Parque Arví is a 16,000-hectare forest reserve on the plateau east of Medellín, reached by the Line L cable car that glides over the ridge from Santo Domingo. It is cool, often misty and a different world from the valley — pine and native forest, walking trails, a weekend farmers’ market and pre-Hispanic paths. It is also the attraction with the most avoidable mistakes: the cable is closed on Tuesdays, it has its own fare, and it is 5–10 degrees colder than El Poblado. Everything you need is below, checked against the Metro and the park at our last update.
Hours, fares and the Tuesday closure
| Line L cable car | Wednesday–Monday 9 am–6 pm; Sundays and holidays from 8:30 am. Closed Tuesdays for maintenance (moved from Mondays in April 2025 — older guides are wrong). Plus an annual week-long maintenance closure, in late August in recent years. |
|---|---|
| Line L fare | Separate from the metro ticket, paid at Santo Domingo. About 26,700 COP for visitors with a general card at our last check (the Metro’s April 2025 tariff was 24,500 and rose in 2026); Colombians with a personalized Cívica roughly 11,900; strata 1–3 residents a few thousand. |
| Park | Open Wednesday–Monday 9:30 am–5:30 pm. The station area, market and open paths cost nothing extra; the park’s guided routes are ticketed (its FAQ lists about 20,000 COP for Colombians and 30,000 for foreign visitors, with strata discounts). Confirm at the El Tambo visitor center. |
| Temperature | Roughly 2,400 m: 12–18 °C, frequent mist and afternoon rain |
Getting there
- Metro Line A north to Acevedo (about 25 minutes from Poblado station).
- Follow signs to Metrocable Line K; ride over Comunas 1 and 2 to Santo Domingo Savio (15 minutes, included in your metro fare).
- Exit the fare gates, cross the pedestrian bridge, buy the Line L ticket and ride 15 minutes over the ridge to the Arví station.
Door to door from El Poblado: 75–90 minutes. Alternatives: Transancoop buses to Santa Elena and El Tambo from near Plaza San Ignacio downtown (a few thousand pesos, slower), or a taxi via Las Palmas and Santa Elena (about 45 minutes). The Metrocable guide has the full line map and the Cívica-card details.
What to do
- Mercado Arví, beside the station: 40-plus stalls on weekends (about ten on weekdays) selling produce from the Santa Elena farms, baked goods, coffee, crafts and, on weekends, a full lunch — bandeja paisa in the cold air is the local ritual. Cash.
- Walking trails from the El Tambo interpretation center: a dozen named routes from a 40-minute orchid-and-bromeliad loop to two-hour archaeological and “ancestral” trails along pre-Hispanic paths, most guided and departing every half hour from mid-morning.
- Just the ride: plenty of visitors ride up, walk the station area and the first clearing, eat at the market and ride down. That is a legitimate two-hour version.
- Santa Elena beyond the park: the flower farms of the silleteros, whose flower-frame parade closes the Feria de las Flores each August; some family fincas take visitors year-round on tours from the city.
What to bring
A warm layer and a rain shell, closed shoes that can get muddy, sunscreen (the altitude burns through the mist), water, and cash for the market and any trail ticket. Your own food is allowed in reusable containers; pack out the rubbish. Leashed dogs are allowed.
Tips
- Leave by 9 am: the mornings are clearest, the afternoon cloud usually rolls in by two, and the last car down is at six.
- Avoid weekday commuter peaks on Line K (7–9 am) — the queue at Acevedo can be 20 minutes.
- Combine the return with the Jardín Botánico at Universidad station, on the same line back toward the center.
- If the cable is closed (Tuesday, or the annual maintenance week), the park is still reachable by bus or taxi.
FAQ
How much is the Parque Arví cable car? About 26,700 COP each way for visitors with a general card at our last check, paid separately at Santo Domingo; Colombians with a personalized card pay less.
Is Parque Arví open on Tuesdays? No — Line L and the park’s main services close on Tuesdays for maintenance.
Is Parque Arví free? The station area, market and open paths are; the cable ride and guided trails are not.
How long does Parque Arví take? Half a day minimum including transit; a full day with a guided trail.
Sources: Metro de Medellín (fares, hours, Tuesday closure), Semana (2026 fare), parquearvi.org (park hours, rules, FAQ), Alcaldía de Medellín (routes), Medellín Guru (market and trails); checked August 2026.
