La Ruta de las Cascadas
Four days chasing waterfalls, jungle rivers, and the Magdalena Medio backcountry.
A waterfall-themed loop east of Medellín. Begin with the Tequendamita and Salto del Buey cascades, overnight in the hills above Abejorral, then drop into the Magdalena Medio through Sonsón and Nariño. Visit Hacienda Nápoles and Río Claro country before looping back through San Carlos and Granada. Mid-altitude riding with some rough sections.
Itinerary
Medellín → Casa en el Aire via Tequendamita & Salto del Buey
Leave Medellín heading east toward El Retiro. Stop at the Cascada Tequendamita and the taller Salto del Buey, then climb the twisting road through Abejorral to the ridge-top refuge at Casa en el Aire. Cool evenings, long valley views, mist through the coffee.
Casa en el Aire → Norcasia via Sonsón
Drop east through Sonsón and Nariño on quiet secondary roads into the Magdalena Medio. Temperatures climb as you descend into river country. Arrive in Norcasia — a small town wrapped in green hills and fed by the Samaná Norte river.
Norcasia → Doradal via Hacienda Nápoles
Head north through San Miguel into Pablo Escobar's former estate, now the Parque Temático Hacienda Nápoles with its hippos and themed safari. Continue to Doradal, the gateway town to Río Claro and its marble-bedded rivers.
Doradal → Medellín via San Carlos & Granada
Ride back west through San Luis and climb into the reservoir country around San Carlos and Granada — a winding, green stretch of Antioquia once off-limits, now quiet and rural. Final descent into Medellín through the eastern valleys.