If you enjoy hiking and beautiful mountain views, add Jardin to your Colombia itinerary. Nestled in a valley in the surrounding mountains, the views are incredible. You’ll pass waterfalls, flowers, viewpoints, cafes, and more as you walk the trails in the surrounding area.
I spent five nights in Jardin which gave me a decent chance to get out and see the surrounding area. Based on that, I put together a list of seven hikes in Jardin that I think most travelers should consider.
About Jardin, Colombia
Jardin is a colorful town in the mountains near Medellin. Unlike Guatapé (which sits northeast of Medellin), Jardin feels lived in and it’s a great place to take a break from tourists and the big cities. If you enjoy hiking, you’ll find no shortage of hikes of the surrounding mountains. If you’re just looking to relax, join the locals who seem to spend all day sitting in cafes.
7 Hikes in Jardin, Colombia
This is not an exhaustive list of every hike you can do in Jardin. Rather these are some of the most popular routes. These are trails I did myself or researched for my visit to Jardin.
One important note. I call this a list of hiking trails in Jardin, but many of these trails are shared with walkers/hikers, tuktuks, motorcycles, horses, and even cars. The good news is that traffic is light and I rarely had to move out of the way (though I think I got passed by at least one vehicle on each hike), but many of these are not hiking trails like you may be envisioning.
Now, let’s get into some of my favorite hikes in Jardin, Colombia.
Cascada La Escalera
Cascada La Escalera is easy to reach from the center of Jardin. You can either hike up yourself or if you’re not into hiking (in which case, this is the wrong article for you), you can take a tuktuk or jeep which will take you most of the way to the waterfalls. As far as waterfalls in Jardin go, Cascada La Escalera was probably my favorite waterfall that I visited.
Note that beyond this waterfall, there is supposedly another trail that you can follow that will lead you to even more waterfalls. Other people have hiked this trail, but based on reviews in AllTrails, it seems like this trail now goes through private property so it may not be accessible as it once was. Still, if you’re determined to hike it (some of the waterfalls look great from photos) and want to do it without trespassing, there are tour agencies in town that will be able to help you.
For those just visiting Cascada La Escalera, I recommend going earlier in the day. Because this waterfall is easy to reach from town, many people will try to visit it. I arrived around 10:00 am and was able to get the waterfall almost entirely to myself for about 10 minutes.
From town, it’s about a 1.7 mile hike to the waterfall. It is an uphill hike, but it never felt strenuous.
Mirador Cristo Rey
Mirador Cristo Rey is another popular hike and like several others on this list, there’s a few ways to reach this hike. When I visited Jardin, I hiked a loop that included a stop at Cascada La Escalera, Cafe Jardin, and then on to Mirador Cristo Rey. From Mirador Cristo Rey, I hiked the trail back into town.
Many of the hikes on this list share the road with cars and motorcycles, but there is a trail to Mirador Cristo Rey that is more of a proper trail. That said, it won’t just be hikers. Don’t be surprised if you have to pass horses or donkeys along the way.
This trail was a bit tougher than I expected. It’s totally doable and many people hike it, but it’s steeper than you might be imagining. It’s only a half mile from town to Mirador Cristo Rey, but it’s about 500 feet of elevation gain. And it’s proper trail so expect roots, rocks, and plenty of uneven terrain.
If you still want to visit Mirador Cristo Rey but are looking for an alternative, you can reach the Mirador by road walking. This is longer, but it’s less steep, in my opinion. So it’s your choice.
Casa Hermanita Loop
This trail is a loop I did on a cloud day. Starting from town, I followed the stone path of Casa Hermanita until I reached Cascada del Amor. It’s a nice waterfall, but I think Cascada Escalera is better. I continued on and passed some more viewpoints (which caused a slight detour) and passed Cueva de los Murcielagos (which is a bat cave that you can pay 10,000 COP to tour). Continuing on, I eventually reached La Garrucha which is cable car. You can either take the cable car down (for 6,000 COP) or you can hike back down (I chose to hike).
In total, I logged 3.25 miles on this loop with about 650 feet of elevation gain. It’s a nice little loop taking you past waterfalls, caves, and out to the cable car. Like with other hikes on this list, there are cafes along the way (though they happened to be closed the day I hiked—bummer!).
Sendero Hospital
This next hike is an interesting one. As I researched Jardin, I ended up on the official Jardin website which has a list of walks you can take in town. In theory this is great, but the route descriptions leave a lot to be desired. Still, I took my chances and did my best to follow the loop leading from Jardin’s hospital. I can say with absolute certainty that I didn’t follow the loop they had written about since I walked longer than what they had written and still didn’t pass all of the things listed in photos (though I did pass some of the landmarks).
That all said, it was a lovely walk. Now, it might just be because I was hiking on a not so nice weather day, but I didn’t pass any other hikers on the trail on this loop which was kind of nice.
On this loop (which followed a lot of roads), I logged 3.5 miles and 750 feet of elevation gain.
Cafe Jardin
I’m not sure if this counts as a hike, but it’s my post and I’m including it. There are a few ways to get to Cafe Jardin and if you don’t want to walk, you can actually take a jeep or tuktuk to the cafe. Regardless of how you arrive, you’ll be treated to an excellent view of the town of Jardin with plenty of great views of the surrounding mountains.
If you plan to hike, there are two options. The first is to follow the hiking trail to Mirador Cristo Rey. Once you pass the Mirador, continue on until you reach Cafe Jardin. The other option is to walk along the road, which is what I did when I visited for the second time.
On my first visit, I did a loop past Cascada La Escalera to Cafe Jardin and down past Mirador Cristo Rey. Unfortunately for me, it was a Monday and Cafe Jardin was closed.
On my second visit, I decided to take the longer, but less steep road walk versus hiking up Mirador Cristo Rey. This came in at almost exactly five miles round trip (with a long break in the middle to enjoy the cafe).
Cascada La France
Cascada La France is a hike that I had on my original plans for hiking in Jardin. As you should be able to tell by now, there are plenty of waterfalls surrounding Jardin, so I figured I’d add another one to my itinerary. From town, it’s about 4.9 miles roundtrip to Cascada La France. Along the way, you’ll pass Mirador Cristo Rey and Cafe Jardin before eventually making your way to the waterfall.
So why didn’t I visit Cascada La France? Because of the reviews on AllTrails that all seemed to mention aggressive dogs. That’s not to say that you can’t hike this trail (many others have done it, including the ones who have warned about the aggressive dogs), but it was just enough to turn me off of the trail. Since there’s so many other hikes in Jardin, I wasn’t too terribly upset that I had to skip one.
Cueva del Esplendor
Cueva del Esplendor is one of the top things to see in Jardin, even though it’s outside of the town itself. It’s a cave with a waterfall coming through the top. The water is powerful and at its base, you can swim in the (freezing cold) water.
Cueva del Esplendor can be visited in two ways. The first is to visit on a tour (which is what I did) or you can hike up to the entrance. It’s your choice, but before you commit yourself to hiking, you should really understand what you’re getting into. I say this as someone who originally planned to hike, but decided at the last minute to just pay for the tour (which I do not regret).
From the town of Jardin, you’ll spend three hours hiking uphill (up a mountain technically) to reach the entrance to Cueva del Esplendor. Then you’ll pay your fee and take the tour (yes, to visit the actual waterfall, you must join a tour even if you’re traveling independently), and then you’ll have another three hours hiking back into town. Hiking makes Cueva del Esplendor become a full day activity (for context, the tour takes just over four hours).
According to AllTrails, you’ll be looking at a 12 mile hike with 3,000 feet of elevation gain. If that sounds like your idea of a good day, have at it.
More in Jardin, Colombia
In my opinion, hiking is one of the best things you can do in Jardin. But if you’re looking for more, you’ll find several tour agencies in town offering their services. This area of Colombia is known for its coffee farms and a couple I met at my hotel really enjoyed the tour they took. Otherwise, Jardin is a great place to slow down and people watch at one of the many cafes in town.
How to Get to Jardin
From Medellin’s South Bus Terminal, you’ll need to buy a ticket to Jardin. Rapido Ochoa makes the journey between these two cities, so head to their ticket window. At the time of writing, buses leave every two hours, so it might be a little tricky timing your entire day since you can’t predict traffic and how long your journey will take. If you’re like me (who was traveling from Guatape), you’ll end up having to kill time in the Medellin bus terminal (for me it was close to an hour and a half, which sucked).
The bus ticket from Medellin to Jardin cost 46,000 COP (though they did have a VIP service that ran once per day for 51,000 COP).
The journey time is listed as three hours, but in my experience, it was closer to three and a half hours (which is better than the four hours I was expecting). About halfway through the journey, we stopped for a bathroom and for the opportunity to purchase snacks.
How Long Do You Need in Jardin, Colombia
This depends on the traveler, but I’d recommend at least two nights in Jardin, though I feel that three is better since it gives you two full days in this colorful town. I spent five nights in Jardin, giving me four full days in town. This is more than you may need, but I was traveling a bit slower than normal and given the excess rain we got during the supposed dry season, I was happy to have an extra few days when the weather was nicer.
Final Thoughts
While the hiking in Jardin wasn’t quite what I expected (given that I was sharing the road with tuktuks, motorcycles, and the occasional horse), I really enjoyed this town. It’s laid back and the surrounding mountains give fantastic views in every direction. The hikes in Jardin just add to this beauty. So weather you’re looking for a short, easy hike or you plan to hike all the way to Cueva del Esplendor, you’re sure to enjoy your time in Jardin.
Continue Your Adventure
More Hiking in Colombia: If you’re in Villa de Leyva, consider a hike to Cerro de la Cruz. In Santander, hike the Camino Real from Barichara to Guane.
Colombia: Start planning your trip with my Colombia Travel Guide which includes a realistic travel budget, my top travel tips, safety information, a nine day itinerary, and so much more.