Cali to Medellin in 10days

We landed in Cali around midday.

We landed in Cali around midday. The afternoon we visited the neighborhood of San Antonio. We ate in a trendy place called Criollan Lovers then we discovered a cool print shop « Carteles La Linterna ». We continue to walk around and went to the park of San Antonio. From the top you have a really nice view of the city.

We went back to the hotel, rested a bit and got ready for tonight.

Cali is known as a party city. We were invited to la Pergola by our friend from Cali. This club is incredible, there are different rooms, its an open space, there is a toboggan, pop corn machin … a trendy and good vibe club! We left around 2 - 3 am, time to go to bed because we have an intense trip ahead.

Hard to wake up this morning but we had to visit a bit more Cali before leaving. We walked throw the boulevard del rio, discover the park of Simon Bolivar and the beautiful church la Ermita. Then we walk direction plaza del Cayzedo, stop in a supermarket to by food for the trip and went back to the hotel.

Around midday we took a taxi to the bus station. We took a first bus to Armenia. It’s around 3h of bus, the ticket is around 40000 COP. Then we took a minibus to Salento it’s about 45min and cost 5000 COP. We arrived around 5pm in Salento.

We arrived around 5pm in Salento. And walked throw the calle real to the main square. We stopped to have a beer in a typical bar, called Cafe Danubio. You can also play pool there. Then we ate in a super good restaurant called Etnia Arte y Sabor, the menu is at 22000 COP you have a drink, a homemade soup, a main course ( we choose the trucha because it’s typical from the region ) and a little sweet. Highly recommended. You should come at the opening because it gets full quickly. We went to bed early because a big day was waiting for us tomorrow!

We checked in Mahalo Hotel. We went to bed early because a big day was waiting for us tomorrow!

From the main square we took a jeep direction the valle de Cocora. We took the first one of the day at 6:30 am, the drive is about 25min and cost 4000 COP. You have two walks in the valle de Cocora, the short or the long one. We decided to do the long one, it’s about 5 hours but so much worth it, because you see many different landscapes. We advise you to start from the entrance were there is a blue barrier, like this you will have the landscape with the palm trees for the end.

When you enter from the blue barrier entrance stay on the left way, you will arrive in front of a little cabin, there you will pay 5500 COP. You will see landscape with cows, a jungle with a river that you will have to cross with hanging or bamboo bridges. At one moment you can go right to see a finca, but we decided to continue left to follow the loop. That was were it was the hardest part because it was going up and up, and up, but we made it to the finca montana where we stopped to take a cafe and a hot chocolate. Then the way goes down so it was easier. We paid the second entrance of this loop, 10000 COP and just after you have the different Mirador to see those incredible wax palms. The landscape it’s breathtaking. After many photos we continued to go down, we saw animals like horses, lamas, … took a picture with a jeep. And went out to take back the jeep for Salento, I believe we arrived in Salento around 12h30, we took a shower and went to eat.

The afternoon it was raining a lot so we had to wait that it calm down. Then we went up the mirador that is at the end of the calle Real. We walk in the town and went to have dinner on the main square. There are lot of food trucks and street food stands. You need to try chontaduro ( it’s a fruit a kind of chestnut in taste, they eat with honey and salt ) and also the typical sausage called Chorizo Santarrosanos.

This Morning we are going to Filandia. We took the jeep from the main square from 8:40, if you can book it in advance because it was full when we arrived, but we negotiated to both fit. The drive was about 45min. We walked around the town, visited the museum of El Canasto for 5000 COP and had lunch in La Traviesa they do cheap menu for lunch, good food, big quantity and good price.

The afternoon we booked a special activity. We wanted to do something different so we booked a horseback riding around the field of coffee and bananas. We booked with Steel Horse Colombia, it cost us 160000 COP. We saw beautiful landscape and farmers, it was nice and relaxing. Another activity you could book it’s a a finca of coffee. We didn’t do it because we already visited one in Minca but definitely it’s a must do in Colombia.

Back to the town we took a shower, went out for a beer and had dinner. We were quite tired of the day so we went early to bed.

Today we are going to the Thermal Santa Rosa de Cabel. We first took the bus of 9 am from Filandia to Peirera. It’s about 45min and cost around 5000 COP. Then we took a bus to Santa Rosa de Cabal that cost us around 5000 COP, and it was 30min drive. In Santa Rosa de Cabal we needed to go next to the thermal Santa Rosa. The next bus was in an hour so we decided to take a taxi it cost us 25000 COP.

We booked a hotel just few meters before the thermal of Santa Rosa because it was cheaper. The hotel is called Cabana JC, it was a cute hotel with a river, 5min by walk from the thermal, and you have a restaurant next door so it was perfect. It started to rain, so first we went to have lunch to the restaurant then we waited than the rain stopped.

Around 2:30pm we went out, we walked direction the thermal, first we wanted to see the Cascada San Miguel that is at the end of the path but you had to pay the entrance. Because we planned to go to thermal Santa Rosa, we saw the Cascada San Miguel from far.

Around 3pm we arrived to the Thermal Santa Rosa de Cabal. The entrance is 38000 COP during the week. We really advise you to go during the week because the entrance is cheaper, it’s less crowded and you don’t have a limit of time, you can stay as long as you want. (It closes at 11pm). We enjoy the hot therm and the landscape with this beautiful waterfall. It was a relaxing afternoon. We went back to the hotel around 6:30pm, took a shower and went to dinner to the restaurant next door.

Today it will be a long day of bus, the goal was to go to Jardin and catch the last bus that is at 3pm. We first took the bus from the hotel to the town of Santa Rosa de Cabel at 9 am. The bus cost 2000 COP. From the town we needed to walk to the main road a bit outside the town to catch a bus to Manizales. The pick up is next to a gas station but we really advise you to ask around to be sure you are waiting the bus in the good place, because there is no sign. We waited 15min before a bus stopped, I don’t know if we were lucky or they are running frequently. So we paid 10000 COP and it was about 45min drive.

From Manizales we needed to take a bus to Riosucio. Only one bus is doing it. This bus goes more or less every hour. In reality it goes when the bus is full. When we arrived we were missing two more people to leave. So we had to wait a bit. We left Manizales around 11am. The drive was about 2 hours and half and it costs 23000 COP.

We arrived around 1h30 pm at Riosucio. We were in advance for the next and last bus, but at least we were not going to miss it. It wasn’t easy to organise this trip without bus time schedule but we made it, so you can make it too! It was lunch time so we ate in a restaurant in front of the bus station. It’s 3pm, it’s time to get the last bus. Riosucio is the only city in the south that connect Jardin, there are only 2 bus by day : at 8am and 3pm. And it’s not a classic bus, it’s a chiva. The chiva, it’s a traditional and colorful bus from Colombia. It was such an experience. We took a long mountain path, we stopped regularly in the different farm property to leave people. It was the authentic Colombia. The trip was 4 long hours and costs 25000 COP. We were really happy to arrive.

We arrived around 7pm to Jardin, we checked in, then we went to the main square to have a beer and eat at the street food stand. Then we went to bed early.

We woke up around 7am and went to have breakfast to Macanas. It’s a super cool breakfast restaurant on the main square. Good quantity and really good food. Highly recommended! Then we did two walks.

We started the first walked around 9am, took the camino charco corazon direction la Cascada del amor. Then we crossed the rio Volcanes, see the entrance Cueva de los murcielagos but it was closed and walked to the Mirador la Herrerita, where we stopped to have a coffee and take pictures. The landscape was super beautiful with the fields of bananas and coffee. And we finished this walk by going down with La Garrucha to join the village.

After this first walked we were still full of energy to go a second walk. So we went on the other side direction the cascada La Escalera. There you can do some cannoning, if we were staying longer we would had book it. Then we did the loop to join the Mirador Cristo Rey. When we were going back down to the village by the sendero Cristo Rey, we crossed fields of bananas and coffee, that part was the best and the hardest part of this walk. Then we crossed this cute little bridge and arrived back to the village.

We took a shower and rested a bit. Then we went on the main square to have a beer.

And we had dinner in a meat restaurant called La Parrilla de mi pueblo. The meat was super good.

We woke up around 7 am as always. We first went to book our bus ticket for Medellin. We took the bus of 10:30 am. Then we went to have breakfast at Dulces Del Jardin. Really cute place, they sale homemade biscuits and jams.

10:30 am, departure to Medellin. The bus trip was about 3h30 - 4h and cost 34000 COP.

We took a taxi to go to our hotel that was in the neighborhood of Poblado. The afternoon we visited this trendy neighborhood and had a beer on the rooftop Mosquito.

The night we went to the brewery of 3 Cordilleras. Saturday night the entrance is 58000 COP and you have 5 draught beers and live music that was rock music. It was nice to be in a different atmosphere.

Today we are going to visit the famous comuna13. We booked a free tour with Zippy tour and gave 25000 COP each. Our guide was Andres, he was from the comuna 13, so it was super interesting. We went on a Sunday and it was super crowded, it became super touristic that it’s not dangerous at least during the day.

When we went down to the station we took the metro cable to see the city from up you can do the loop from the station San Javier, it’s about 30min and it’s the price of a metro ticket.

Then we took the metro until the city center to see the plaza Botero and the Palacio de la Cultura, there is also a museum but it was closed. He felt the city center a bit dodgy so we didn’t stay that long.

We came back to our hotel en Poblado, rest a bit before having dinner in Mamasita Medallo. A trendy restaurant where we enjoy the happy hour and sharing platters.

Today we are going to Guatapé. We took a taxi to go to the Terminal de bus del Norte, bought ticket for the bus of 9am and we arrived around 11pm. We checked in our beautiful hotel with a incredible view and close from the town, called La Madriguera. Then we went down to the town to visit and have lunch before climbing the Piedra del Peñol.

We took a moto chiva, to go to the Piedra del Peñol, it costs us 12000 COP. The entrance of the Piedra is 20000 COP. And after you need to go up more than 700 steps. We though it will be way more difficult than that, so at the end it’s quite accessible. From the top you have a super nice view, the landscape is breathtaking. On the top we tried a beer michelada with mango, really not the best thing, but it was the best seller so we had to try.

Then we went back to Guatapé, got lost in this beautiful and colorful streets, and had dinner.

Today it’s time to go back home. Unfortunately there is no public transport to go the airport, so we had two possibilities, go back to Medellin and go to the airport that is more than 3h trip or take a taxi that cost us 150 000 COP but it’s 1h our trip and we could enjoy more our beautiful hotel. We decided to stay more and enjoy this incredible hotel we had.

We went to the airport and take the plane to Cartagena