Jardin is one of my favorite places in Colombia. It’s a colorful, picturesque town with plenty of hiking and nature opportunities in the surrounding area. But if you ever look at a list of things to do in Jardin, one of the things that will always come up is Cueva del Esplendor. So, I felt like I had no choice but to visit when I was in Jardin. Here’s what that visit was like.
What is Cueva del Esplendor
Located up in the mountains that surround Jardin is a cave and a waterfall. Sure you can find waterfalls surrounding Jardin but this waterfall actually flows through the cave. There’s an opening in the top of the cave that allows the water through and it creates a beautiful scene. The water is freezing but those brave enough are welcome to swim at the base of the falls (or as close as they can get to the base of the falls).
Can You Visit Cueva del Esplendor Without a Tour?
Kind of. In my opinion, the traditional tour to Cueva del Esplendor has two parts. Part one is your transportation to and from Jardin. This takes between 45 minutes to an hour each way and accounts for half of your tour time. If you want to arrange your own transportation (whether that’s by tuktuk, jeep, hiking, or cycling), you can skip the traditional tour.
The other part of the tour is the actual visit to the cave. Whether you come on a group tour or show up on your own, you’ll have to wait for a a group to go down to Cueva del Esplendor. So if you arrive on your own, that might mean waiting around until the next tour group shows up and joining their group to the cave.
Note that if you choose to travel to Cueva del Esplendor on your own, you’ll still have to pay an entrance fee for the cave. The entrance fee is 20,000 COP.
What is Included with a Cueva del Esplendor Tour?
At the time of writing, a tour to Cueva del Esplendor costs 80,000 COP. This includes your cave entrance fee of 20,000 COP. So what does that other 60,000 COP get you?
Most importantly, it covers your transportation to and from the cave. Note that you should be particular with which company you book with. I booked with the official company (Agencia Cueva del Esplendor) which means they were able to go all the way up to the main house. From what I’ve read, some other companies are only allowed to go as far as the orange gate, which adds another 3-4 kilometers of walking/hiking.
On top of your entrance fee and your transportation, you also get some food. At the tour office in the morning, we were given a bottle of water, a granola bar, and a piece of guava candy. At the house at the entrance to Cueva del Esplendor, we were given an arepa with cheese and some tea. Then after our visit to the cave, we got some fresh juice and a piece of orange cake (which was delicious).
So yes, 80,000 COP can feel a bit steep, but honestly, I don’t think it’s a bad deal for what you really get out of it.
How to Book a Cueva del Esplendor Tour
The easiest way is to just book directly with the company by reaching out to them on WhatsApp. All you have to do is visit their business profile page and choose how many people will be taking the tour and check out. You’ll pay in cash when you check in the morning of your tour.
Note that after you check out through WhatsApp, you’ll get a message back confirming the date and time (there’s no way to specify this at booking). They’ll also ask for your name and passport number.
What to Expect on a Cueva del Esplendor Tour
Ok, enough logistics, let’s talk about what to actually expect on a tour of Cueva del Esplendor.
Check In at the Office
The first step of the tour is to check in at their tour office. If you’re booking with the official tour agency, you’ll find it on the corner of Carrera 2A and Calle 15. Try and arrive about 10 minutes before the start of your tour. You’ll sign in, get your wristband, and get your first snacks of the day.
Before you leave, you’ll probably also be given a brief overview of your tour. Here’s the important thing to note. This overview will be entirely in Spanish. There is no English option, but I don’t think you need it. Sure, it’s always great if you can understand everything, but so much of the day is just following the rest of the group, so as long as someone understands, your group will be fine.
Willy to Cueva del Esplendor
After your briefing, you’ll load up in the Willys. What’s a Willy? It’s a modified jeep. The back seat was removed to have two sideways bench seats. Basically, it allows them to easily fit more people in the vehicle, which is great when you’re using them for tour vehicles.
The drive through town is quick and before you know it, you’ll start climbing up the mountains. It takes about 45 to 60 minutes to make the drive. It’s slow and incredibly bumpy, but that’s part of the fun. Plus the views of the surrounding area are just fantastic. Your driver may stop once along the way just to give everyone the opportunity to hop out of the Willy and snap a photo.
If you want my personal opinion, try to sit on the right side of the Willy. I sat on the left but I think the views were better on the right. But no matter what, you’ll get some very nice views of the area.
Note that even with the official tour, you won’t get dropped off right at the entrance. We had to walk maybe a quarter of a mile to reach the entrance where we got our second snack.
A Brief Stop for a Snack
The benefit of using the official tour is that they keep feeding you. It was time for another snack after such a tough journey to the top (that’s sarcasm if you can’t tell). Get to know your fellow travelers as you eat an arepa and cheese and drink some tea. Once everyone is done eating, you’ll finally be able to visit Cueva del Esplendor.
Cueva del Esplendor
From the main house, it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to reach Cueva del Esplendor. It really just depends how fast your group is. The good news is that even if you have a slow group, you can typically go to the front of the group and go at your own pace. It’s a short walk down to the cave, but it’s downhill and can be slippery in places so take your time. Luckily, there is a rope for some of the steeper and slipperier sections so you can hold on as you climb.
Finally you reach what you have come to see. That dramatic waterfall pouring through the cave ceiling. There’s a few different points where you can view the falls, so take advantage when you’re down here. You’ll have about 30 minutes or so once everyone reaches the bottom. Take your photos and go for a dip in the water.
As a note, the water is freezing cold, so don’t expect a warm swim. I didn’t plan on swimming (having read about how cold the water was), but while taking a photo, I slipped and got a bit more wet than I anticipated. I can confirm that the water is very cold.
Before you know it, it’s time to head back up. While you can go at your own pace, the gate at the top is locked so you’ll have to wait until all of your group makes the climb back up before you can head back to the main house.
Another Snack and Return to Jardin
After the visit to Cueva del Esplendor, it’s time for another snack. By this point, it will have been about an hour since they last fed you and apparently it was decided that that’s too long to go without food. So, once you’re back at the main house, you will sit down and enjoy another snack. This was fresh juice (we believe it was passionfruit juice) and a piece of orange cake (which was delicious).
Then once everyone has eaten, it’s time to walk another 0.25 miles back to the Willys and ride back into Jardin. As a note, we were given the option to go back to the office or be dropped off at the main park. The main park is closer than the office and odds are good this is where you’re going to want to be anyway, so jump off at the main park if you get the choice.
How Long is the Cueva del Esplendor Tour?
A tour to Cueva del Esplendor lasts about 4 hour to 4.5 hours and about half of that time is transportation. If you’re hiking up yourself, the actual visit to the cave takes about 30 to 45 minutes.
More in Jardin
Jardin is my favorite town in Colombia. It’s colorful (though I do believe that Guatapé and Salento are more colorful), has plenty of hiking options, and had some of the best food that I ate in Colombia. While other towns (like Guatapé and Salento) can feel like they just exist for tourists, Jardin feels lived in and I think that’s part of why I enjoyed it so much.
So other than eating good food, strolling colorful streets, and relaxing at a cafe, what else can you do? For me, I hiked in the nearby mountains. It may not be exactly what you’re thinking of when I say hiking since almost all of the trails were shared with hikers and motorcycles and tuktuks, but I still enjoyed it. There are also coffee farms nearby that can be toured and there are a handful of tour operators in town who can help arrange even more activities.
How to Get to Jardin, Colombia
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 up 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 if you’re starting your journey in somewhere other than Medellin (I started in Guatapé). If you’re like me, 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
I debated for a long time about if I was going to visit Cueva del Esplendor and how I was going to do it. In the end, I’m grateful that I paid that extra bit of money and took the tour. It was convenient, easy, and a fun way to spend a half day in Jardin.
Continue Your Adventure
More Waterfalls in Colombia: Near San Gil, you can visit the Juan Curi Waterfall.
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.
