't go there without doing a coffee tour. And the Finca de los Angeles coffee tour is the one to do, especially if you speak decent Spanish. Even if you don't drink coffee or have done coffee tours before (like we had), it's worth it.
Finca de los Angeles isn't just a coffee farm; it's a family home that happens to grow coffee.
Andres, the owner, started inviting tourists five years ago out of desperation. Greedy coffee co-operatives were hogging all the profits (doesn't sound very co-operative to me!) and a disease called "roya" (rust) was decimating his crops. Offering tours saved his farm.
Indeed, it was hearing Andres' story and learning about the lives of the farmers in Jardín that turned out to be more interesting than learning about the coffee process.
We learned, for example, that unlike in Brazil or Africa, all Jardin's coffee beans are picked by hand. It's such hard work that it requires a population of millions of pickers who migrate around Colombia from one harvest to the other all year round. Every coffee farm has a big extra shed to house these hordes of seasonal workers. Crazy.
There's a lot more to be learned, but I won't spoil it for you.
Speaking of not spoiling, once we toured the finca we enjoyed some of the freshest coffee ever!
Whereas the coffee back home takes 12 months or more to get from the plant into your cup, this coffee took 12 days or less. Andres also provided a delicious plate of farm-to-table chorizo, fried plantains, and guacamole. Yum!
The tour was $20,000 each (about 7 USD). To book your tour, call Angela Maria, Andres' wife, to confirm. Then to get there, hop on a chiva (a crazy-colored, extra-wide chicken bus) by the bus terminal at carrera 6 and calle 8, pay $3,000 and enjoy the scenic ride. Alternatively you can pay $15,000 for a boring old taxi.
Running for the Hills and Chasing Waterfalls
If you're like us, as soon as you see the lush hills surrounding Jardín, you'll want to explore them. And if you're like us, you should. It's awesome.
Kim and I eschewed the organized hiking tours and created our own adventure. We got lost… and found our own waterfall.
It wasn't easy, but if you want to be maybe the only other foreigners to ever visit these falls (based on the absence of any trail, we're not even sure locals ever go there), here are the directions:
- Walk from town in the direction of the Cascada del Amor and Charco Corazon, then uphill towards the garrucha.
- At the top of the hill, you'll get to an intersection. Instead of turning right (which will take you to the garrucha), go left.
- Walk for a kilometer and a half or so past a bunch of tomato farms and soon enough you'll see the waterfall in the distance to your right (see photo below)
- Continue up the road until you see a dirt trail leading down to a little bridge (coordinates here). There's no gate or anything and the trail's easily visible from the road.
- Once you get over the bridge, you're on your own. Make it to the waterfall whatever way you can. I recommend taking off your shoes and bare-footing it through the mud, over the barbed wire, and eventually up the stream and through the jungle. It's not for the faint of heart, but that's what makes it an adventure.
For all we know, there are other, more beautiful, and more easily accessed waterfalls in the area. If we had more time, we'd have tried to find them all.
That's the point. Just get out there and explore.
No matter where you venture in Jardín you won't come away disappointed.
A Natural All-You-Can-Eat and See Buffet
We found a lot more than waterfalls while wandering the Jardín countryside.
First off, there are the birds. Before getting to Jardín, Kim and I had read that Jardín is a "birdwatchers' paradise." We could've cared less. From our experience, towns only promote birdwatching as a tourist attraction when there's nothing else to do.
In Jardín's case, though, they're right to highlight birdwatching as an attraction.
Not only did we see a couple of the famous cock-of-the-rocks, but also we saw more brightly-colored birds than on a box of Fruit Loops. We couldn't name any of them, but they sure looked pretty.
Just as colorful as the birds were the flowers.
And the fruit. During our wanders we found wild blackberries, strawberries, guava, oranges, limes, mangoes, and avocados. It's like the world's greatest fruit salad. And it's free! You just have to keep your head up and pick the fruit for your salad yourself.
Oh, and we even found some mushrooms, like this morel:
In short, Jardín was a smorgasbord of visual and edible delights.
More Eating and Drinking
When back in town, we found food options to be somewhat limited, but we did manage to come across a few places worth recommending:
- Café de los Andes – Is where I'm sitting as I write this. Located on the second floor of a building right on the main square, Café de los Andes is spacious, open air, and an excellent place to do some blogging, internetting, coffee drinking, and spying on the action from above.
- Las Brazzas – A couple of locals we spoke to recommended Las Brazzas, a grill just a block off the main square. It seemed to always be open (unlike most other places), the food was good, and so was the service.
Strong-stomached, daring eaters should try the chunchurria (fried small intestine). When I ordered the dish, the kitchen staff told the waiter to double check with me. They said too many gringos had ordered it previously only to been so put off by it they asked for a refund. No such refund was needed for me. On the outside it was delightfully crispy, while on the inside it had a liver-like taste and texture. Nice!
If intestines sounds shitty to you (pun intended!), get something else. Most locals seemed to go for the chicken. - Restaurante Gloria – A super busy, laid-back place where you can try the local trucha in a platter for just $13,000. Don't judge it Restaurante Gloria by its cover. From the outside it looks like a tiny hole in the wall, but venture in and you'll see it's a spacious, comfortable, and happening diner.
- Consulado Vegetal – For those worried about the carnage they're causing to their bodies by eating so much fried meat, and the carnage they're causing to the animals they're eating, Consulado Vegetal is a welcome refuge.
How to Get There, And Where to Stay in Jardín
Getting between Jardín and Medellin is easy: Go to Terminal Sur in Medellín (just west of Poblado station) and take a bus. They're comfortable, have assigned seating (so reserve earlier than later), and even stop halfway for a bathroom break.
As of this writing, tickets are $26,000 to $28,000 each way, leaving multiple times a day. When we were planning our trip the blogs we read said tickets were only $18,000, so prices (and schedules) change frequently.
As for where to stay, we were happy with our choice of Hotel Internacional Jardín. At first we were concerned by the fact that it was out of town, but it turned out to be not far at all. The location turned out to be a blessing, as it was quiet at night.
All-in-all Hotel Internacional Jardiín was super clean and very affordable and we'd stay there again.
Back in Medellín
For all the ingredients you need to put together a magnificent Medellin trip—where to stay, what to do, what to eat, where else to visit in Colombia—see our Medellin Travel Manual.
And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions to share with other readers, please share them in the comments!
Great review of Jardín – it's my fave pueblo outside of Medellín. I know it was closed when you were there, but MACANAS JARDIN is MUST! The cafe is tucked away in the town square but surrounded by color, plants, and energy. The cafe in Medellín is super cute, but the original one in Jardin is a must-see. Their vegan iced chai and chocolate cake = to die for.
Thanks for letting us know Alice. When we go back I guess we'll have to do a taste test between Macanas' chocolate cake and the one from Consulado Vegetal!
Thanks, share our home is great. You're always very welcome to Colombia. We wait for you in Venecia, la de Antioquia.
Where do I start. My partner and I visited Jardin on our trip to Colombia based solely on the recommendation of this blog. It really did not disappoint and was my favorite part of our trip to Colombia (which included Medellin, Santa Marta, and Jardin). We rented a car for about $50 USD a day and did the drive from Medellin to Jardin in about 4-5 hours because of insane traffic leaving and visiting Medellin. Driving in and out of Medellin is insane. It was common on the highway to see children on bicycles hanging onto the back of trucks to get across the city quickly. Motorcycles would ride in the white lines between lanes and it was incredibly busy. They even have laws that limit the amount of cars on the roads during rush hour depending on your license plate numbers. So make sure you check this with the rental car agency if your going to drive yourself.
We did the coffee tour that was recommended here. It was incredible and was a very special experience for us. We booked it directly on facebook before we left the states. A few things that I would like to add for those that plan on doing this excursion. First, book travel to the coffee farm at a local travel agent when you arrive. We drove, got lost, and almost died in the process. This is not an exaggeration. The coffee farm is in the mountains and very difficult to find. Google maps doesn't know exactly where it is and if you make a wrong turn (which you will) you may end up in a very scary situation. The roads are narrow, not well maintained, and are on the sides of cliffs. Only jeeps and trucks should really go back there, and it helps to know where you are going. So do the smart thing and book a car service to take you there. Secondly, if you do not speak Spanish make sure you book an English speaking guide that can translate. This may take 24 hours or so of booking ahead of time so do it at a tour booking agency as soon as you arrive. We drove ourselves (because we booked the tour directly) so did not have a Spanish speaking guide. Luckily, a couple from Bogota who spoke English was finishing their tour before we arrived and stayed around to translate for us. Otherwise we would not have been able to handle the language barrier. With this all being said, the tour was beyond our wildest dreams. Your essentially in Andres home seeing his way of life and how he prepares the best coffee in the world by hand. One of the tour options provides to have a meal there. Definitely take this option. It was a beautiful home cooked meal we won't forget for a long time.
Another thing we loved in Jardin was taking the tour of Hernan Cueva del Esplendor. It is possible to hike there in about 3 hours or so but because we didn't think we could make it so we opted to get taken there by Jeep with an English translator. This was the best option for us but book accordingly. There is a special tourism office for the Cueva del Esplendor in Jardin in the corner of town so just go there while they are open to book it directly to save some money. Swimming is allowed so definitely bring a bathing suit so you can go for a dip. Or don't bring one so you can go skinny dipping. Really your call!
The last thing we would like to recommend in Jardin is the Gallito de Roca Preserve. This is essentially a piece of land that is closed off where you can do birdwatching. The woman who maintains the preserve only keeps it open for about 30 minutes a day. You essentially have to wake up very early in the morning (~5:30) and call her on the phone when you arrive. She opens the gates to the bird watching sanctuary and brings you in to see these noisy and busy birds. They are beautiful and we never wanted to leave. It was quite the experience. Worth waking up early and having the whole place to yourself.
It should be noted that Jardin is the perfect location for this blog, the unconventional route. It is not a tourist spot (unless maybe your from other parts of Colombia) and is off the beaten path. Do not expect hotels or anything of that nature. I think the most expensive Airbnb we found when we visited was $30 or so a night. Many of the places may not even have hot water in the apartments it is so old school. What you will find is that it is a magical place. Being a part of the local way of life there for a few days was absolutely beautiful. I would highly recommend it to others and am thankful Chris recommended it here. So thank you.
Holy smokes! Dave, your comments are more useful than the blog post itself. Much respect to you guys renting a car and venturing into the Colombian wild like that. Respect… with a little bit of wondering about your level of sanity. Too bad we weren't in Colombia at the same time because it seems like we would've got along well.
Great info Dave! We have just arrived in Jardin and so far, so fab. A quick question.. is the trip to the cave/waterfall worth the 4 hours round trip as it doesn’t seem easy and there’s lots of other things to fill a weekend. Thank you!
Is it possible to travel by bus from Jardin to Jerico directly, without going via Medellin? Thanks heaps, Astrid
Good question Astrid. Based on this TripAdvisor thread, you can take a bus to Andres then another to Jerico from there. So it's not direct, but at least you don't have to go all the way back to Medellin. If you have any doubts, contact our friend Jorge who owns Las Cometas Hostel in Jerico.
I am currently on the bus to Medellin, returning from Jardin. This morning my boyfriend and I took a coffee tour with lunch at finca de los Angeles which we discovered through your blog. Just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU for sharing your experience and offering a once in a lifetime experience to the rest of us. We have been traveling for 3 months so far and this tour does not compare in the slightest to the tours we took in Guatemala and Costa Rica. If anybody reads this comment I only have one word for you: GO! It definitely made our time in Colombia more special! Thanks again guys!
Éxito! I'm super glad to hear you enjoyed the tour as much as we did. Thanks Daphne! And hopefully all you others reading this will enjoy it just as much.
Are there mosquitos in Jardin, Colombia, in particular are there mosquitos around the coffee farm you mention? I have not been able to find any information online. We do not have our yellow fever vaccine and do not want to travel to areas where there is risk of malaria, yellow fever, or Zika virus from mosquitoes. We did have a travel consultation with a doctor but even he was not able to tell us whether there is a risk for these diseases because the CDC maps are very outdated.
Hi Michelle, I'm sure there are mosquitos, but they were not a nuisance. No need for mosquito nets, for example. At higher altitude, my understanding is that yellow fever (maybe the others) is a low(-er) risk. Maybe look into that if you can't find concrete answers?
I am in love with Jardin. Although I didn't read your blog until after I came back to the States, I thoroughly agree with your impressions of Jardin and the beautiful surrounding mountains. Jardin was a last minute decision for me, and I went alone. I booked an airbnb 5 km out of town, in a cute tiny house on the farm of Angela and Andres Arango. Before I arrived, I asked Andres about arranging a coffee farm tour for me. He not only did that, he found an interpreter for me, Daniel, who became my guide for the next two afternoons, whisking me around the area on his motorcycle. I've never had so much fun in my life, and I've been around awhile!
Amazing! Antioquian hospitality at its finest. Thanks for sharing, Cindy.