Jardin in Antioquia

We didn’t know what to expect when visiting Jardin near Medellin in Antioquia, but we sure do now.

Day 238 – October 26th, 2014.

We met up with our friends at the Poblado metro and then took a taxi to the Terminal Sur (south terminal) where we had to wait for the bus to Jardin.

Terminal Sur (South Terminal)

Transporte Suroeste Antioqueño Andes-Jardin bus from the Medellin Southern Bus Terminal run a few times during the day and we bought tickets for the 9.20am service. Tickets cost 18,000 Peso or $10 AUD.

Bus timetable Medellin to Jardin & Jardin to Medellin

The bus was in better condition than the one we took to Guatape to climb the monolith El Peñol earlier this visit.

The bus to Jardin from Medellin

The weather was not real good this morning but the closer we got to Jardin the better it became.

Very low clouds on our journey to Jardin

As always the bus was over full and we picked up a few extra passengers with them having to sit in the isle and jostle for places. A few of the street sellers came and went during the journey.

“We passed trough the pueblo of Bolombolo in Antioquia”

Without stopping apart from avoiding a stray cow and dog on the road.

The pueblo of Bolombolo

“The biggest pueblo we stopped at was Andes”

Which is only about 20 minutes away from Jardin. A very colourful place which actually looked like the center point for connecting pueblos with lots of buses and people in the town.

The buses at Andes

Andes in Antioquia

From these photos you can just get a feel of how life in a Colombian Pueblo is, look at all the people.

Andes main square

“We arrived in Jardin, right in the main square next to one of the cafes overlooking the church”

First up was a visit to the toilet as sitting for three hours without a pit stop we were busting… We bought a coffee and savoured the atmosphere while people watching in the square.

Coffee in Jardin overlooking the square

Jardin is just over 3 hours from Medellin by bus and is 1700 meters above sea level. It is in the southern most part of the department of Antioquia. Jardin has been called the garden of Eden and is famous for its colonial appearance with the mountain views and lush green landscapes.

Panorama of the square

The main square of Jardin has been a national monument since 1985 and is lined with hotels, cafes and restaurants. As with many pueblos, the most prominent building is the church and Jardin is no different with its church called

“Basilica de la Immaculada Concepcion”

Standing proud at one side of the town square.

The church of Basilica de la Immaculada Concepcion

The inside is quite spectacular as this photo I took of a photo.

The view inside the church of Immaculada Concepcion in Jardin

After our short coffee stop we made our way to the hostel. The Hostal Selva y Cafe was only about 15 minutes walk from the pueblo square.

The walk to the Hostal Selva y Cafe, Casa Del Lago in Jardin

“Hostal Selva y Cafe, Casa Del Lago”

The hostel is away from the main town and you leave the bitumen and walk along a natural road for a few hundred metres to the entrance. The scene is very peaceful and green with a couple of ponds and wonderful flowers in the garden.

Hostal Selva y Cafe, Casa Del Lago

Check-in at the hostel was a bit confusing as the lady didn’t seem to have command of the system, but after a while we paid the rest of the reservation fee which I had booked on Hostelworld.com and paid a deposit with the credit card for the four of us in a six bed dorm with en suite.

Entrance, ground floor & kitchen at Hostal Selva & Cafe in Jardin

The dorm room cost 28,000 Peso $15.60 AUD per person. They do have a couple of double rooms but they cost 85,000 Peso $47 AUD.

The dorm at Hostal Selva y Cafe, Casa del Lago

The second floor also has an area for yoga which is just outside the rooms and off the balcony.

Second floor rooms and yoga area at Casa Del Lago in Jardin

Once we had checked out the hostel we walked back in to town where we found a place to eat lunch.

Images from Jardin pueblo

It was in someones house, even though it has ‘restaurante’ on a plaque outside it was a home with a few tables. There were only a few options and we had the menu del dia for 9000 Peso $5 AUD.

Lunch at a restaurant which was someones home

“The cable car to the top of Cristo Rey Hill offers a great panoramic view of Jardin”

After lunch we made our way to the cable car which is easy to find, in fact the town is quite easy to get around.

Cable car in Jardin

Waiting for the cable car I spotted some birds feeding off the bananas on a stand, even though the photos are not that great you can see the wonderful colours they are.

Three colourful birds in Colombia

The cable car is 5000 peso $2.80 AUD per person return and it’s only a short ride, which makes it expensive for Colombian standards but still cheap for the tourist. At the top you are treated to a great view of the pueblo and mountains around.

Jardin panarama from top of the cable car

There is a cafe or Estadero (a ranch style restaurant) at the top and on a beautiful day it would no doubt be a very popular spot.

The view at the cafe at the top of the cable car in Jardin

“Coffee plants share the vista with banana trees all along the hillside”

We can only imagine how difficult it would be to pick the coffee beans no wonder coffee is expensive.

Coffee and bananas growing in Jardin

Back down in town we return to the hostel and collect the belongings of Laurence as he was only with us for the day, a special day for him as it was his birthday and we see him off on the bus to return to Medellin. We also buy our return tickets here for tomorrow.

Jardin adventures in Antioquia

“Dinner was in Cafe Europa”

A small pasta & pizza place that we passed earlier in the day. It had a nice cosy atmosphere and the pizza was very tasty. The pizzas come in 3 sizes, small 5,000 (really only for kids) medium 10,000 (which we had) and large 15,000.

Cafe Europa in Jardin

Feeling satisfied we walked back to the hostel and relaxed on the veranda before sleeping.