This isn’t a checklist but how we’d actually spend a few days exploring Jardin, one of Colombia’s most charming towns.
There aren’t dozens of attractions in Jardín, Colombia… but that is what I reckon makes up the whole charm of the town. After two months travelling around Colombia, Jardín quietly became one of our favourite places in the country. We originally planned to stay for two nights before moving on. Instead, we slowed down, drank far too much coffee, watched horses wander through the town square and realised that the best thing about Jardín is the pace of life and how local it feels.
If you’re wondering what to do in Jardín beyond taking photos of colourful streets and leaving again, these are the places and experiences we’d genuinely recommend after spending time here.
Planning your trip? This guide focuses on what to do once you’re in Jardín. If you’re still deciding whether to visit, or need help with buses from Medellín, where to stay, safety, costs and how many days to spend here: read our complete Jardín, Colombia Travel Guide.
Disclaimer: Some links earn me a small commission – same price for you, slightly less tragic bank balance for me.
How to spend your time in Jardin?
Jardin is one of those places where you can just spend days on end exploring it. The town itself it pretty compact and you can exploring it all in a day. However, the thing about slow travel is that you spend your days sipping coffee, people watching and simply observing. Here are a few things you can do whilst visiting Jardin.
Wander the Main Square
Almost every town in South America seems to revolve around the main square… You could call it the heart of a countryside town like Jardin. A town park is usually in the middle of the square, a church and a few cafes or restaurants surround the square. It’s usually where a town feels the most alive. Older locals can be found sitting around chatting all day. Colourful chairs decorate the square with a unique basilica overlooking the square. Occasionally, you’ll see horses casually walking through the town and some fruit stalls set up. Towards the evening, families come out, music starts playing and more people spend the evening outside having a casual beer.
Visit a coffee farm
Time needed: 3 hours
Cost: ranges from 150 000 – 180 000 COP ($45 – 53 / €39 – 46 / £33 – 40)
Worth it: if you haven’t been on a coffee tour before, it’s worth doing at least once.
Book your finca tour here
You’re in Coffee Country now. Jardin sits within the boarder area of Colombia’s Coffee Axis or Eje Cafetero. It would be rude to visit without going on a coffee tour – if you haven’t done one before. We opted not to only because we had previously done a coffee tour in Panama. But nearly every traveller we spoke to in Jardin recommended doing a smaller finca experience over a commercial tour. And to that, I will agree.
Jardin still feels very much connected to the actual farming life rather than built around tourism. I didn’t personally do this tour because we’d already visited a coffee finca in Panama but almost every traveller we met recommended choosing one of the smaller family-run fincas rather than the larger commercial operations. Everyone we spoke to said the tours focused more on the realities of these families and farmers rather than staged tasting experiences. If you travel through Colombia for long enough, you’ll see how deeply coffee culture shapes entire regions and daily life.
Go birdwatching
Time needed: 1 hour
Cost: 25000 COP per person (international) – $7.50 / €6.50 / £5.50
Worth it: Absolutely if you haven’t seen them before!
Book your birdwatching tour here
I feel like so many of my South America guides eventually turn into accidental birdwatching recommendations. But… Hear me out. Even if you’re not usually interested in birds, Jardin may just convert you. There is a reserve less than a 10 min walk from the town square that is famous for the Andean cock-of-the-rock sightings – Reserva Natural Jardin de Rocas. The reserve is actually very affordable, only setting you back 25000 COP per person for a foreigner. The cool thing about it is that you’ll actually be inside their lek. At some points, you’re surrounded by them. Even if you’re not normally interested in birding, this one’s worth doing.
We stayed at La Tangara Hostel Rural and stayed in the cabin. The property has a nice birdwatching area where you get up early and try spot what visitors you have in the gardens. We saw a couple of the usual birdlife – even a motmot!
Spend an afternoon café hopping
I know “café hopping” sounds dangerous. But since coffee is ingrained in Jardin’s culture, it would be rude not to try their coffee. Just sitting in a cafe for a couple of hours actually feels like a somewhat productive activity. Most cafés spill out into the streets or square, so instead of staring at a wall or your laptop… swap your view for tuk tuks zipping through tiny streets, locals gossip over tinto and rain clouds slowly roll over the surrounding mountains.
Tip: Visit Cafe JARDIN on the top of the hill to enjoy a bird’s eye view over Jardin! You can walk back to town via Cristo Rey and the banana plantation.
After travelling around Colombia for a while, you start appreciating places where you can just sit still for a bit without feeling like you should constantly be “doing” something. Jardín is very good at that. Truly, an afternoon well spent!
Ride La Garrucha
Time needed: 5 mins one way journey
Cost: 7000 COP ($2 / €1.80 / £1.50)
Worth it: Depends – its a nice view over the valley and a quick way to town.
Like many towns in the region, you’ll quickly realise just how hilly Jardin really is. On the southern side of the town, there’s La Garrucha, a small gondola/cable car suspended over a valley used as means of transportation across the valley. It was previously used as transportation by farmers before converting more to a tourist attraction. But don’t be fooled, it’s still used by many locals today.
You’ll slowly glide across the green hills. While it may look midly concerning to begin with, it’s a fantastic way to get across the valley or have a quick view over Jardin. Once you reach the other side, there are little walking trails, viewpoints and restaurants overlooking the valley. It’s the kind of place where you accidentally spend far longer than intended drinking a coffee and staring at the hills.
Walking trails around Jardín
We stayed away from town, in a hostel called La Tangara Hostel Rural. From here, you can actually explore a few walking trails to get back to the center of town. I’ve included a little short trail we took. It will take you to some miradors, the La Garrucha and Cueva del Esplendor.
Tip: On your way down, stop by Mirador la Herrerita for a cold drink or ice cream and a view over Jardin. You might be lucky if there’s hummingbirds visiting the feeders.
Take the cable car across the valley
Temporarily closed at the time of writing.
There’s also a larger cable car just outside town on the north side. However, it has been closed for a little while now. The idea is similar to La Garrucha, however it is built on a larger scale.
Hike to Cueva del Esplendor
Time needed: 6+ hours
Cost: approx 100000 COP ($30 / €26 / £20)
Worth it: A pretty cool activity in Jardin!
Book your tour to Cueva del Esplendor here.
Cueva del Esplendor is a cave waterfall hidden in the mountains outside town. The waterfall drops through a hole in the cave ceiling. There are tours set up to take you there. There are organised tours available from town, although some accommodations can also help arrange transport independently. It takes approximately 45mins to reach the location, then a short hike of 20mins. Depending on weather conditions, expect mud – lots of it.
Go horse riding through the countryside
Time needed: 2 -3 hours
Cost: approximately 150 000 COP ($45 / €39 / £33)
Worth it:
Book your horse riding tour here.
Farmers ride through town constantly and a lot of the surrounding countryside is best explored on horseback. There are tours available through local fincas and guides taking you through the hills, farms and smaller villages around the area. Normally I avoid overly staged horse riding experiences because they can feel very manufactured or abusive for the animals very quickly, but here it still feels connected to the local culture rather than something created purely for tourists. Also, realistically, some of those hills are steep enough that the horse is probably having a better time than your knees.
Explore the waterfalls around Jardín
The countryside surrounding Jardín is full of waterfalls, hiking trails and rivers hidden between the hills. Cueva del Esplendor is obviously the famous one but there are smaller waterfalls scattered around the area that barely appear online. A lot of them are reached by tuk tuk, horse or jeeps.
Tip: Cacada del Amor is along the walking trail mentioned above. It is located right on the side of the road!
Try local food (especially trout)
Like a lot of mountain towns in Colombia, trout is everywhere in Jardín. Usually grilled, fried or covered in garlic sauce alongside rice, salad, patacones and enough food to send you into an food coma. There are still plenty of family-run places serving huge set lunches for reasonable prices. And honestly, Colombian countryside food may not always the most visually exciting cuisine in the world, but it’s hearty, comforting, homemade and exactly what you want. The recommendation we got was Otra Cocina and wow, it was delicious.
Slow down and enjoy the town
This sounds ridiculous to include in a guide, but I actually think Jardín is one of the best places in Colombia to intentionally slow down. Not every destination needs a packed itinerary from sunrise to sunset. Some afternoons here were literally just: coffee, wandering around town, sitting in the square, watching rain roll over the mountains and deciding where to eat later.
The side streets are full of colourful balconies, tiny cafes and delicious restaurents. It’s really what small country towns like these are all about. The town itself is relatively compact, you never really feel lost. And somehow those are the travel days I usually remember most afterwards. Honestly, this might end up being your favourite thing to do in Jardín.
Where to Eat in Jardín
Otra Cocina: If you’re only eating at one restaurant, I’d make it this one. We came here on recommendation from locals and honestly understood the hype after one meal. The trout was excellent and the menu felt a little more creative than the traditional set lunches you’ll find elsewhere.
A traditional menu del día: One of my favourite things in Colombian countryside towns is simply walking into whichever local restaurant is busy at lunchtime. You’ll usually get soup, a main, juice and rice for a fraction of what you’d pay in many cities. It’s often some of the most comforting food you’ll eat in Colombia.
A café on the square: Instead of recommending one specific café, I’d actually encourage people to pick whichever one has free chairs outside. Half the experience is watching the town go about its day while slowly drinking a tinto.
How We’d Spend Two Days in Jardín
If we came back to Jardín tomorrow, we would probably just repeat what we had done previously. Jardin is somewhere you can slow down so I recommend you do just that… that being said, here’s exactly how we’d spend two days.
Day One: Settle in
After arriving from Medellín, we’d drop our bags and head straight into the main square. Find a café with outdoor seating, order a tinto or coffee and spend a little while doing absolutely nothing. Watch the older locals chatting on benches, farmers riding horses through town and tuk tuks zipping down the streets. It sounds incredibly simple, well that’s because people watching is an activity itself.
From there, we’d wander through the back streets without much of a plan. Jardín is compact enough that you don’t really need one. Pop into small shops, admire the colourful balconies and stop wherever looks interesting. Later in the afternoon, we’d make our way over to La Garrucha. Crossing the valley in a tiny cable car – equal parts practical transport and tourist attraction. Once you’re on the other side, don’t rush back.
Have another coffee, enjoy the views over the surrounding hills and let yourself linger a little longer than you planned. As evening arrives, head back to the square for dinner before grabbing another coffee or a beer outside. One of my favourite things about Jardín is how lively the town still feels after dark without ever becoming chaotic.
Day Two: Experience the countryside
Get up early. If you’re staying at La Tangara Hostel Rural, start your morning off with some birdwatching and fuel yourself with some brekfast. From there you can choose one of the main activities. We preferred walking from La Tangara Hostel Rural to town through the small walking trail I shared earlier, stopping at miradors and cascadas along the way. Before heading to Cafe JARDIN on the other side of the valley to continue tasting all the coffee Antioquia has to offer. While wandering back to town, head to Reserva Natural Jardin de Rocas to see the Andean-Cock-of-the-Rock in the late afternoon.
Alternatively you can take a tour to visit Cueva del Esplendor. If hiking isn’t really your thing, swap it for a coffee farm instead. Jardín is surrounded by family-run fincas. It’s a great place to learn more about Colombian coffee without the experience feeling overly commercial. By the time your day starts winding down, finish off the evening how you started your visit: wandering back through town with no particular destination. Stop for one last coffee, browse a few local shops and enjoy your final evening before moving on.
If you have an extra day…
Stay. Honestly, this is one of the few places in Colombia where having nothing planned doesn’t feel like wasted time. Go for another walk through the hills, spend an afternoon café hopping, visit another coffee farm or simply sit in the square for an hour watching everyday life unfold.
Planning Your Trip?
Now you’ve got plenty of ideas for how to spend your time in Jardín.
If you’re still organising the practical side of your trip, our complete Jardín, Colombia Travel Guide covers:
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- getting there from Medellín or Salento
- how many days to stay
- where to stay
- whether Jardín is safe
- the best time to visit
- travel tips we wish we’d known beforehand
Jardin ended up being one of our favourite places in Colombia
For us, it was the mornings spent birdwatching from our cabin, afternoons wandering through town, evenings drinking coffee in the square. Nothing particularly dramatic happened in Jardín. Yet somehow it’s become one of the places we remember most from Colombia.
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