City of Eternal Spring: Medellin’s Flower Farms

Short on time? You can take half-day flower farm tours to learn more about Medellin’s flower culture!

Medellin is known as the City of Eternal Spring, so it’s no wonder that they’re also known for flower farms. 

Now, most of the flower farms aren’t actually located in Medellin. That would be pretty difficult considering how urban the space is!

Still, there are some great flower farms outside the city in nearby Santa Elena! If you’re wanting to take a true look at Medellin culture, I’d highly recommend checking it out. Here’s what to know about Medellin’s flower farms!

Where to Find the Flowers: Santa Elena

Santa Elena is the birthplace of Medellin’s flowers. In fact, every year during the Flower Festival, roughly 6 million flowers are sent from Santa Elena to the city!

That’s an incredible amount of blooms!

Santa Elena is located in the mountains of Antioquia and is situated just a little way outside of the city. In fact, Santa Elena is so close to Medellin that it’s located in the Arví Nature Reserve!

If you’re familiar with Parque Arví at all then you know what we’re talking about.

In Santa Elena, you’ll find a number of different flower farms. these organic flowers are actually not used for exportation, despite the fact that Colombia exports a ton of flowers to other countries. Instead, the flowers grown here are used for the Flower Festival. 

Santa Elena’s flower farmers are experts in putting together Silletas, or traditional flower arrangements. It’s thanks to them that we get to enjoy beautiful blooms every year in July. 

What to Expect on Your Tour

If you want to get to know these farms even more, you should definitely consider booking a tour of the flower farms. 

Your tour starts with pickup from your Airbnb or Casacol vacation rental. That makes it super easy to get to the farms and doesn’t leave you wondering about transportation. 

Stop One: Silletera Monument

The first stop on your tour is located just outside Medellin, close to the entrance to the village of Santa Elena. Here, you’ll get a chance to view and take photos of the Silletera monument.

Silletera is the word for flower farmer in Medellin. The monument honors the many men and women who dedicate their lives to growing flowers and carrying on this tradition. 

Your guide will explain to you a bit more about the history of growing flowers and about the importance of the Silletero. They’ll explain more about who made the monument and why it matters. 

Then, you’ll have to snap your photos quickly before boarding the bus and getting back on the road.

Stop Two: The Farm Tour

From there, you’ll be taken out to the green highlands surrounding Medellin. You’ll arrive at the farm and get a chance to walk around a traditional flower farm and speak with the farmers. 

On your tour, you’ll learn about the processes for growing the flowers in Santa Elena. You’ll also get a look at the huge variety of blooms that are grown in the area!

You’ll have plenty of chances to ask the farmer questions about what types of flowers he grows and how long it takes. You’ll also get to wander among the many blooms and spot your favorite flowers!

Stop Three: The Arrangement

Once you finish up the tour, you’ll head back up to the farmhouse where you’ll learn to make your very own flower arrangement! This is a cool chance to try a hands-on activity and explore a bit more about the world of flower arranging.

You’ll also get to put your flower arrangement on the silleta and put it on your back. This is exactly what the flower farmers do during the festival in late July!

Step Four: Parque Arví

Once you finish up your arrangement, it’s time to get back on the road. Your guide will take you out to the Santa Elena Metro Cable stop where you’ll get a chance to take in gorgeous views of the city.

After you’ve snapped all the photos you want, it’s time to climb back in your vehicle and head back to Medellin! The tour drops you off at your original departure point, so you won’t have to worry about catching a taxi or metro back to your hotel. 

What’s Included

Although this tour doesn’t include tons of add-ons, as some of the other adventures in Medellin do, it’s still worth going on. You’ll find it a really great insight into the traditional paisa culture.

Plus, with the flower festival just around the corner, it’s definitely a cool experience to invest a bit of time and energy into. 

Your tour includes a bottle of water as well as time for a coffee break in Santa Elena. If you want to, you can purchase a snack or a pick-me-up during the break. 

Round trip transportation and a bilingual (English and Spanish) guide are also included. And, you get a few discounts if you choose to come back and do a repeat tour with friends or family in the future!

Spend a Day Wandering through the Flower Farms

The flower farms in Medellin are a wonderful place to spend a day. Or, you can even explore the area for a weekend!

Whatever you decide, it’s a wonderful way to learn more about the rich history of flowers in Medellin. 

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