VISITING CUEVA DEL ESPLENDOR ON HORSEBACK FROM JARDIN, COLOMBIA

One of the top attractions in Columbia is the Cueva del Esplendor, a unique natural landmark where a waterfall cascades through an opening in the ground, into the dark abyss of a cave.

Most people opt to visit Cueva del Esplendor either by jeep or hiking, but for those who want a more relaxing and gentle way to see this natural wonder, then the best way to visit is by horseback.

We opted to take a 6 hour horse ride to Cueva del Esplendor because it sounded like a perfect way to spend the day. When our guide suggested an option to do the first half of it in a jeep, we scoffed at the idea. Absolutely not! Horses all the way.

Where is Cueva del Esplendor?

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Our Experience Riding Horseback to Cueva del Esplendor

[{"selector":"#anim-fb410ca4-0dfb-4274-8b5a-e476e130eb8c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6a7fdaf2-a784-4aea-9cc8-60c6970224cd","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(100.00000%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] The ride up to the waterfall was beautiful and quite possibly the highlight of the entire Colombia trip. The trail climbed up above Jardín, a town located 4 hours south of Medellin, which provided us with a bird’s eye view of the city.

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[{"selector":"#anim-70ce339d-294a-4443-83e8-20ca5721d452","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-aaa1e05b-0983-42a7-87b7-efedb5f56a81","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(100.00000%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] We went up, higher and higher traversing along the side of a mountain. Soon we couldn’t see Jardin anymore. What we saw instead were coffee and banana plantations replaced by rolling grazing farmlands dotted with the occasional farmhouses.

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