Tag: Sights

Flying Above Medellin 

I took the bus again this morning and this time it was totally worth it! Brian and I went paragliding in the mountains outside of Medellin and we both loved it. Read on for more about our experience flying above Medellin.

Leaving Medellin

It helped that the bus ride was under an hour. Quick and easy bus rides are the only bus rides for me. We left the city at around 9:30am and by 11am we were flying!

Why Paragliding

The mountain locale, weather, and air climate of the region makes for perfect conditions for paragliding. There are a number of businesses offering the service for a really inexpensive price. We paid $95,000 COP each for 10 minutes plus $10,000 COP for a video. Convert the currency and for the low low price of $87 Canadian two of us paraglided and we each got video and photos from the gopro they gave us to use on the flight. How could we NOT do it?!

Paragliding and Flying Above Medellin
View of some of the paragliders

Zona de Vuelo

We flew with Zona De Vuelo because they were the business who confirmed with us online. We probably could have just taken the bus to the drop-off point where all the businesses are and any one of them would have accepted our money. They all charge the same amount and they all fly from the same point of the mountain.

Me Paragliding
Me Paragliding

At Zona de Vuelo, they were very nice and organized. They checked us in, had us fill out some forms and pay of course, took our bags and secured them for us, gave us the photo cards, and pointed out where to walk up the mountain. We walked uphill to the takeoff and landing area and checked in there. We met our pilots – mine was named Jaime and Loves his job! – and got geared up. The mountain was amazing. We joined tens of other people who were just watching and/or getting ready to go on their flights. Everybody was happy and excited. No wonder Jaime loves his job.

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Outside in Medellin: Botanical Garden and Parque Explora

We had a nice afternoon exploring gardens and wildlife – and our minds! – today. The Universidad metro stop has a lot of options for tourists – we enjoyed both the Botanical Garden and the Medellin version of a science centre. The Medellin garden and park are not just for kids, although kids love them too!

The free Jardin Botanico is huge and amazing. Seconds after walking into the park, we heard loud birds squawking, looked up and saw 4 large toucans in a nearby tree. We had to zoom in quite close on our cameras but they were brightly colored, large and beautiful. We even got to see them fly over us. I was already hooked!

toucans Medellin garden and park
Toucans – blurry because they were far but still so beautiful

The gardens also included: a lagoon with ducks and swans, a butterfly sanctuary, a palm garden, a desert area, an orchid area and more! We wandered around for an hour or so just enjoying the lovely weather and views. The fact that this park is free is fantastic but I would have paid to visit.

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Great Walking Tour of Medellin – in English!

Yes, I am tired from the day of touring the city of Medellin, but more than that, I am really impressed by this sprawling and interesting – and beauty filled – city of 2.5 million people. I am even more impressed because we did a great walking tour of Medellin in English.

This morning I woke up at 8:45am! I haven’t slept this late since sometime in July in Toronto, maybe. I don’t remember. After all the action of yesterday, I slept late today.

Real city tours

After our morning self-guided tour, we spent yesterday afternoon in a walking tour of the city with Pablo, the founder and owner of Real City Tours. The day was a mix of rain, clouds and sun, and Pablo always found a place with shelter or provided us with umbrellas and rain ponchos so we were comfortable. The tour is advertised as “free” and you provide a tip at the end based on how good you thought it was. After 4 hours of learning so much about Medellin, its people, sights and culture, we thought the tour was great!

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