Gastronomic Railroads: Private Day Tour from Medellin Colombia
While enjoying our second visit to Medellin for a month, we had the opportunity to dive into Colombia’s traditional food and culture with Impulse Travel.
For anyone looking for off the beaten path places to visit around Medellin, this private Gastronomic Railroads tour delivers beautiful scenery along with unique and authentic local experiences. Read on for our review of the tour!
Take 10% off Impulse Travel’s Gastronomic Railroads Tour with our referral code, RAILROAD10.
About the Gastronomic Railroads Tour from Medellin
Impulse Travel is a local Colombian tour company providing immersive travel experiences around the country. Their Gastronomic Railroads tour is a private guided day trip departing from Medellin.
Private transport is provided to the main location, a little over an hour South by car. From there, you continue your visit by foot or bicycle.
A local guide and driver picked us up from our accommodations at 8:30 a.m. The guide, Nicolas, is a young father who studied tourism and learned English to become a guide for international visitors.
As we began our drive out of the city, he told us about the surrounding area and the enormous growth Medellin has experienced in the past couple decades.
To break up the drive, we made a stop at roadside eatery serving savory pastries. We opted to split one hearty chicken empanada between the two of us, which was tasty and filling.
Eventually, our driver turned onto a dirt road leading up to the mountain villages that sprung up during the days of the former railroad. Four-wheel drive was clearly necessary as we maneuvered over the uneven terrain.
Upon arriving at a small cluster of houses, we got out with Nicolas and began walking.
We passed through caves, constructed in the mountainside to allow passage for the train.
The railroad, which was an important contributor to economic development in the region, was abandoned once the country developed its network of highways for transporting goods.
What was once a train line is now a path enjoyed by mountain bikers. Otherwise, this part of the pathway is primarily used by pedestrians traveling from village to village.
Coffee grows well in the mountains and we saw a small coffee production house on our journey, as well as a number of places where people had set out coffee beans to dry.
We stopped at a small fabrica next to “Death Bridge” (Quebrada Sinifana) with both traditional and modern ovens used to make one of Colombia’s favorites: arepa.
Arepa are made of ground maize shaped into flat disks. They can be eaten with cheese or other toppings like salsa and avocado.
The little arepa factory was a project supported by the governor’s economic development program, which allowed them to step up their production through new machinery and increase their distribution. In addition to sampling the fresh arepa with cheese, we also tried hot agua de panela and hot chocolate.
Continuing through another small village and tunnel, we came across a beautiful waterfall.
Shortly before noon, we arrived at our last stop: a remote restaurant next to a wood working shop.
We sampled masamorra, a traditional side dish made from cooked hominy corn in claro liquid. It came with arequipe (a caramel-like sweet milk) or bocadillo (guava paste).
We were instructed to add a bit of the sweets in our mouth each time we took a bite. This definitely helped counter the plainness of the corn.
We opted to we save most of our appetite for what was to come.
Next we had aborrajado, which was our favorite. The outside crust can be made with corn or plantain, fried for a tough exterior. Inside is a gooey combination of cheese and guava. The sweet and savory combo was delicious.
We also sampled patacon (flattened, unripe plantain) with salsa and guacamole. Also delicious!
We enjoyed the lush surroundings of the restaurant – a place I’m sure we’d never come across apart from the tour. Apart from the few sandfly bites I got, it was a lovely place to experience.
From there, we hopped back into the vehicle and made our return to Medellin.
Our total walk was under 3 miles. We returned around 2p.m., though the tour could potentially go longer depending on how much time you take at each stop and how fast you walk or bike.
Tips for taking this tour:
Definitely wear comfortable walking shoes (there was some mud since it was rainy in October). A light jacket was nice to have in the morning, but we warmed up quickly once we got walking. You may also want to wear sunscreen and bugspray or long pants.
Disclosure: We received a complimentary tour at the invitation of Impulse Travel. All views in this post are our own.
You might also like:
– Our Favorite Things AboutMedellin Colombia
– 14 Things To Know Before Visiting Colombia
– Beautiful Small Town Travel Destinations in Colombia
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