Cueva del Esplendor

Last August 11, 2025 my partner and I went to this cave in the town of El Jardin, Antioquia. We access the path by a Jeep to begin the journey. It was a unique experience with the wild nature of the surroundings. It is located at 2,200m with beautiful landscapes. This spectacular cave has a 10m waterfall that passes through a large hole in the roof. The cave is only accessible by foot along muddy, sometimes-narrow mountain paths, and a small river. There's been a daily limit of 40 visitors to prevent further damage to the cave. The cascade begins about 70m above the entrance, falling in various stages before pouring into a small pool at the bottom of the cave, throwing up clouds of mist. It's possible to take a dip but the water is ice-cold. Note that from the access point it's a 20-minute walk down a steep path to the cave, so its need some dexterity. For us it is a unique experience and one that should be done once in a lifetime!

Ready this before you plan es your trip!! There is a public Jeep cost 5000 COP, everyday 6am in front of D1 supermarket, which Will take you to Alto de las Flores, saving your 1h30 walking. The same Jeep Will take you back to the town at 17h, so that if you like hike on your own pace, no need to join guided tour. And if you are ambicous and have limited time. Instead of taking the bus back to town, after Cueva Esplendor, you can even go downhill route till cascada Escaleras. It's doable: take the 6am early Jeep, arriving at Alto de las flores (final stop) by 6:40, then walk to Chorro Blanco 10k entrance fee (1.5-2h), stay 30min-1h, then return to the bus stop(1.5-2h) then go Up to Cueva Esplendor 20k COP entrance fee (1.5-2h), then A: go back to bus stop to catch the jeep at 17h(there are only 1 bus back to town per day ), and back to town by 17:40 B: continue the route to Cascada Escaleras (1.5-2h), finishing in Café Jardín or Cristo Rey.

Really nice here. Special waterfall. We hiked all the way up here and down again from the City (Jardín) 10/11 km each way. Takes 3,5 hours up and 2,5 hours down☺️ All along with a nice view.🏞️

It took us three hours from where we were to reach this place, however, it was totally worth it. After walking through rain, tall grass, mud, cow poop and everything in between, we arrived at the cueva del esplendor. Before actually going down to see it though, you arrive at a small little building where you pay to access the cave. After paying, they offer you a free drink of your choosing, between water, lemonade and coffee. They have other things being sold on their menu if you desire something to eat or simply a different kind of drink. After this, the guide then takes you down a path that leads to the cave. It is truly a sight to behold and well worth the trek to get there. You can swim around in the pool formed by the water although we did not because we were already wet from the rain haha. Big shoutout to the workers at this lookout who ordered us a jeep to take us back to Jardin. After all that walking, we realized it was a better idea to get a ride back to town, as nightfall would soon catch us.

Beautifully unique waterfall. About an hour walk of you’re fast from the entrance to the visitor center. 20.000 COP entrance and you get a guided tour to the waterfall. You can swim in the watering hole, its a bit cold but totally worth it.

A must. Take a tuk-tuk to the cueva. You have to hike about 2km but the views are magnificent.

You can do a beautiful circular loop from Jardin to the Cueva and back, in total about 19km. You walk through the green mountains, meet cows and colorful birds and enjoy incredible views. You definitely need good condition, sturdy shoes and ideally an app to navigate (I used OrganicMaps). It takes about 7-8 hours in total but is really worth it!

A 6 hour round hike from Jardín with steep slippery hills, however, it was worth the trip! Cost is 20k CP which feels reasonable and even includes a drink (lemonade or coffee) in their cute garden. The entry fee includes a small 10 minute descent to the waterfall. The waterfall is really magical. Go for a dip - it’s absolutely freezing but we felt so good after!