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Guatapé is a Colombian municipality located in the department of Antioquia, 79km from the Antioquian capital of Medellín. Originally inhabited by indigenous people, the town was named in honour of a revered chief. Guatapé has undergone several changes throughout history, moving from a farming to a mining community and finally to tourism following the building of a gigantic reservoir in the area. I visited this colourful town and its famous monolith as a daytrip from Medellín with GetYourGuide last month. Here’s how this adventure went.
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El Peñón de Guatapé
El Peñón de Guatapé, also known as La Piedra del Peñol, is a gigantic 220m high naturally occurring granite monolith comprised of quartz, feldspar and mica. Its first known climb was recorded in the 1950s and took close to a week, but now tourists can climb it in a matter of minutes thanks to 742 steps built into its side. On average, it takes 15 to 30 minutes to climb the Piedra del Peñol as the steadily uphill walk can prove tiring, and with breathtaking views that get better with each step, you have two reasons to climb slowly. That being said, I took 14 minutes! The record is 6 minutes though, but who’s checking. Admission to climb El Peñón de Guatapé costs 25.000 Colombian pesos (US$6) per person in 2024.
At the top is very windy and crowded but the views are breathtaking. After getting all my pictures at the summit, I wandered over to the souvenir and refreshment stalls for a bit of eye shopping. Going down was easier than coming up, but it can be a bit tricky and slippery in parts. I was grateful for the rails. At the base of the monolith were some murals and more shops, giving me plenty of opportunity to spend the 90 minutes allotted by my tour guide at La Piedra.
Exploring the Town of Guatapé
After leaving the rock, we drove for another 10 minutes to get to the rural town centre of Guatapé which is home to 5,000 people. A small and walkable town, Guatapé has over 600 registered businesses– mostly restaurants, cafes, confectionaries and souvenir shops– which make it very clear that their main economic activity is tourism. My tour guide Phil took us around the town, pointing out its important buildings, fountains, statues and shops. What stood out most were the zócalos– colourful carvings which adorn nearly every building in the pueblo and range from animals and nature scenes to religious figures. Guatapé is easily the most colourful village in all of Colombia.
Climbing 700+ steps followed by a walking tour is bound to work up one’s appetite, so I couldn’t be more grateful that my tour included a traditional lunch and drink. On the menu was bandeja paisa, a huge platter consisting mostly of ground beef, pork, sausage, fried ripe plantain, beans, rice, avocado, salad, arepas and topped with a fried egg. I left the egg off but had everything else. Our meal was accompanied by guarapo, sugarcane juice and lime over ice. That being said, the meal felt quite familiar as we eat everything on this plate in Jamaica (minus the arepa) and drink sugarcane-lime juice too. Latin America and the Caribbean are very similar in culture; no wonder I keep going back!
To close everything off, we enjoyed a boat ride on the Peñol-Guatapé hydroelectric reservoir. This artificial lake provided breathtaking views of the shoreline, and our cruise was complimented by live music. At the end, we were given time to wander around so I got some souvenirs, picked up delicious chocolates by La Tiendita de Chocolate then stopped by a local coffeeshop. We had an uneventful drive and made it back to Medellin in good time; an excellent day trip if you ask me!
Wrap Up
Have you ever visited this cozy colourful village or added it to your bucket list? Sound off in the comments section below. Funny enough, I first heard about this town long before Instagram as my best friend visited here while living abroad in Colombia for a year! It’s been on my bucket list since then so I’m happy to have finally checked it off. Guatapé is one of my favourite Colombian memories. Two more weeks of Colombian posts left so subscribe to not miss any. Also, feel free to book a Guatapé tour using GetYourGuide. If you use my link, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. 🙂
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