The Experience
Journey to Jardín
Medellín falls away the moment the engine finds its rhythm, the city shrinking, little by little, into a valley receding in the mirror. The road turns southwest and begins to climb through pastureland and coffee groves toward the Alto de Minas, where the fog parts just long enough to reveal, asleep against the horizon, the long silhouette of the range: a giant that has lain there for millions of years and wakes, the muleteers of the region say, only when someone dares to cross it on two wheels.
Jericó appears first, clinging to its hillside with the stubbornness of towns that refuse to change: cobblestone streets, wooden balconies painted in colors no catalog would dare combine, and the memory, on every corner, of Laura Montoya, Colombia's only saint. From El Morro, with its white Christ watching over the valley, the road south is already visible. Hours later — and several curves further — Jardín opens up like a postcard that decided to have its own name: the Basilica lifting two towers over the rooftops, colorful chairs filling the plaza at dusk, and the smell of fresh-brewed coffee drifting from every doorway as if the whole town breathed through it. This is where you sleep, in a mountain hotel, to the sound of water running down from some nearby spring.
The second day starts slowly, coffee from the farm still warm in your hands, then descends toward Támesis — the land, its people say, of always returning — where clay rooftops lean out over the Cauca canyon like someone leaning over an enormous balcony. The road keeps dropping until La Pintada, where the river, wide and the color of earth, receives you with the same indifference it has shown every traveler who has ever come down this way. A while by the water, a cold beer, and the helmet goes back on for the final climb: Medellín reappears by late afternoon, along with the certainty that two days can be enough for an entire place — mountains, towns, river and all — to keep living inside you.
The Road
The Route, Stop by Stop
An example of what awaits along the way — the final route is shaped with your guide around weather, the group, and the temptation to stop just once more.
- 01
Leaving for the Southwest
The engine breaks the silence of early morning as Medellín, still asleep, disappears behind the first curve. The route leaves the Aburrá Valley behind and turns toward southwestern Antioquia, the region paisas call, without much exaggeration, the garden of Colombia.
- 02
The Alto de Minas
The road climbs through cloud forest to a viewpoint where the air turns cool and the landscape opens all at once: mountain after mountain, until the whole range looks like the back of a sleeping giant, waiting — they say — for someone to dare wake it with the growl of an engine.
- 03
Jericó, Birthplace of the Saint
A town of cobblestone streets and impossible balconies, clinging to its hillside with the certainty of a place that never needed to change to be remembered. Laura Montoya, Colombia's only saint, was born here, and from El Morro, with its white Christ standing guard, the whole valley surrenders at the traveler's feet.
- 04
Arriving in Jardín
Jardín opens up like a postcard with its own name: the Basilica lifting two towers above the clay rooftops, colorful chairs filling the plaza at dusk, and the smell of fresh coffee drifting from every corner. This is where you sleep, among mountains, to the sound of water running down from some nearby spring.
- 05
Támesis, the Land of Always Returning
That's what this town calls itself, facing the Cauca canyon head-on, its red rooftops leaning out over the void like someone leaning over an enormous balcony. A coffee in the main square, before the road drops back down toward the river.
- 06
La Pintada and the Cauca River
The Cauca arrives wide, warm, and the color of earth, greeting the traveler with the same indifference it has shown everyone who has ever come down this far. A cold beer by the water, feet still warm inside riding boots, and the certainty that the river keeps moving without asking about ours.
- 07
The Ride Back to Medellín
The final climb returns the traveler to the Aburrá Valley just as the afternoon turns orange over the mountains. Medellín reappears below, light by light, and with it the certainty that two days in these Andes can weigh as much as a lifetime of memories.
No Surprises
What's Included, What's Not
Included
- Motorcycle rental (Xpulse Rally, or Xpulse Pro V2) with up-to-date maintenance
- Helmet, jacket, and protective gloves
- Fuel for the whole route
- One night's stay in Jardín (boutique mountain hotel)
- Full board: day-1 lunch and dinner, day-2 breakfast and lunch
- Coffee farm tour and tasting
- SOAT insurance and basic tool kit
- Expert local guide
Not Included
- Alcoholic beverages
- Tips and personal expenses
- Your own riding boots and pants (rental subject to availability)
- International travel insurance
- Optional activities in Jardín (cable car, paragliding)
The Route
The Road on the Map
From Medellín to Jardín over the Alto de Minas and through Jericó, back through Támesis and La Pintada — the real loop you'll ride.
Open larger map ↗The Gallery
Postcards From the Road
A real look at what's ahead — the rock, the town, the farm, and the roads that connect them. Illustrative photos while we document every departure with our own camera.
Photos: Juan Gómez, Zack Knowles, Alejandro Rojas, TitiNicola, Triángulo del Café Travel, XalD, Motero colombia, Kamilokardona, VX Audiovisual, Jaime Henao Támesis, Allysami2215, Mcrt25, ACHETORRES, camilogaleano.com, Mfrancoavellaneda, SajoR, Edgar (Ibagué), Maarianacruzm, Juanferivera 23 & XimmoY — Wikimedia Commons (CC BY / CC BY-SA).