Finally its time to leave the city of Medellin and what better place to go to than Jardin, a beautiful little town in the rolling hills of Colombia’s coffee region. This place is a little bit off the tourist trail and this is what makes it so charming, the authenticity of the locals and the real Colombian cowboy culture. The town itself is based around a main square and a church and has many cowboy bars, restaurants and small tiendas. The main methods of transport around this place is by tuk tuk or horse! My experience of Jardin was similar to stepping into a time machine and being in cowboy America. The locals are lovely and there is a real sense of community in this quaint little town. The main hostel in the area is Sgt. Peppers which is right in the heart of town.
I however stayed in the ‘Creo Lodge’, an eco hostel out of town in the heart of the hills of Jardin. This was probably my favourite place that I have stayed in so far. Creo lodge is run by Thibault and Eva who are the most amazing hosts and who are what made my stay so pleasurable. The food at this place was divine!! For breakfast, Thibault would make homemade jams and spreads (the chocolate one was the best I have ever tasted) to accompany freshly baked sourdough bread, this was such a nice break from the horrible sweet bread that is common in Colombia. Dinner was of a similar ilk and was vegetarian dishes made from fresh ingredients from the garden. Creo Lodge is a perfect place to properly relax and detox, the hostel offers yoga, massages and there are many nooks where you can read your book whilst looking out to the beautiful trees. There is no wifi at this hostel so you can really unwind and connect with the nature around you. In terms of activities, there are many hikes you can do including a couple of waterfalls. The waterfalls are a bit tricky to find, but Thibault will draw you a handmade map to follow- good luck! You can horse ride around the surrounding countryside and I have been told that the stables are reputable and that they treat their horses properly. There is also a cute cafe nearby to Creo where you can use the wifi and admire the views. It is also nice to spend a day walking around the town and enjoying a coffee in one of the cafes off the square.
From Jardin, I headed to Salento. The journey was approx 5 hours and the first bus we got on was super fun! It was a bus similar style to a chiva, open sides and bench style seats. It was a beautiful journey amongst the rolling hills, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like most buses in Colombia, the driver bleared out music- including Nelly and Kelly’s Dilemma of all songs. This leg of the journey lasted for about 2 hours and they we swapped onto a ‘normal’ bus with lasted about 3 hours.
My first impressions of Salento were that it reminded me very much of Jardin, just more touristy. The popular hostels here are Coffee Tree and Viajero. I stayed in Estrella Sin Frontiers as it was a little cheaper, I however would not recommend it here, the dorms are so small and there is no nice chill out areas. The laundry service is slow and someone stole my LED poi from the bed. On our first day we did the Kasaguada Nature Reserve tour ,which is an educational tour of the jungle and an insight to a new model of building huts out of plastic. Our tour guide, Carlos was the most passionate tour guide I have ever had, he was so passionate about what he did and this passion really shone through. There is also an opportunity to stay in the huts if you have the money and time. Sleeping in the actual jungle would be so cool! Another must do in Salento is to hike the Cocora valley, which is the place that has the worlds tallest palm trees. The hike takes 4-6 hours depending on how fast you walk and how many breaks you take. Make sure you stock up on snacks! You can also stop at the ‘hummingbird cafe’ for a coffee and a free piece of cheese and to admire the beautiful hummingbirds, I had never seen so many! Hiking the Cocora valley was one of my favourite days so far. Another good activity to do is to do a local coffee farm tour where you can pick your own coffee beans and learn about the process of making coffee. You can also eat the coffee beans whilst you pick them and of course enjoy a delicious cup of coffee when you finish.
In terms of restaurants in Salento, there isn’t the greatest selection. The most popular one with backpackers is Brunch Salento but in my opinion this was overpriced. An excellent place for menu of the day was restaurant Meraki, you get a soup, a big plate of food (veggie option was falafal with rice, beans and avocado) and fresh juice for $16,000 COP. There is also a cute vegetarian restaurant called ‘El Punto Vegetal’, good hummus and falafels. In terms of nightlife, the thing to do in Salento is to play ‘Tejos’ at Los Amigos, a local Colombian game that involves explosives and throwing things. It is also nice to climb the stairs to watch the sunset over the town. Salento also has beautiful jewellery, you can spend an afternoon strolling in and out of various jewellery stores and bartering your way down!
Another cute town worth visiting in this region is Filandia. We jumped in a jeep for 20 minutes from Salento, you could easily do a day trip here if you didn’t fancy staying. This place is off the backpacker trail so there is not many hostels as such, when we went there was a water shortage in the town so the main hostel (hostel lluvia) was closed. We stayed in tree house which was nice but beware the dorm is on the 3rd floor and the bathroom is on the ground floor and the stairs are fairly steep! Surprisingly Filanida has some great spots for food and drinks, Helena Adentro is a quirky little spot with good food and cocktails. We went here two nights in a row because it was so good. It was also nice to enjoy a cocktail from Tuk Tuk and overlook the view and the rolling hills. In terms of site seeing, do not bother with the mirador (view point) it is expensive and its just a weird and spooky place! If you are into horses, I would definitely recommend horse riding. We found an eco horse sanctuary and enjoyed a ride in the depths of the Filandia landscape. I would definitely recommend at least a week in this region as there is so much to do and it is so different from the rest of Colombia. It was in the coffee region where I discovered my love for hiking!
Romy's Roamings 