Shafted by direction vagueness again. Los Saltos Eco Parque website directions do kinda suck — that’s the company you have to go through to visit Salto del Buey.
(I mean, It’s probably me, it’s not the first time I’ve had problems…)
Anyway, I hope this helps if you’re not sure how to get there. And well, the bus times are just wrong. So there’s that…
‘avin a mare!
My iPhone alarm went off at 5.30 am. It had reverted to the default Du du du d… Du du du d — I was already awake with alarm anxiety but, still, that Du du du d… puts you into fight or flight.
By 5.55 am we were in the Uber headed for Medellín’s north terminal. According to Los Saltos Eco Parque site, the bus left the terminal at 6.30 am. And, apparently, it would drop us walking distance from the park entrance. Unfortunately, the nice lady at bus company Trans Unidos (booth 8) told us the bus left at 6 am.
*facepalm*
We were off to a nightmare. But despite the blip, we hopped on the next bus at 6.40 am to La Ceja (9 mil per person). From there, we could grab a taxi easily enough.
If you’ve poked around their website, you’ll see you can reserve activities. Obviously, visiting Salto del Buey is the main attraction. I just gave them a WhatsApp a few days before our arrival that they were cool with.
We arrived in La Ceja after a 1.5-hour bus journey. Another nice lady pointed us in the direction of the other terminal. The one where we could catch a ride to the park. Well, the road before the park. We had to walk another hour to get to the actual entrance.
We took a yellow cab to where you then walk to the entrance for 4 mil pesos.
Slight detour
The route is signposted (kind of), but follow the road until you reach a fork in the road (see pic below). There, go right. One lady told us todo recto (straight on in English)… my straight bares left. Hers obviously to the right.
Make sure you bear right at this fork!
This detour added another 2.6km onto the journey.
*facepalm x 2*
Por fin, we got to a park entrance — turns out there are two — If you miss the bus at 6 am from Medellin, you’ll end up at the lesser-known entrance like us.
Bloody hell it’s massive
Dona Gloria’s greeted us with the guardedness of someone not expecting visitors. We explained our desired itinerary: see the waterfall, do the cable vuelo (zip line). She radioed someone somewhere and led us down a small path to a viewpoint overlooking the massive gap between us and the other side of the canyon.
The wire we were to entrust our lives looked like a cotton thread from where we stood. Apparently, it’s the tallest zipline in Colombia, measuring in at 320m…. eek
Enough to get the foo-foo valve going
We thanked Doña Gloria and made our way to the launch pad.
Before visiting the park, I discovered a song called Summer 91 (looking back). The first line is: “when you don’t realise you’re in a moment until it’s a memory”
I’m glad I had that reminder.
I looked where I was, who I was with, and felt pure gratitude; for the moment, for nature, for existing on this planet. Exploring Colombia has given me so much. Her beauty can’t be put into words. Only felt.
Sentimental Nick got carried away there. Back to the story…
The zip line was thicker than a penny but not quite as thick as a 2 pence piece. Considering it’s stretched over 400m, my bum was quivering.
Our guide ziplined in casually. Within seconds, he helped us slip on the harness, gloves, and hat. A few instructions and a push later, I was halfway across the canyon. Finally, the adrenaline subsided enough to take in the surroundings.
The other side turned out to be the main entrance (we found out as we only had to pay one-way on the zip line).
Zipline costs
Ida 30 mil
Ida y Vuelta 50 mil
You can stay the night on both sides of the canyon, but I got the impression the main side got most of the business.
Here are the prices on the park website:
Camping costs
Basic – 30 mil
Eco – 120 mil
Glamping – 295 mil
(Per person)
More options are available on their website.
Spirit cleanse
I ordered a black coffee, caffeine I didn’t need. There’s just something about sitting back and drinking in the flush green Antioquian mountain range.
I could spend hours marveling, but we thought it best to start the descent to the waterfall. We didn’t want to miss the only bus back to Medellín.
Cost: Salto del Buey entrance fee is 15 mil per person
Before setting off, Leidy gave us instructions. Basically, we were going to get very wet. Just what the 2 people who didn’t have a change of clothes wanted to hear…
The 40ish minute hike took us through the glamping area of the park. They blended the route effortlessly with nature. In fact, It felt like something from Alice in Wonderland — It really was beautifully done and well kept.
As we descended, the immense presence of the waterfall grew. The gush of water buried in lush green was now a force of nature, hammering into the pozo below. The spray deflected off the water and disappeared into the atmosphere like ghosts fleeing the underworld.
Love a legend
Legend has it – the river’s name “Rio Buey” (Ox river) comes from the days of gold excavation from a nearby mine. They’d use bueys (Oxs’) to transfer the gold. One day, an ox fell into the river taking a large amount of gold with it. Since then, many have tried to find the lost treasure; even attempting to dry the river. No one has been successful.
Down on the rocks, there was a couple huddled together in front of the guard rail — the only thing between you and the pozo.
We stripped down to our base layers and edged down to the action. Standing in front of the waterfall was like getting pummelled by a jet wash. You could barely open your eyes. If it wasn’t for fear of falling, I’d have kept them shut.
We endured as long as we could. The area was full of around 100,000 negative ions, which, apparently, are beneficial to the body. Too many positive ions (as we experience in cities) are toxic for our bodies. I’m always down for a cleanse. But as a human shield, my naked flesh took the brunt, so I gave in first.
Then, as if by magic, the sun came out. We dried off, snacked on our pastel de pollo, and traced our steps back to the cafe area.
And then she chundered everywhaaa
There’s a bus direct to Medellin at 4.30 pm from the near-ish main entrance. Otherwise, your best bet is to go back to La Ceja and grab a bus from there. We aimed for the former, but then 2 parceros in a converted pick-up offered us a lift to La Ceja. At the time, It seemed like a good idea. But, after an hour of being thrown around like rag dolls, one of us decorated the interior with half-digested pastel de pollo.
Proper cute pueblo this
We arrived in La Ceja around 5pm. Instead of hopping on the first bus to Medellin, we explored the plaza, It had a real European vibe about it. In fact, it’s one of the more developed Colombian towns I’ve visited.
En fin.
If you’re coming by bus, consider staying overnight — the journey on public transport was a pain Or, if you can, rent a car or moto. That’s how most people got there. Either way, La Ceja is super cute and Salto del Buey was magical. Totally worth the trip.
Hope this helps!
Best,
Nick
