Route
Medellín ──── coach, ~4 h ──── Jardín
(1,495 m) (~1,750 m)
│
Plaza ─ Basílica ─ cable car ─ Cueva del Esplendor
Jardín is a small town in the south-west of Antioquia, in coffee country, with a plaza lined with tables and chairs in bright colours. The streets are steep in places and the surrounding hills are green with coffee bushes, plantain and cloud forest. A direct coach leaves from Terminal del Sur in Medellín. The road winds over several ridges, and the journey takes about four hours. Take a seat on the right if you can, and bring motion-sickness tablets if you are prone to it.
September in Jardín
The climate is mild, with daytime highs of 22 to 24 °C, cool evenings and frequent afternoon showers. Bring a waterproof and a fleece. Mornings are often clear, so plan walks early.
Night one: the plaza
The recovery walk is the town plaza, which is flat, shaded by trees and ringed with cafés, and the streets directly around it. The Basílica de la Inmaculada Concepción on the plaza is a neo-Gothic church. Sit at a café table, order a coffee grown in the surrounding hills and do very little.
Choose a small hotel or posada within a few streets of the plaza so that nothing requires a hill climb on the first evening. Rooms with a balcony over the plaza are popular and book out for long weekends. Prices are moderate. Check whether the room is on the ground floor.
Days two and three: cable car and waterfall
The cable car climbs from town to a viewpoint above the valley, with a view over the roofs and coffee hills. It is a short ride, and a good first outing because it requires no walking uphill. The Cueva del Esplendor is a cave with a waterfall pouring through a hole in its roof, reached on a walk of an hour or more through farmland. Go with a guide, wear boots and start on day three, when the legs have recovered. Local jeep drivers, the "willys", carry people to trailheads for a fixed fee.
Coffee farms around the town offer tours that explain picking, drying and roasting. Book one for the morning of day two or three. Tastings are usually included.
Day four: Jericó or a rest day
Jericó is a heritage town about an hour away by road, known for its colonial centre and its link to Mother Laura, Colombia's first saint. A day trip by jeep or coach is possible if you want to see another town, although the roads are slow. Otherwise, spend a final day in Jardín.
Eat trout and local sancocho in the plaza restaurants, and try the sweets sold at street stalls.
Getting home
Take the coach back to Medellín on the last morning. José María Córdova airport (MDE) in Rionegro is the main international airport, and the drive from the city takes about an hour, so leave Jardín at least seven hours before an international flight. Check the coach timetable and road conditions before you travel.