5-Day Off-Road Nevado Ruiz
Quick Trip

5-Day Off-Road Nevado Ruiz Quick Trip

Day-By-Day Itinerary

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Day 1 / Medellín → La Pintada → Aguadas → Pacora → Salamina

Ride Type: Mostly paved mountain roads
Highlights: Big Andean views, gentle curves, coffee towns
Leave Medellín and descend into the tropical Cauca River Valley, following sweeping roads to La Pintada for lunch. Climb back into the mountains and stop in Aguadas for a typical tinto coffee. Continue through coffee country to the colonial town of Salamina, known for its carved balconies, central fountain, and relaxed plaza life

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Day 2 / Salamina → San Félix Wax Palm Forest → Manizales

Ride Type: Paved twisty mountain roads
Highlights: Wax palm forest, local lunch, hot springs hotel

Ride curvy paved roads to the small village of San Félix, then a short off-road stretch to the wax palm forest. Take a brief tour to see Colombia’s national tree—the world’s tallest palm, reaching over 60 m (200 ft). Enjoy a tinto before returning to the paved road toward Manizales.Stay overnight at a natural hot springs hotel — a relaxing end to a big day in the mountains.

 

Day 3 / Manizales → Nevado Ruiz → Hummingbird Garden → Jardín

Ride Type: Mixed pavement, gravel, and dirt
Highlights: 4,100 m (13,500 ft) altitude, hummingbirds, colorful Jardín
Ride into the high-altitude páramo above tree-line, where frailejones plants cover the slopes. On clear days, spot the snowy peak of Nevado Ruiz. Descend through Manizales, then climb back into the Central Andes for an off-road ride to a hummingbird garden where birds land in your hand. Continue through cloud forest to Jardín.

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Day 4 / Explore Jardín

Spend the day exploring the colorful colonial town of Jardín, one of the most picturesque destinations in the Colombian Andes. Brightly painted houses, flower-filled balconies, and a lively central plaza create a relaxed atmosphere that makes it easy to slow down and enjoy small-town life.

Take an optional coffee farm tour on a nearby hillside finca, where you can see how beans are grown, harvested, roasted, and brewed.​

Back in town, ride La Garucha, the rustic wooden cable car built by locals, for sweeping views over the valley, or head to one of the scenic lookout points above town.​

In the afternoon, relax in a café chair in front of the Basílica Menor de la Inmaculada Concepción and watch daily life unfold in the plaza. Locals gather for coffee, musicians play in the square, and cowboys often ride in on horseback as the sun sets—making Jardín the perfect place to unwind.

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Day 5 / Jardín → Jericó → Santa Fe de Antioquia → Medellín

Ride Type: Relaxed paved mountain roads
Highlights: Off-road ride to Jerico, Paved to Santa Fe.

Take an off-road route from Jardín across coffee farms to Jericó, then continue along a very twisty road with expansive views of the Cauca Valley around every turn. Once in the valley, follow the river into the colonial town of Santa Fe de Antioquia, one of the oldest settlements in the region. Here you can visit the famous Puente de Occidente, a 19th-century suspension bridge that spans the Cauca River and stands as one of Colombia’s most iconic engineering landmarks. From Santa Fe, the road climbs back into the Central Andes, completing a five-day loop through some of the most spectacular riding in Colombia.