Jardin
Colombia
An early alarm was required for the 6 a.m. bus from Medellin to Jardin, a day trip we decided on at the last minute. The drive was stunning, circling around mountains with clouds sitting low in the valleys. I wish there had been viewpoints to stop at along the way.
Jardin is another one of those towns touted as one of the most beautiful in Colombia. It wasn't hard to see why. Buildings were painted in a variety of bold colours, each one unique. A towering church loomed over the centre square while outdoor cafes and street stalls began setting up. I don’t know if it could steal Guatape’s beauty title, but it came close.
On the edge of town was a primitive cable car known as La Garrucha. Originally, it was installed to move materials between the town and the farms up the hill, although no one could tell me when it was built. Now it is a tourist attraction, and the only thing that has changed over the decades is the rudimentary wooden box, which has been replaced with a metal version. It was a short 5-minute journey across the valley, during which time we wondered how safe we actually were while swinging from side to side. At the other end we took the obligatory photos over the town then returned the same way, praying the box was sturdier than it looked.
The main reason I wanted to visit Jardin was to see the Cueva del Esplendor (Splendour Cave), a small cave that had a waterfall running through the middle of it. To reach the start of the trail we needed to catch a taxi, which in Jardin meant a tuk-tuk. I managed to haggle with a driver in broken Spanish for a decent price, who drove us to the end of a rocky road in the middle of nowhere. From here it was a 1-hour hike, mostly along an unpaved driveway (the cave is on private land), looking out over rolling green hills with glimpses of Jardin in the distance. Like the bus trip, I was mesmerised.
At the entrance we joined a compulsory tour, waiting around for enough people to arrive before we could begin. We followed our guide down a narrow, slippery trail and across a river through the forest. 15 minutes later we reached the cave, where a forceful jet of water was streaming through a hole in the roof. Sunlight from above lit up the falls as they fell the short distance to the rocks below. There was nothing else to see or do here. It seemed like a long journey for a couple of photos, but it was definitely not something you see everyday.
As we left the cave it began to rain, and it stayed with us for the entire hike back to the road. It wasn’t long before our bottom halves were soaked, getting no protection from our umbrellas (finding a dry pair of shoes to put on each morning was becoming a challenge). Our tuk-tuk driver picked us up and drove us back to Jardin, where we chowed down on a good-sized menu del dia. By the time we had finished lunch, the sun was back out.
With less than an hour before our bus was due to leave, I thought I could fit in a hike to another viewpoint on the opposite side of town to La Garrucha. As it was only a kilometre each way, I was sure I had plenty of time. The path started out on smooth, curved rocks, which were a nightmare after the storm that had passed through. After that, it was all slick mud on a sliver of a track with a 25% gradient. I skidded continuously going up the hill, inching along at a snail's pace. The lookout was magnificent, back over Jardin and to the hills beyond, but I only had a minute to appreciate them before having to make the descent. I slid most of the way down too, and by the time I reached the bottom my arms, legs and bag were covered in mud splatter. My grey shoes were now completely brown. I used my water bottle to rinse off as much as possible before power walking to the bus stop, arriving only minutes before the bus pulled up. Overall, our trip to Jardin had been fantastic, and I was glad we had made the decision to venture out here (even if it was only a short visit).
