Jardin
On the road to the coffee region, 3hrs South-West of Medellin, and about 140kms away; Jardin it is to us the most beautiful village of Antioquia. It is defined by its colourful sculpted wooden balconies seen on just about every house in the village. The main square is magnificent, with at its centre, the splendid basilic of the Immaculate Conception; with its 2 bell towers, it is one of the most remarkable churches of Colombia. On top of being pretty for its colonial architecture, its colours and welcoming atmosphere, the village is surrounded by stunning landscapes, vertiginous waterfalls, coffee plantations… You can go canyoning, abseiling waterfalls, paragliding, mountain biking, tree climbing… There are numerous bars and restaurants, the local specialty is trout (as in most villages situated above 1700m altitude); but also basilic jam, as well as lots of specialities made with rose. Still not long ago, we could access the viewpoint thanks to a modern cable car, but it has been closed for unknown reasons… making “La Guarracha” old cable car our only option (metal and wooden cage sitting on 2 cables, then hoisted up to the 2nd viewpoint…a trip to be remembered!). We can also do a guided tour of the village with a local tuctuc, it is a good way to explore depending on the driver we get. Next to the main square below the river, from 6 to 9am and 3 to 6pm everyday, you can observe the beautiful bird “cock of hives” with its red orange feathers. Everyday the males come here to fight each other and conquer the females. There are about 50 of them flying freely all around. 45min South, heading towards Rio Sucio, is the reserve for Loro Orejiamarillo parrots, endangered specie that makes its nest in the palms of wax. You can also see a variety of humming-birds, like in the Cocora region, the coffee region next to Salento. The most original waterfall to go check out is actually a cave, with a huge gapabove its entry, from which flows an amazing waterfall. It is high up in the mountains (2200m altitude) so the water is rather cold, about 15-16 degrees… but it does not stop anyone going for a dip. Usually from Jardin, we head towards the coffee region via Riosucio, or towards Santa Fe de Antioquia (if heading there, we can make a stop along the Rio Cauca, just after Bolombolo, at a cave and waterfall.