Those travelling Colombia with limited time many miss the beautiful little town of Jardin. However, sitting only a few hours south of Medellin, we would strongly suggest you don’t miss Jardin as it is well worth a visit. The journey from Medellin to Jardin is an easy one but for more information read on for our step-by-step guide on how to get from Medellin to Jardin.
How to get from Medellin to Jardin
Getting to Terminal del Sur Medellin
In Medellin, there are 2 bus terminals, the North (Norte) and the South (Sur). If, like us, you have arrived from Santa Marta/Cartagena and visited Guatape, you will have only used the north terminal up until now.
The Terminal del Sur Medellin sadly isn’t as well connected to the metro as the North so to get there it's best to get an Uber. I suggest Uber over the local taxis simply as it avoids getting the inflated gringo price when you flag a cab down. An Uber from the centre of Poblado should cost about COP 12,500 (£2.45/$3.15) and should take 10 minutes.
Buying a ticket for the bus from Medellin to Jardin
If you check online with websites like Busbud you will likely find there are no tickets available from Medellin to Jardin. Ignore this and proceed straight to the terminal.
When you arrive at Terminal del Sur Medellin, you will see signs for taquillas/box office, head that way for your ticket. When we did the journey in July 2023, Transportes Suroeste Antioqueno were at ticket window 2. They offer a regular service of full buses/micro buses between Medellin and Jardin and the timescales between the buses range from 30 minutes to 90 minutes. See below for the exact times.
The bus was air-conditioned but not to the extreme like some of the other buses we have taken in Colombia. Once you are out of the centre of Medellin the views along the way were fantastic. The journey time was just short of 4 hours with a Colombian 5-minute stop in Bolombolo, where there is a D1 supermarket and you can use the toilet for COP 500. The bus cost COP 38,000 (£7.40/$9.50).
How to get from Jardin to Medellin
If you are working south to north in Colombia, the bus from Jardin to Medellin is likely to be on your itinerary (or at least it should be!).
Thankfully the journey from Jardin to Medellin is a much easier and shorter trip than the journey from Salento to Jardin.
Bus terminal in Jardin
The bus terminal is maybe a bit of a stretch. The Transportes Suroeste Antioqueño office is on Calle 8 between Carrera 5 & 6. There is no need to pre-book tickets but you can stop by the day before if you want to secure a seat near the front.
Bus from Jardin to Medellin
The buses from Jardin to Medellin leave hourly between 5 am and 9 am. Then 12 pm, 2 pm, 4 pm & 6:30 pm in the afternoon. The bus is air-conditioned but not to the extreme like some of the other buses we have taken in Colombia. The views along the way are fantastic. The journey time is just short of 4 hours with a Colombian 5-minute stop in Bolombolo where there is a D1 supermarket and you can use the toilet for COP. The bus cost COP 38,000 (£7.40/$9.50).
Getting from the bus terminal to El Poblado in Medellin
In all likelihood, you will be staying in El Poblado for your trip to Medellin. The bus from Jardin arrives in Medellin at the Terminal del Sur Medellin. Unfortunately, the bus terminal isn’t well connected to the metro, therefore, you will need to get a ride to El Poblado. Uber is widely available and safe around Medellin, however technically illegal. When booking your Uber you will find you need to book your car to the car drop off and pick up area, rather than from the taxi rank, and don’t be surprised if they ask one of your party to sit in the front.
Summary
We’d love to hear from you if you use this guide on how you get on. Please also add to the comments if any details like prices change so we can update for future travellers.
Happy travels!