{"id":11487,"date":"2021-09-02T14:10:30","date_gmt":"2021-09-02T14:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tiqets-blog-staging.local\/parque-arvi-guide\/"},"modified":"2025-08-22T10:05:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T10:05:17","slug":"parque-arvi-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/parque-arvi-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"An Insider’s Guide to Parque Arv\u00ed: Waterfalls, Witches & Flowers","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u2013<\/em>\u00a0This post was written by\u00a0Mick Murray<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2013<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Located only 30 kilometers from central Medell\u00edn<\/a>, Parque Arv\u00ed is a gigantic green oasis full of stunning scenery, wild animals, and centuries’ worth of local history. We spoke to Claudia Vanegas, one of Parque Arv\u00ed’s expert tour guides, to find out everything there is to know about this lush local landmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet your insider<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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Please tell us a bit more about your role at Parque Arv\u00ed! What is your favorite part of your job?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve worked here at Parque Arv\u00ed for almost 12 years now. My main activity is to guide, orientate and inform our visitors about the flora, fauna, history and culture of the area, as well as the activities that can be done inside the park, and also inside the city and the village of Santa Elena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I like most about my job is sharing every day with different people. Besides that, I like to share my love and knowledge of this territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An introduction to Parque Arv\u00ed<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What is the history of the park? How was such a massive park created?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The park has an area of 1,761 hectares, most of which belongs to EPM (Empresas P\u00fablicas de Medell\u00edn). They were wondering what to do with this land, which is full of water and vegetation, and had undergone many changes due to the different cultures that lived in the territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The area has been used by indigenous people, and was later used for mineral extraction when Europeans arrived. Due to the environmental deterioration caused by this, trees introduced from other countries had to be planted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dream began to take shape around 2002, when several entities decided to create a space for locals and visitors to enjoy nature, and to teach people how important local ecosystems are for us. Companies such as EPM joined in, as well as the Mayor’s Office of Medell\u00edn, who began to imagine how to reach this territory in an environmentally sustainable, fast, comfortable and appealing way. That’s where the idea of the metro cable as a means of transport came up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Arv\u00ed market was also opened before the park itself. This market consists of locals who sell the products they grow or craft themselves; the main rule is that the products must be organic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2010, the park was opened to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parque Arv\u00ed focuses a lot on eco-tourism. Can you tell us more about that?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Ecotourism consists of doing activities in nature, with a focus on environmental sustainability; something very important to us. At Parque Arv\u00ed, we offer many different routes focused on a specific ecological theme. For example, we have one route that focuses on orchids, bromeliads and anthuriums. During this tour, we talk about the care that we have to take with these species, and the special project we\u2019re running to support the reproduction and reintroduction of these species, some of which are in danger of extinction!

This project has helped us raise awareness among sixty local farmers who, in the past, extracted forest resources such as orchids and moss and sold them in the city of Medell\u00edn and other nearby municipalities. What the park is doing at the moment is reproducing a lot of vegetation among these species, and also reintroducing native trees into the forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, let’s say that our tours are very focused on awareness and interpretation of the territory. It’s not just about walking, but about people using all their senses – including touch! For example, they can touch the moss, the lichens, and feel the different textures of the plants. When we are in the forest, we also do a relaxation exercise where visitors can listen to the different sounds that the forest gives us. For this, we have daytime and night-time tours \u2013 and a bicycle tour that complements the walking tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also do bicycle tours along different routes in the park, visiting very special places. For example the lagoon, which has some spectacular viewpoints over the city of Medell\u00edn. We also work very closely with the local community, and sometimes sell tours that include a visit to agro-tourism farms, where people can experience being a farmer for a day. It\u2019s very enriching for people who are usually not so close to the countryside!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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