A Day in Guatapé
Colombia’s Most Colourful Town
If you’re staying in Medellín longer than three days, you have to make a day trip to Guatapé. Forget paying 135k pesos which is what you can expect to spend on a hostel tour. Just do it yourself, and you’ll probably have a better time for half the price.
The three things that you absolutely must do (in order) are climb the famous piedra, wander about the colourful streets and take a boat trip.
But let’s rewind. Starting in Medellín, get the metro to Caribe Station where the North Terminal bus station is (return ticket from El Poblado = 5,100). Buses leave frequently, takes two hours and costs 15k pesos each way.
It’s a good idea to climb El Peñol at the start or end of your day to save on a tuk-tuk fare. You can get the driver to drop you at the giant rock on the way to Guatapé, or you can catch the bus back to Medellín from the base at the end of the day. It takes 40 minutes to walk between the two or an 8k peso tuk-tuk trip for one person.
El Peñón de Guatapé or Piedra del Peñol or simply la piedra
It’s 18k pesos to walk up La Piedra, and although there are 750 steps to get to the top it isn’t strenuous, and the incredible view is worth it.
Almost 360 degrees of this!
In town, after you’re done wandering around and questioning if it would even be possible to have a bad day in a city this colourful make sure you don’t miss the best location to capture Guatapé’s striking palette which is the easy-to-miss alleyway leading to Plazoleta de los Zócalos (below).
Plazoleta de los Zócalos
There are boat trips of varying kinds and prices available. Party boats are typical as are tours to view the beautiful lagunas. If it’s warm enough, make sure you pack your bathers! Prices for these start from around 40k pesos. If you’re staying for more than a day or you’re with family, you can also kayak, jet ski, even zip line over the water.
However long your stay (even if it’s entirely in the rain!) a visit to Colombia’s most colourful town is worth it.