How to Hike to Cueva Del Esplendor in Jardin With No Guide
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There are many reasons to visit Jardin in the Colombian coffee region. The beautiful mountains and amazing people make it a spot you can’t miss. In addition, there are many waterfalls that will satisfy any adventurer’s desires. One of the most popular ones is the Cueva del Esplendor.
This is a very different waterfall than Cascada La Escalera on the 4 waterfall hikes and especially Cascada del Amor. This hike can be quite long/hard or it can be fairly easy and straightforward. Of course, we took the long hike option which took up the entire day as we got back at sunset.
There are two separate routes and following mapsme is the preferred way to follow the trail. Unfortunately, we followed wikiloc for a lot of the beginning part, which got us lost.
In this guide, I will discuss the different ways to get to Cueva del Esplendor and offer my tips.
What is La Cueva Del Esplendor?
What makes this waterfall so unique from the rest? “La Cueva” means the cave in Spanish. That means this waterfall is inside a cave but not just inside it, it goes through a massive hole.
La Cueva del Esplendor is extremely powerful and the journey there makes it even more unique. There are some rules when visiting this waterfall, which I will explain later.
The locals might not suggest visiting this area while in Jardin because of the way the family runs it. It is located on private property and the family really tries to make the most of the situation.
This is one of the many unique hikes in Colombia and I highly recommend it! Some other hikes in Jardin include Cascada del Amor and Cascada la Escalera.
Cueva Del Esplendor Hike Details
To view this trail and read some reviews you can see it on Alltrails.
How to Get to La Cueva Del Esplendor (Jardin)
To get to La Cueva del Esplendor, you will first have to make your way to Jardin. We came from Salento, but it is also common to come from Medellin.
The cost of travel in Colombia is cheap and so are the buses! There’s no excuse not to visit add this town to your itinerary in Colombia!
Hike
To reach the end of this hike, there are two main trails. If you were to get a ride, either a taxi or tour, there’s a road to the west of the town, which you’d take.
At the end of this road is a trail that takes you straight to the house and then to the waterfall. This version of the trail can be seen on Google Maps.
Some people at our hostel told us that the other trail is easier and faster, so we decided to take that route. Here’s how to get to it:
- Begin the hike by going up to Cristo Rey. This involves crossing a bridge and then a steep incline of around 1km.
- After reaching the road connected to the building, go out to the main road and take a right.
- I’d suggest downloading the offline maps from mapsme as it’ll show the trail here that leads you straight to Cueva del Esplendor.
Tour
If you prefer to do tours, there’s a popular agency in town that specializes in taking you to this waterfall.
I’m not sure about how much it costs but I’ve heard it’s between $15 & $20 USD.
They will take you up the road to Alto de las Flores and from there, you’ll hike on the trail to the waterfall.
You can get private transportation by either tuk-tuk or taxi to take you to the same spot.
My Experience Hiking to La Cueva Del Esplendor
We decided to take the harder route. I was up for a challenge. The idea of going the route shown above was tossed around, but we decided against it as we wanted to do a loop hike. After all, how hard could it be, right?
We ended up getting lost about an hour or so into it. I didn’t realize we were lost until 2 hours or more into the hike. After some time we did find the right trail again with some help from a local. I would suggest not using wikiloc on this hike and instead sticking with maps.me.
There might be some better trails to follow on wikiloc than what we used but everyone we met suggests only using mapsme.
Mirador Cristo Rey to Trailhead
If you want to take the route that we did, you will want to start the hike like you’re headed to Cristo Rey. This is the famous viewpoint or “mirador” of Jardin.
Walk towards the intersection of Calle 12 and Carrera 2. At the end of Calle 12, you will see the building shown above. Start heading down towards the river and then across a bridge.
Keep following this trail straight up. If you ever get lost, refer to mapsme. Once you arrive at the building/overlook then you will hike on a flat area for a while. Once you get to what seems like the main road, you will be taking a right. On mapsme, you will see a dotted line headed back up the mountain. There will be a cross at the building as well and you will want to follow this trail.
The elevation starts to kick in and we even saw a snake! This was one of my favorite parts of the hike as the views were great and so was the trail. Once this ends and we went through a yellow gate where we started to take the wrong trail.
Refinding the Trail
Our mapsme and wikiloc were going different ways when we passed through a gate. We decided to follow wikiloc because we thought “let’s follow the trail someone has taken before.” This was not a good choice.
Always follow the mapsme as best as you can. You will want to go around the large field of extremely wet and muddy terrain. We kept following wikiloc and went through different trails, past multiple cow fields, and ended up on someone’s property.
He realized we were lost and helped us out. They said that normally, you’re supposed to take the trail around this area. That trail is what mapsme shows.
After cutting across multiple more fields, we finally returned to the trail on mapsme.
The Entry House & La Cueva Del Esplendor
You’ll find yourself at a wired fence after many routes and situations where you think you’re lost again. Follow this fence to the right and you will want to cross some makeshift wooden bridge.
Shortly after this is the house where you’ll pay your entry fee. We decided to eat the lunch we brought before we headed down. It is $20,000 Colombian Pesos and you must sign your name on a waiver.
When we were ready we were led by our guide down to the waterfall. It was much further down than I had thought and across some fun obstacles.
When we arrived at the waterfall, we were stunned. This was one of the most powerful waterfalls I have seen with my own eyes. The sheer force of it left wind swirling around in the cave.
The struggle we went through to find this place was well worth the cost in my opinion. I don’t think you’re allowed to swim in it because of how strong it is but we didn’t want to.
Thankfully we took the easier route home and it only took us around 2 hours to get back home.
The Route Home
After spending time visiting this stunning waterfall, we decided it was too late to try and head back the way we came. We took the easier route home, which was all road.
If you’re facing the house by the waterfall, the easier route will be to your left. This trail leads to the main road where a tour or ride would’ve dropped you off.
There were some amazing views along the way home too. We got home right before sundown and felt extremely accomplished.
Things to Know Before Hiking
Cost of La cueva Del Esplendor in Jardin
Unfortunately, visiting this waterfall is not free. There is an entry fee to walk down to see this tremendous site. This is the reason some locals won’t suggest you visit this area.
I agree with them because the payment isn’t much besides being able to see this waterfall. It is still worth it to visit, though.
- $20,000 COP (~$5 USD)/$5000 COP for Locals
- Must Fill out a waiver
- that includes a “guide” to the waterfall. He says almost nothing and does practically nothing
- They sell food/beverages at the house for extra money
Jardin Tours
There are many things to do in Jardin! If you like tours then here are some that are great. Coffee is amazing in this region as well as visiting the many natural treasures.
An Additional Tour
There are tours you can sign up for if you would rather go with a group than alone. These tours offer more than just a ride there. Some offer the addition of a bird-watching experience as well as lunch. I would suggest talking to the front desk at your accommodation for more reliable and up-to-date information regarding these.
Where to Stay in Jardin, Colombia
- Sgt Pepper’s Hostel: This is the hostel that we stayed at during our time in Jardin. It was a great location and only $10. This included breakfast. I highly recommend staying here.
- Charco Corazon: A little further outside the city is a laidback hostel. This is an eco-friendly green hostel with chill vibes. It costs $9 to stay here and includes breakfast.
- La Tángara Hostal Rural: Located even further outside Jardin is a wonderful hostal. This is a little pricier at $16 but includes breakfast. If you want to stay closer to the mountains then I suggest that you stay here.
Things to Bring
I wish I had known some things before we started our hike. Below are some of the things that I suggest you bring and use during your hike.
- Use Maps.me
- Bring proper hiking boots
- rain jacket
- $20,000 COP at least
- Lunch/snacks
- portable battery
- water
Final Thoughts on Hiking This Trail Without a Guide
The adventure alone was one for the books. It took longer than I had expected but I would do it again if I had the opportunity. The prices weren’t ideal as I think anything like this should be free. That being said if you have time in Jarding, I highly suggest making the trip to Cueva del Esplendor. There aren’t many waterfalls that make you feel so small and weak.
