Jordan

Jordan sits on the Chicamocha river at the bottom of the canyon, and it was a real town - a crossing point on the royal road, with a suspension bridge built in the 1890s, a plaza, a church and several hundred people. Then the road network changed, the traffic went elsewhere, and the population left; what remains is a village with a small number of permanent residents, empty houses in various states, the church and the old bridge. It is not a preserved ghost town or a managed site; it is simply a place that emptied. Paragliders launching from Mesa de los Santos above sometimes land nearby, and the canyon walls rise over a thousand metres on both sides. The road down is steep, unpaved and slow.

What to look for

• A village nearly emptied - a handful of residents remain.
• A suspension bridge from the 1890s - on the old royal road.
• Empty houses and a church - not preserved, just left.
• Canyon walls over a thousand metres - on both sides.

When to go

December to March; the canyon floor is very hot. Half a day.

Before you go

The road down is steep, unpaved and unsuitable for ordinary cars in wet weather. The canyon floor reaches extreme heat. There are effectively no services. People live here - it is not an attraction.

Nearby

Mesa de los Santos is above; Curiti and San Gil are south.

Key facts