Parque Arví

Parque Arví is a vast protected forest park on the mountains east of Medellín, in the rural district of Santa Elena, and the cable car ride up is half the fun. It's the best easy escape from the city for walkers, birders and families, and it's usually closed on Tuesdays, when both the park's visitor services and the cable car stop for maintenance.

What it's like

Parque Arví covers a huge stretch of the mountains on the eastern side of the Aburrá Valley, spilling from Medellín into the neighboring municipalities of Bello, Copacabana and Guarne. The figures are big: about 16,000 hectares, of which roughly 1,760 are natural forest, crossed by around 54 kilometers of trails. Expect tall trees, ferns, mossy trunks and the smell of wet earth after rain.

It's higher and cooler than the city, so it feels like a different climate. When you step off the cable car at the Arví station, there's a cluster of food and craft stalls, an information point and the starting points for the main trails. From there you can walk, join a guided route or simply sit in the forest for an hour.

Things to do

• Walk the trails. The park offers both guided and self-guided routes of different lengths. For the longer or more remote paths, joining a guided walk is the sensible choice.
• Follow the pre-Hispanic path. One of the most interesting routes follows the Camino Cieza de León, a wide stone road that may be more than 1,500 years old. The park also protects old water channels, platforms and terraces left by the people who lived here before the Spanish arrived.
• Look for birds and butterflies. The forest is good for birdwatching, and the park runs activities aimed at birders.
• Visit a flower farm. Santa Elena is home to the silleteros, the flower growers whose huge flower displays star in August's Feria de las Flores. The park lists visits to fincas silleteras among its activities.
• Cycle or hike further. The park promotes cycling routes, a walk to the Chorro Clarín waterfall and longer hikes, plus some evening activities.

Activities and schedules change, so check the official website for what's running when you go.

The ride up

The journey is a highlight. Take metro Line A north to Acevedo, change to Metrocable Line K and ride up over the hillside neighborhoods to Santo Domingo. There you switch to Line L, the Cable Arví, which has run since 2010 and climbs over the ridge and then above the forest canopy to the park. The Line L leg takes about 20 minutes and has its own fare, separate from the regular metro ticket. Our Metrocable guide has the full route.

On weekends and holidays the queue at Santo Domingo can be long, so arrive early. Line L normally runs from about 9:00 a.m. (8:30 a.m. on Sundays and holidays) until about 6:00 p.m., and it's usually closed on Tuesdays for maintenance. It also shuts for about a week each year for longer maintenance; in 2026 that was in late September.

You can also reach Santa Elena by bus from downtown Medellín or by taxi, which is useful when the cable car isn't running.

Who it suits (and who it doesn't)

Arví suits anyone who wants fresh air without a long trip: walkers, families with older children, birders and photographers. It's an easy half day or full day from El Poblado or Laureles.

It's not ideal on a Tuesday, in heavy rain or if you're short on time and dislike queues. If you want a bigger day out with lakes and views, look at Guatapé instead.