Spending A Day Along Medellin’s River Park

The beautiful public spaces in Medellin are one of the great aspects of the city that make it one of the most visually attractive places you can go to.

There are all kinds of parks popping up all over the metropolitan area, many of them built in eco-friendly ways that favor progressive design and work with the land that they’re ensconced in.

One of my favorite parks in the Medellin area would have to be the park that runs along the central river that runs through the city. It’s great for jogging, biking, walking, and sitting, and there are a ton of other activities to participate in as well!

If that sounds like something that’s up your alley, then continue reading, because I’ll have all the relevant info in the article below!

How To Get To The Medellin River Park

The Medellin river runs north to south, bisecting the city through most of the urban area. So if you can find that on a map, you’re off to a pretty good start.

Most of the interesting stuff to do at the river park is more or less centrally located, however, so I would recommend hitting the B line on the metro and heading to the Cisneros stop, and then walking for a bit.

Where you’re headed often depends on the neighborhood you’re coming from since the river runs through so much of the city. If you’re in Laureles, it’s not a bad walk to get there at all.

You could also feasibly take a cab or a car to the river park, but you would have to find a place to park on either side of the river.

I feel like the easiest place to do this would be somewhere in the Laureles or Belen neighborhoods, because these will be much less trafficked than downtown.

Things To Do At The Medellin River Park

There’s been a lot invested into the park in recent years since much of the park is outfitted with very nice new features that come in a variety of forms.

These include things like spacious and comfortable chairs and tables for one to study and work at, as well as more unique constructs that act as jungle gyms for kids, or even just aesthetic features to look at.

The park also has several public artworks decorating it, some of which are among the most interesting and beautiful in the city.

One of these includes the massive Escultura Montana, which I wrote about in this section of the blog.

Besides the Escultura Montana, several other neat architectural features adorning the park include some of the city’s most impressive design ideas.

In this way, it’s a bit similar to the Parque Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which is a great example of the extensive urban renewal projects going on in Medellin at this time.

If you’re curious about that park, or some of the efforts going on in Medellin to beautify public space, then check out the article that I wrote in this part of the blog.

An Oasis For Urban Wildlife

One of my favorite parts of going to the Medellin river park is checking out all of the birdlife that has decided to make it home.

As has been documented before, Medellin and the areas around it are a veritable birder’s paradise. Colombia itself contains the world’s highest biodiversity of birds.

The implementation of extra greenspace around the Medellin river park has made it very attractive to the local urban bird wildlife, and they’ve taken it upon themselves to flock to the area in droves.

There are also numerous plaques at the park that describe the kinds of species that you can encounter, as well as information on the kinds of environmental challenges and progress that are occurring in Medellin and Colombia at large.

Some plaques describe invasive species, such as the common garden snail, an insect that has caused problems worldwide by preying on native grasses and insects.

The river park also offers some amazing views of the surrounding mountains that encapsulate Medellin, as the river naturally runs through one of the lowest points in the valley.

It’s quite pleasant to take a stroll along the river and take in what kinds of birds you see as you gaze at the fog caressing the sides of the mountains. What a view!

A Center of Commerce and Community

Another notable thing about the Medellin river park is how much use it gets out of the community of Medellin.

At any given time, there are dozens of people running, picnicking, selling their wares, holding meetings, really you name it.

When I went down there, I encountered a small fair of sorts that included several small vendors selling local goods and services, as well as someone communicating over a loudspeaker.

The entire area is quite lively and vivacious and makes for great people watching even if you don’t have anything in particular that you’re looking for.

The appearance of more public spaces like this in the city is turning out to be a very popular move with the citizens, who seem to be utilizing the accessories to the max.

It’s great for tourists as well, as the park has several interactive tourist centers that inform you about not only the park but other sections of the city as well.

It’s very inspiring to see the potential waiting in a place like Medellin, where there’s a lot of space to fill in the blanks by marrying urban spaces with the beauty of natural landscapes.

You can think about all of this and more at the river park, as it’s a very relaxing place to contemplate big-picture types of thinking.

Going With The Flow In Medellin

The Medellin river park is a great place to kick back and relax, or get busy and work up a sweat. In that way, it’s not so different from the city itself.

It’s a special place that warrants a visit whether you’re a short-term visitor, or you’re a long-term resident who’ll be putting it into their daily exercise routine.

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