Jardín (Antioquia)

Jardín is a town in southwestern Antioquia surrounded by coffee farms. The houses have balconies, doors and zócalos painted in bold colors, and life happens in Parque El Libertador, with its colorful wooden chairs and the Basílica Menor de la Inmaculada Concepción, a neo-Gothic stone church. The square is a national monument, and Jardín is one of Colombia's heritage towns.

In 2024 the UN World Tourism Organization included it in its Best Tourism Villages list; it was the Colombian town chosen that year. From town you can ride the garrucha, a handmade wooden cable car that goes up a hill with a view over the rooftops and the basilica; many people ride up and walk down.

The best-known hike is to Cueva del Esplendor, a waterfall of about 100 meters that pours through a hole in the roof of a cave. You get there with a local guide, through coffee farms and forest; the round trip is 6 to 8 hours. Closer to town are the Cascada del Amor and the Jardín de Rocas reserve, where you can see the Andean cock-of-the-rock.

What to see

• The Basílica Menor de la Inmaculada Concepción, on the main square.
• The garrucha, the handmade cable car that goes up the hill.
• Cueva del Esplendor, with the waterfall that falls inside the cave.
• The houses with colorful balconies around Parque El Libertador.
• The Cascada del Amor and the Jardín de Rocas reserve.

Getting there

• Bus: buses to Jardín leave from the Terminal del Sur (not the Norte one) almost every hour; the trip takes 3 to 4 hours.
• Car: along the road to the Southwest, through Amagá and Bolombolo (about 130 km).

Tips

• If you're only going for the day, take the first bus in the morning; it's 3 to 4 hours each way.
• For Cueva del Esplendor, go with a local guide, wear boots with good grip and bring clothes that can get wet.
• Have a coffee on the square: the town lives off the bean.
• Check the road conditions before leaving; when it rains there are landslides that make the trip longer.