Bogota to Medellin itinerary question

Hi there,

Wondering if I could please have your opinion on the logistics for the Bogota-Medellin portion of our 2-week trip in Colombia.

After spending the weekend in Bogota, we are hoping to:

Bogota to Rio Claro (via bus)
Rio Claro Nat. Preserve---> Guatupe (via bus, transfer in Medellin)
Guatupe --> Jardin (via bus, transfer in Medellin)
Jardin---> Medellin (via bus)

I know these will be long bus rides, but I don't think I want to do Jardin as a day trip from Medellin (if we were to base ourselves there for a longer stay.)
I thought to do Guatupe before Jardin as a way to break up some of the rides. I also don't want to go from Rio Claro to Jardin -- too long + transfer.

Can anyone think of potential issues or does anyone have any tips or suggestions, by chance? Appreciate any thoughts! Thank you. - T

Hey, so I did exactly your plan in the same order. The only difference was from Jardin I didn't return to Medellin but carried on going south. It works.

Just make sure to get the bus people to know your plan to help you, cause a lot of the stops, like the Rio Claro entrance or the turn off to Guatupe aren't the last stops obviously, but just dropping you on the highway. And there may not be a lot of other people getting off. There could be a few, but maybe not.

I went from Guatupe to Jardin in the same day. You end up in the northern bus terminal in Medellin, but buses for Jardin leave from the south one. So you need to switch terminals, using a cab or transit.

You'll likely want at least a full day in Jardin, ie. 2 nights, cause the first day you'll arrive with only a bit of daylight. Not to say you couldn't do more nights, I would have - there was a fair amount of activities, I was just on a schedule at the time.

All those stops are good though. Jardin was probably the nicest small town I visited. And Rio Claro is great. Yeah this route you're doing right now might actually have been my favourite section of my Colombia trip. I went on to Santa Rosa de Cabal after Jardin, which I loved too, the hotsprings and the town is full of chorizo restaurants.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. You just have to be on guard on the bus you don't miss the stops - I much prefer when the final stop is actually the place you are going and there's no danger of driving by it.

Yamthrower, thank you so very, very, (VERY!) much for your thoughts and reassurance!! I based this itinerary by looking at maps, reading thru a few threads, etc., but it is another thing to have actual confirmation from a fellow traveler that is actually works and I am thrilled! I feel less apprehensive about some of these sequences (such as Guatupe to Jardin or the Rio Claro - Guatupe part.) I also really appreciate the reminder about mentioning bus stops to the various bus drivers, as well as the different bus terminals in Medellin.

I'm excited and only sad that I won't be able to visit a town full of chorizo restaurants! (I love chorizo!) After Medellin we fly north to the coast, etc.

Looking forward to our visit!! Thank you again, really!!

You're welcome. I was surprised seeing your route too cause I had just picked it out of a hat too based on things I thought sounded interesting. And I'd already spent time in Medellin on a previous trip so decided to skip it.

I guess another small detail about getting to Jardin. In the south terminal, buses aren't super frequent going there, but there are a few companies that do, so shop around for the departure time. I can't remember the times, but as an example I think one company had Jardin listed, I asked and they had one at 400pm (just an example time), and I would have had 4 hours to kill. But then I walked around and found another one at a better time, like 1:45 or something and only had to wait 1.5 hours.

I don't think the companies are really competing with the same time slots for Jardin, so if the first one has a good time for you, like leaving in 30 minutes, just go with it! Maybe this info is online somewhere - but the buses aren't as frequent to Jardin as other destinations, or other sections of your plan.

I'm jealous, you'll enjoy it.

Oh, that's good to know about the smaller demand for Jardin as a stop, I hadn't read or considered that before, but I will certainly keep it in mind and be aware of it. Adding all this info to my notes!

Incidentally, I think I started to put together this plan after reading about Rio Claro -- it seemed like a great place/experience so I kept trying to figure out how best to work it into the Bogota portion of our stay, while also aiming towards Medellin. (Backtracking from Rio Claro for a flight from Bogota-Medellin was a possibility, but I hate being bound to a flight schedule when there are other uncertainties, such as bus delays, or who knows what.)

Awesome! Will continue to look thru this forum as I finish planning my steps. Thank you! :-)

Your plan looks good, but I'm not sure about the time, since you didn't say exactly how many days you have for this part of your trip. Be aware that you will need to use both bus terminals in Medellin. Transport from Rio Claro will probably arrive at the northern bus terminal (not 100% sure about that), and transport to/from Guatape is from the Terminal Norte. But buses to Jardin leave from the Terminal Sur. Also, buses to Jardin don't leave every hour, more like 5-6 times each day. So you need to do some research on bus departure times if you want to avoid long delay in Medellin.

Plus, the southern bus terminal isn't on the metro line, so you can use metro to go part of the way there, but you need a taxi to arrive at the Terminal Sur.

mstep, thank you very much as well for this information about the buses for Jardin and the terminal info (it is especially useful to know which terminal the Guatupe buses leave from.) I have done some brief research on bus schedules, but will see if I can find even more info.

As for the time, we are hoping to spend 2 nights in Rio Claro, 1 in Guatupe, and 2 in Jardin. (From Sunday to Friday, basically, with the planning being to be back in Medellin by nightfall.) What do you think? I know it is not ideal, but do you get the sense that it's still too rushed? I would hate to leave Guatupe out, but maybe it's better to allot that time towards Jardin instead?

Would love to hear your thoughts if you care to share them. Thank you!

Hi yamthrower, If you have a moment, I'd like to ask a bus detail question, please.

I know the Bogota-Rio Claro bus stop isn't official, which is why one is supposed to notify the bus driver in advance, since it's not an official stop. So we're aware of this and we know we still have to walk a bit off the highway before reaching the Preserve entrance itself (some 20-30 mins, if I'm not mistaken).

1) My concern now is: what about when we are ready to head from Rio Claro-onward (to Guatupe, either via Medellin or turn-off)? Is it hard to catch a passing bus that is heading to Medellin? Or perhaps are we supposed to head to Doradal or another nearby town & aim to catch the bus to Medellin there?

2) One more logistical question: we travel with small, wheeled suitcases. We can try to have just one suitcase on this trip, but we definitely won't have backpacks. I've read plenty about the park, and just reaching it, so I'm anticipating how impractical it will be to have this type of suitcase, but we don't have a choice.

3) With this and the bus question in mind, would anyone ever recommend renting a car? We briefly toyed with idea and during some quick searches, issues like dealing with mountain roads, traffic, speedy drivers, etc, came up. I'm personally against this idea, but husband says it'll be his to research. I'm skeptical. He says we could leave the wheeled cases in there, carrying smaller items to the preserve....I'm concerned about a few things, already mentioned, but i'm sure it's also pretty $$$ to rent from Bogota and return the car in Medellin.

Anyways, if you or a fellow LPer has any thoughts they care to share, I'd be most appreciative! Thanks in advance.

1) You don't need to go to Doradal to continue towards Medellin. The reserve has a big arc-like entrance and entrance sign and is at a bend in the road. This is where you'll be dropped off and can catch a bus. From Bogota you're basically going to catch a Medellin bound bus.

From the entrance it is a 20-30 minute. It's not hard... hmmm the wheels will definately get dirty, it's a mix of gravel, dirt I think. I'm sure you could suck it up, it's not ideal but I think renting a car and driving is such a pain... depends how comfortable you feel.

Not sure your experience with buses in Colombia, but flagging them down is common as is requesting unusual stops in the middle of wherever. Both those are pretty standard practice. It's worth re-reminding the money collector guy depending on how sharp he seems, or just sit up near the front where you can be a constant reminder.

Also worth mentioning as I think you might have this detail off - but from Rio Claro you don't need to go all the way to Medellin. You will be looking for a Medellin bound bus, but tell them you're going to Guatape - you will be dropped off at the turn off to Guatape, this saves a few hours in bus backtracking. Being dropped off you'll now feel like a hitchhiker on the side of the road cause there doesn't really seem to be a great spot for a Guatape bus to stop, but if you flag it, it'll stop.

Also you'd asked about cutting out Guatape for more Jardin time... I would give a reverse variation of that idea - if you are loving Rio Claro and want more time, cut Guatape. And not to suggest you should just I would take that approach. Cause it's easier to decide you should cut something cause you're certain you love the current spot then imaging you might like Jardin more. You won't really know. I liked Rio Claro and Jardin more. Guatape is more of a weekend getaway town, I spent a Sunday and Monday and found it pretty quiet on the Monday, actually enjoyed the Sunday with all the crowds more. I'm glad I went, just I would pick the other 2 if I only picked 2.

I think any of the car rental stuff or traveling with that style of suitcase I don't have enough experience with. But the walk into Rio Claro isn't crazy up and down, not perfectly flat but it's not like doing a hike in the Rockies or anything... almost wondering if there could be a moto-taxi option or not. I took one from Doradal, but can't remember if any of those guys were actually hanging around the RC entrance.

I did Rio Claro, 3 nights (cause we went to Hacienda Napoles which ate up a day), Guatape 2 nights, Jardin 2 nights. But there's no right or wrong answer, your plan sounds fine. I suppose if you loved Rio Claro you could also look at like skipping Guatape saves some logistical hassle too, you'd just go straight to Medellin.

Leaving from Guatape to Medellin is easy, there's a small bus terminal so you can check times, I think it was hourly or something though. Let me know if you can any other questions.

Yes, if you get off the Medellin bound bus at the turnoff for Guatape, you can manage this itinerary in 6 days time. Obviously you'll spend a lot of time on buses. Medellin to Jardin is about 4 hours, and about the same to Rio Claro.

I've done the Bogota Rio Claro route before, and I just got off at Doradal and caught a taxi the rest of the way. Some bus companies in Colombia only drop off/pick up at terminals, so make sure you're with a company that is ok with dropping you off on the side of the road. Honestly, if you're on the fence about coordinating to get dropped off on the highway, then just head to Doradal and get a taxi for the rest of the trip. The taxi ride was about 10 min and it cost 15,000 cop. We rode with another local and just split the cost 2 ways. The taxis were lined up on the street that the bus dropped us off on. We just asked some random guy standing around, and he pointed us in the right direction. Also, I'm pretty sure that buses plying the Bog-Medellin route, don't pass by Rio Claro and Doradel. They do pass through La Dorada and you can transfer there to Doradel very easily. Ideally, you'll want to get a bus from Bogota to Doradal. If you can't swing it, then get a bus to La Dorada from Bogota, change there for Doradel and then catch a taxi in Doradel the rest of the way to Rio Claro

We asked the people working at the reception desk in Rio Claro to help us with transport the rest of the way to Medellin. She basically called the office in Doradal, and found out when the next bus was supposed to be passing by Rio Claro. We just headed to the highway around that time and waited for about 5 min. As mentioned before, if you can't get help, then just go to the highway and flag down the next Medellin bound bus that you see pass. The busses bound for Medellin most likely stopped in Doradal, so there's no need to backtrack. You'll see that many rural Colombians catching a bus, just go to the nearest highway and wait for the next bus to come along.

There are accommodations in Rio Caro right next to the highway. If you stay in those, then having a wheeled suitcase isn't a problem. However, the accommodations further in the park, are about 1km from the highway down a dirt road. You probably could find someone at the entrance to give you a ride, but if you can't, you're then stuck lugging that suitcase down a dirt road for about 1km. Skip the car rental and just make reservations in the cabañas by the highway.

Also, you will be taken to the north terminal if you decide to head to Medellin from Rio Claro. Since the buses from Guatape leave from that terminal, then there shouldn't be any transfer issues.

@ yamthrower, again, thank you for your quick reply and for all of the detailed information you've provided! I also appreciate the confirmation about not having to head all the way into Medellin, before catching the bus to Guatupe. This is what I thought was possible when I saw on the map that there is a road/turn-off for Guatupe from the Medellin-bound highway, but I was unsure. This seems more practical than doubling back from Medellin. Thanks for explaining what to expect at the turn-off and how to go about fulfilling that leg of the trip.

Thanks also for really clarifying the info about buses in Colombia -- I hadn't read this detail about flagging buses down in the course of my research, so having explicit details like this is really helpful to me, and other travelers who might be considering similar circumstances. My research did show that bus company Rapido Ochoa goes to both La Dorada and Doradal, but I think we'll ultimately figure out which bus route to take, depending on what various bus companies tell us when we are ready to go.

I also appreciate the description about the walk to the entrance of the park -- doesn't sound impossible, despite the luggage, maybe not ideal, but not something we can't suck up. (I just didn't want to find myself in a totally absurd situation. I kept seeing references to backpacks in the course of my research and they seem ideal for this portion of the trip, but it's not something i can manage at the moment.)

@ mstep, both you and yamthrower are helping me really take into consideration the amount of time we'll be spending on buses. I'm leaning towards possibly skipping Guatupe, cute and visually interesting though it seems, because of all the bus time. I know a mistake travelers often make is to try to cram everything into a relatively short trip, only to spend the majority of time moving from place to place, rather than actually spending time in the destination and I don't want to do that! So thanks for the food for thought.

@ airbn51st, thank you as well for sharing your experience, as it totally convinced my husband that car rental wasn't necessary and I'm personally relieved about that (it might be great for some, but it strikes me as a bit of a hassle, etc.) We're hoping to stay in one of the open-air cabanas at the preserve, otherwise that hotel (with a pool!) by the entrance would be perfect. I also feel better knowing that the onward bus situation isn't as messy as I feared. It is just great having an idea of what to expect.

Again, thanks to all of you for your detailed, explicit tips, as everyone has different traveling styles, and some, like me, appreciate having as much info as possible beforehand, so that we have an idea of what to expect. Traveling is fun, but can certainly have moments of stress, so It's great to have options, information, back-up plans, and feedback, and it is such a relief to know that this plan should work.

You guys rock!! Seriously made my weekend. :-) Looking forward to my trip!

Tatsy, I'm thinking of also doing that same itinerary (Rio Claro / Guatape / Jardin) and am on the fence about how much time to spend in Guatape. Please do return and give your impressions after your trip. Thanks!

yukon_jack, I'm happy to do so! Will let you know how we fare. We leave mid-Nov, so expect my observations in end November/early December.

Hi there,

As the OP for this post, I wanted to offer some tips and info about this topic, based on my recent experience back on November 2016. Again, factors will and do vary for everyone, so just wanted to share my own experiences.

We were planning to catch a bus from Bogota to Rio Claro Nature Preserve, via the Medellin bus route after reading tips on various forums, as well as the preserve's own website and admin. office (with whom we made booking reservations.) We arrived at the Terminal del Sur in Bogota around 11 AM on a Monday and immediately headed towards the Boliviarano ticket booth. Bought two tickets for full price (Bogota - Medellin) scheduled for 11.30 AM. (65,000 COP, if not mistaken)

Two recommendations I'd like to offer future travelers: it seems incredibly obvious to me now, but it's best to arrive as early as possible in the morning (8, 9 AM?) 11.30 departure was entirely, entirely too late, as the traffic leaving Bogota was terrible -- our bus didn't reach the toll booth until 1.15, almost two hours later. (I was mistaken about the estimated travel time, as I explain below.)

Secondly, we chose Boliviarano because we were concerned about seating comfort for the ride. Since the Preserve isn't an official stop on the route, of course, we had to notify the driver about our plans. We initially told the Assistant Bus driver about our plans and he responded that we wouldn't arrive at our destination until 8PM or so (!!) I contacted the Preserve's office right away and explained that I hadn't anticipated such a late arrival so the operator said she would leave our room key with the security guard at the entrance.

In hindsight, I would opt for any of the other small bus lines that operate directly or include Rio Claro as a designated stop. When I told the Assistant bus driver about our stop, he didn't relay this info the the actual bus driver and it wasn't until we stopped for dinner that I casually mentioned this to the actual bus driver. He said, 'It's a good thing that you told me because I didn't know that!' I thought the assistant would have told him but it turns out the assistant was getting off at the rest stop and hadn't mentioned our stop to the driver. :-o

Also, we thought that this bus ride would take around 6 hours or so since guidebooks/info online mostly listed the travel time from Bogota to Medellin to last about 9 hours and I knew that Rio Claro to Medellin took about 3 hours. In any case, our ride took closer to 9-10 hours, just from Bogota to Rio Claro --- which meant that we didn't arrive to the park until way after dark -- 8 or 9 PM, which meant.....walking that 1 mile entrance in the pitch dark. Luckily we had our flashlights, etc, but it was a bit creepy, to say the least (think Blair Witch scene, hahaha!)It was also really humid and we'd been wearing l/s shirts to combat the a/c in the bus. We were quite a sight when we arrived to our rooms, but the view and the room itself was a welcome reward! Loved staying in the open-air space.

One last thing, we rolled our wheeled suitcases over that dirt road, as well as the stone path walkway within the preserve, but did incur significant damage to the wheels/frame (our suitcases weren't even heavy -- the road is simply pretty rocky.) I can see why it's preferable to travel with backpacks and would recommend this for future visitors. Also, I can see why guidebooks recommend this as a day trip from Medellin -- much closer than coming from Bogota. After leaving the preserve, we continued into Medellin without any problem.

@yukon_jack if you're reading this, unfortunately we weren't able to visit Guatape on this trip. We ended up staying an extra day in Bogota and so we headed straight to Jardin (via Medellin) after leaving the Preserve.

Either way, I highly recommend visiting the preserve for a night or two as it's a beautiful place and a relaxing experience. Loved the rafting! We didn't do the cave hiking, as we had enough excitement just getting to the park entrance that first night! :-p

Oh, I should also point out one thing about the Bogota-Rio Claro bus ride. It's possible that this route doesn't usually take this long, especially in the very early morning or the overnight. The weather was fine during our ride, wasn't raining or anything, but I think there was roadwork in parts - a few instances of one-lane only traffic, in which we had to wait for opposite traffic to go before we could use the same road. Also, lots of tanker trucks on this route so this slowed down things as well. I remember sending my sister a text as we crossed a bridge into Honda and this was around 5 PM. The bus ride itself is pretty, but lots of twists and turns -- I don't suffer from carsickness, but I did feel a bit nauseous at times, much to my surprise.

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