While we’re on our comfortable two to three-hour ride to Jardín, we’ll have plenty of time to take in the view and get a feeling for Antioquia’s people and its scenery. Once we arrive at Jardín, we’ll stretch our legs and walk around the village square, admiring the unique church and the whitewashed houses with their beautifully painted doors and balconies. We’ll get the chance to try delicious Colombian pastries – we highly recommend the ‘pan de crema’ at the local bakery – and sip a cup of coffee while we sit outside on the main square and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the village. Take a closer look at the many hand painted chairs on the main square as well as in front of many cafés; each one is a piece of art, telling us more about the village and its culture. Strolling down the narrow streets we’ll get to a góndola, used for sightseeing as well as transportation purposes. It will take us up a mountain next to Jardín, allowing us to get a spectacular view of the village and the surrounding lush green environment. Feeling hungry after soaking in many new impressions we’ll try a typical Colombian dish at a local restaurant before we hit the road to cover the short distance to the coffee farm we are going to visit. Once we reach the coffee farm we’ll enjoy a warm welcome from the cafetero before we wander through a vast area covered with uncountable coffee plants. The cafetero will explain the different steps from growing the coffee beans, harvesting them at the right moment, to processing beans in the best possible way. At the house, he will show and tell us about different methods to prepare the perfect cup of coffee and we get the chance to ask him everything else we like to know about the plantation and his rural life on the farm. After we have become experts about what makes Colombian coffee so excellent, we will get to taste it and marvel at its rich flavor before we head back to Medellín.
Coffee and snack at Jardin’s main square.
Guided visit of a coffee farm.
A typical Colombian dish for lunch.