About this San Rafael guide
Who writes this San Rafael guide, where the river pool, bus and lodging data comes from, and how the site keeps running.
SanRafaelAntioquia.com exists because searching for "San Rafael Antioquia" brings up photos of green water and little practical detail: which pool is close to town, which bus to take at the North Terminal, or where to sleep without a car. The guide is put together by Julián Durango from Sabaneta, about two and a half hours from town by road.
Where each fact comes from
For the river pools and swimming spots we cross-check the San Rafael local tourism network, regional sites such as Oriente Antioqueño and Antioquia de Aventura, Wikipedia and the press. Climate comes from the IDEAM record at the Las Violetas station, as published on Wikipedia. Bus times and fares come from the Sotrasanvicente and Terminales Medellín websites.
Lodging pages use what Booking.com shows publicly on October 18, 2026: score, number of reviews, address, coordinates and amenities. When a place is not on Booking.com, such as Hostería Yakutour, we rely on what agencies and the local network publish, and we say so. Nobody from this site stayed at these places to write about them.
How it is paid for
Some buttons lead to Booking.com through a CJ affiliate link. If you book that way, Booking.com pays a commission and your rate stays the same. Properties do not pay to appear or to move up a list. More in the affiliate disclosure.
Julián Durango Gallego has spent more than ten years in SEO and lives in Sabaneta, at the southern end of the Aburrá Valley. This San Rafael guide does not narrate river days that never happened: it brings together what the local tourism network, the bus companies at the North Terminal, IDEAM climate records, Booking.com listings and the press publish, always with a link and the date checked. When access to a river pool changes or a fare goes up, it gets corrected. His personal site is juliandurango.com.
Do you run a swimming spot, a hostería or a trail in San Rafael and something is out of date? Write through contact. If it is your first trip, start with getting there from Medellín.