Experience the best of Jardín

Jardín sits at about 1,750 metres in the Andes, with its houses grouped around a central plaza and a neo-Gothic basilica. Many buildings are painted in bright colours, and their balconies are hung with flowers. The town is small and walkable, and the slopes around it are planted with coffee.

The countryside is steep and green, with farms on the slopes, rivers in deep valleys and cloud forest on the higher hills, where the orange Andean cock-of-the-rock is the bird visitors hope to see. The Cueva del Esplendor, a cave where a waterfall drops through the roof, lies within reach of the town. Medellín, Antioquia's capital, is a few hours' drive to the north, and walking routes lead into the mountains with wide views over the valleys.

Antioquian food is hearty. Bandeja paisa, a platter of beans, rice, pork, sausage, egg and plantain, is the regional classic, and coffee is served as a small black tinto. The climate is cool and moist, and rain falls on many days of the year, so a light waterproof is always useful.