The restoration of public order and the avocado industry opened a new chapter in the history of Abejorral. In the days of mule travel, it was a centre of colonisation and an obligatory stop on the national roads that led from Antioquia La Grande to Caldas, Valle del Cauca, Tolima and Cundinamarca.
But with the popularity of car travel, it ended up being displaced by the municipality of Sonsón, which became the epicenter of National Route 56 to go to Bogotá.
For years, unemployment and lack of opportunities reigned in Abejorral, but Its strategic location for producing avocado in times contrary to the harvests of large producers world—Mexico, Chile, Peru and South Africa—allowed it to become the third producing municipality in Colombia and the second in Antioquia.
“Twenty-five years ago, when I was head of planning at Abejorral, the administration only had the capacity to generate 40 domestic jobs; the situation was so complex that these were distributed among 160 people who were employed for a month, and the list of those called upon changed every week,” recalled Héctor Acevedo, manager of the avocado producer TerraPalta.
Today, the municipality has an access road that allows you to get there in two and a half hours from Medellin. Many of its houses, designed more than 150 years ago, have been converted into hotels. The Salto del Buey nature reserve is its main tourist site, which makes way for it as a destination for adventure tourism..
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What to know?
The house in the air: a house built by a professional climber on the imposing San Vicente hill, anchored to a rocky surface, from which you can see the southwest of Antioquia, since Abejorral is at one end between the east and the southwest of the department. Here you can wake up and enjoy El Péndulo, a jump into the void from a balcony; the aerial hammocks, held at 40 meters high; the Via Ferrata, to climb metal stairs that border the rock; and the canopy or flight at 400 meters high.
Los Saltos Ecopark: It was recently declared a Natural Park of Colombia. It is a 30-hectare nature reserve with a great variety of flora and fauna, which is entered through the El Güaico path. Its main attraction is the El Salto del Buey waterfall, more than 90 meters high.. In addition, it has one of the highest canopies in Colombia (330 meters), ideal for hiking, cable trips, hammock plans, picnics and staying until dawn in accommodations that cost between 30,000 and 520,000 pesos per night. You can bring a pet, but they must have a harness and leash at all times. The entry of Styrofoam, cardboard and single-use plastics is not permitted. It is open between nine in the morning and five in the afternoon. To enter, you must reserve in advance through the official account of the Salto del Buey Natural Reserve on Instagram.
Heritage route: Its architectural wealth and Spanish urban grid layout allows you to explore 52 blocks of the urban area with colonial houses. Its Nuestra Señora del Carmen church, with two domes and a cross-shaped altar with five corbels, is a beautiful building.
Where to eat?
- El Solar, restaurant bar with live music, theatre, storytellers, films and culture.
- The Bell Tower, in the town atrium, next to the church.
What to eat?
- Avocado ice cream at El Campanario or Abefrut.
- Hamburgers with the name and ingredients of the municipality’s sidewalks at Sabor de Mi Tierra.
- Aromatic yellow fruits in Café Asomedea.
What to buy as a souvenir?
- Coffee. There are 26 different local coffee brands promoted by coffee farms. Los Saltos is one of the most recommended.
- Bee honey, Abejorral comes from bees and bumblebees, its honey is emblematic.
- Ojo de Buey beer, artisanal and produced in the area.
- All sweets and products from Asomedea, the Association of Entrepreneurial Women of Abejorral.
Where to stay?
- Hotel Colonial, in the main park.
- La Ramada, hotel and tour operator.
- Valkyrie, glamping.
- Abejorral heritage house, tourist inn.
