río claro valley

The babes of Rio Claro give this place six thumbs up! We spent three days/two nights in absolute paradise and cannot recommend it enough. The most important thing is to manage your expectations: this is a rustic eco-lodge in Colombia where things move on "island time" but you can't ask for a more beautiful place for a better price. Rooms and meals are basic but your nightly price (75.000 COP in low season, pay in cash) includes room, breakfast, lunch and dinner and free coffee all day. AWESOME excursions like cave walking/spelunking, floating the river and ziplining are all offered at extremely reasonable prices. We especially enjoyed the cave tour and floating the beautiful river. Butterflies, bird watching and keep your eyes peeled for monkeys!

It is a fair walk from the main road so it is better if you can pack lightly. It is well worth it though. The river itself is amazing as is the walk you can take along it. The cave activity was the highlight for me- I would definitely recommend it. Be prepared to get wet though: the water level in the cave ranges from ankle to shoulder depth. Bring spare shoes which you can use in the water. You will also need a water proof torch. It is good to have a torch at night as well even if you do not do this activity. Also pack a towel because they are not provided.We also hired tubes for 8000 cop which gave a relaxing view from inside the river.The staff do not speak English so be prepared to communicate in Spanish.The meals were all ok- typical Colombian food.I was in an el refugio cabana: their location was good (on marble beach, 5-10 min walk from restaurant). They are open which provides a good view but also allows insects in. I had a whole range of insects come in when my light was on but it was fine when I kept the light off. I didn't see any mosquitoes.I came here from Medellin on the 8.15am bus from counter 7 at the bus terminal (26000cop). The journey was 3 hours. Going back to Bogota after was much more difficult. Couldn't get the Bogota coach to stop so went to Doradal and waited more than 2 hours at their small bus terminal for the 1.30pm bus (which came at 1.45). The trip from Doradal to Bogota took 7 hours including a lunch stop. It is much easier to come here to and from Medellin if possible.

went up to the little vvillage, y did not went to the river o "la cueva de los guacharos. The landscape is exhuberant. You see all shades of green.The Wether is usually hot. To see the river is a most. I haven't seen it

Rio Claro is a beautiful place and can be explored within few days. The reserve centre was very disappointing: the staff is not kind nor polite and hardly speaks english. It was a nightmare to arrange the reservation and the payment of the accommodation (they accept payments only in COP and in cash upon arrival).The rooms was very basic, not clean and the bed was uncomfortable. There was only one menu for lunch and dinner, no other options to choose (bad luck if you are vegetarian). The portions were small and the service was horrible. They offer some activities such as rafting and caving. This place has lot of possibilities and with some changes and investment could be an amazing place. I expected much more for the money we have paid.

This was our first visit to Colombia and heard about this beautiful preserve, so we checked it out in the middle of January 2015 for two days. It was an awesome adventure! We saw little Black monkeys, huge Blue Morph butterflies, and Toucans, right across the river outside our cabana. Took a walk through the jungle over the leaf cutting ants,(wish I had my camera) to get to the marble cave. Here we heard the rare, nocturnal Oil birds( we were asked not to shine our flash lights on them)and exited through a waterfall, how cool was that! We joined a group of 19(3 rafts) on the Rio Claro for a 2 hour exciting rafting trip. Our Guide was interesting, thoughtful, and fun. We stopped for a break and a rope swing jump and swim, along the river. The restaurant was clean and the food was tasty. If you visit make sure someone in your group speaks the language and the weekdays are better. (less crowded)

We floated down the river here for something like 3 hours. It was tranquil and beautiful. The group went on a small hike afterwards. The best if you want to explore the beauty of the Colombian countryside.

It takes around 3 hours to get to Rio Claro but if you're doing a long day trip or overnight, it's totally worth it. Leave early with a day trip group or go from the terminal del norte. You will love the clear, picturesque river as long as it's not the rainy season. A beautiful mix of animals and giant trees as well. Including toucans, giant red headed woodpeckers, geckos, herons, colorful frogs, florescent tarantulas (they're calm), and monkeys from time to time. I've been to this reserve more than half a dozen times and I've only seen monkeys twice. Go on a weekday if you can and avoid the crowds!

This should be a tranquil experience, but walking in to the reserve centre there are cars and motorbikes racing by constantly. There appears to be no management supervision whole place is in absolute chaos. This place is simply a money making exercise with NO consideration for customer service or for providing a quality experience. The staff are just not interested.

We took the bus from Medellin - but arrived too late. Be aware, you must get to the north bus terminal by 8:15, as the latest bus departs at 9:30.We were able to get on a bus by paying the driver (illegal, it's how they make more money) but we had no seats...this may be good to know, the benefit is you can get there, the con is if you purchase a ticket in a seat, you. May have people leaning on you the whole trip anyhow, those that get on without a seat. The bus had a radiator problem so we proceeded very slowly and had to stop every 45 minutes to put water in to cool off the engine. The trip took 5.5 hours! We arrived to the Rio Claro ecological Reserve with a reservation for one night. They did not charge our 4 year old, so it was $150 for a room with 3 meals included. They even gave full meals to our 4 year old, which most places do not, as she's not paying. The activities are cheap and defiantly worth it. Most working there are invested young people who work long hours, 15 a day. our 12 year old loved the zip line and the advantage is you can watch from the path below- so fun for all. We would go back. Be aware that without a car you must walk almost 1/2 hour ( with kids it took that long, we hitched a ride out with a worker) to get from your room to the street. ,alsos it was very difficult to get a bus on the road as it isn't a proper stop. You can get a ride, offer to pay, we should have done this was I didn't understand the routine until three other groups beat us out of the chance. After waiting an hour in the hot sun we were able to wave down a bus...to find it was another no-seat situation! we had to take it as we had no other choice, it was 4;15 PM and we didn't want to be stranded. We had planned to stop at Guatapa ( will have to return to do that some day) town, which is reported as worth it, but the bus took so long after the police stop when they made those with seats get off (we passed our kids to the laps of others and sat with others with seats, so 3 to a seat, and we got away with the police check, not as lucky as the 5 other Colombias who got kicked off).

Upon booking our reservation my girlfriend and I were under the impression that this establishment was an oasis and safeplace for wildlife and nature as the title claims. Upon arriving, we quickly realized this was not the case. First off, disregard any of the rules you see on their website as none of the guests follow them. Cigarette smoking is common and butts lay all over the ground. Litter is also omniprescent, plastic bottles and wrappers are everywhere. It's obvious that the owners simply just acquired some land and are just cramming as many people and buildings in this area; the construction of the structures themsevles were probably apocalyptic for the surrounding habitat. When we arrived to our room(s) we were informed by cleaning staff that the room we originally had was booked and we were given another one. Had we not asked for directions we would have simply walked into another already occupied room and no one in the front desk even knew about the double booking. To their credit, the staff did give us a free upgrade for the other members of our party in the units that are above the dining area. We only went on the rapids trip and the staff member guiding us was nice. The rapids experience was enjoyable but like I said before, when we took a break, the river bank was filthy with bottles and wrappers every where. The room itself was nice, clean when we arrived and with running water and one electricity outlet. Meals are meager. We stayed for three days two nights. Our first meal was dinner which was a simple chicken, rice plate. Breakfast was the same for each day which consisted of arepa, toast, and scrambled eggs. Lunch was a filling meal you have a choice of pork, fish (you get a whole fish that is fried) and dinner the second night was spaghetti with sloppy joes and cole slaw and some bread. Bottled drinks are extra and smoothies are available but the smoothies are not fresh and are some frozen fruit puree they just blend with milk or lemonade.The concept is nice but overall this is simply a getaway at an affordable price which attracts a crowd that has no respect for nature.

We went with our 7 and 9 year old children and had an absolute blast. We participated in all of the activities except for rock climbing. Its a beautiful park with very friendly and helpful staff. It was a major highlight of our travels.

Stayed for two nights (which felt like the perfect amount of time) in December 2014. Stayed in one of the panoramic rooms where the views were amazing, saw birds, butterflies and monkeys. Was nice having all food provided, and was good to see some veg on the plate after other reviews said otherwise. Staff were all nice and helpful, and even helped sort out a cake for my birthday. If you get the chance it would be a shame to miss this beautiful place.

If you like nature and adventure, travel to Rio Claro with friends and family. Just 3 hours by car from Medellin. Very nice place to swim, dive and have fun. It's better for adventure travelers. Try going from Monday through Friday, because on weekends ther will be a lot of people.

I'm a Colombian but my boyfriend is from New Zealand and I wanted to take him to Colombia , we visited this place and really enjoyed it , we did a lot of activities and loved every single one of them , people there were very friendly and helpful , the food was nice and the whole experience was very enjoyable , of you staying close to Medellin I will highly recommend this place for some adventure ;) Enjoy colombia !

We stayed for 3 days at the panoramic rooms. They were wonderful. Far away from the restaurant so if you don't like to walk and climb stairs, wouldn't recommend the "refugio" cabins. The forest and river are really amazing and well taken care of.The food was a bit plain... Could be better. If you like peace and privacy do not go during a weekend or holliday. The valley is open to public and hoards of tourists come in, and every place in the river and paths is full of people.