A Day Trip to Gorgeous Guatapé & El Peñón

One of the most memorable experiences we had during our stay in Medellín was our visit to the picturesque, rainbow-colored town of Guatapé and climbing the ‘big rock’, El Peñón.

Located just 75km from the city center, Guatapé was once an area that was mainly used for farming and agriculture. Its landscape changed dramatically in the 1960s, however, when the government decided to transform the land into a hydro-electric dam. The area now resembles a vast reservoir of strikingly-blue artificial lakes littered with an archipelago of lush green islands, and serves as an important center for ecotourism and agrotourism.

El Peñón (or Piedra del Peñol) is an impressive gigantic rock formation located close by to Guatapé and towers over its surroundings. It is believed that the rock is approximately 65 million years old and has remained in place due to its composition being unaffected by weathering and erosion.

Here is why I fell in love with this incredibly colourful and unique part of Colombia…

Breakfast at Marinilla

The drive out towards Guatapé from Medellín city center is not only beautiful – we saw quaint hilltop farms and farmers riding horses, for example – but it’s also a great place to stop off and grab some breakfast!

The road-side spot we stopped at is called Delicias De La Abuela and it is well worth a visit if you are thinking of venturing out to Guatapé. What could be better than starting the day off with a traditional breakfast of eggs, arepas and coffee whilst surrounded by gorgeous jungle-like surroundings?

Expect to see lots of animals, flowers and some great photo opportunities too!

Address: Marinilla–El Peñol, Antioquia, Colombia

See The Stone Church in Peñol

In the sleepy town of Peñol you will find two things; a souvenir shop run by a very excitable man who will more than likely sell you a souvenir hat, and Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Chiquinquira – an imposing stone Catholic Church. It’s a pretty cool landmark to stop off and take a look at if you want to stretch your legs.

El Peñón

Whichever mode of transport you choose to get you here, once you’ve made it to the base of El Peñón de Guatapé you will find yourself in what I can only describe to be a little tourist village. There are numerous restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops to explore, but I would save all that for after your climb up the big rock itself!

Be sure to get your ticket and make your way through the turnstile entrance quickly as you will then want to begin your ascent before all the other tourists arrive!

It has to be said that the steps leading up in a zig-zag fashion all the way to the summit of the rock seem intimidating when you’re at the bottom looking up, but we found the climb to not be too bad. You can take breaks and there is a halfway viewing point to catch your breath.

Did you know there are 739 steps to the top of the rock?

The top of the rock is busy with people, a few more souvenir shops, but the views are worth the trek and are pretty spectacular as you can see!

TOP TIP: I would highly recommend getting to El Peñón as early as possible as queues build up significantly after midday. On our climb down we saw the queues of people walking up were barely moving!

A spot of lunch in one of the on-site restaurants

Exploring Guatapé Town

Nothing can prepare you for the never-ending ‘wow’ moments when you enter Guatapé town. It certainly offers a serotonin boost!

Wandering around Guatapé’s rainbow coloured streets is like walking around a real-life fairytale book – you really have to see it to believe it’s real and that people actually live somewhere so beautifully decorated. The town is particularly famed for its ‘zocalos’ or baseboards which are carved and painted with various motifs, such as llamas or flowers, for example.

Whether you want to peruse souvenir shops, get an icy beverage in the shade to escape the heat of the day or want to practice your photography skills capturing the art and graffiti all around you – Guatapé has plenty to keep you occupied.

The town is well and truly magical!

Parque Temático Réplica del Viejo Peñol

Our penultimate stop of the day was to Parque Temático Réplica del Viejo Peñol, a scaled replica park of a nearby village church that was submerged upon the building of the hydro-electric dam. The colourful, photogenic and peaceful space features a smattering of souvenir shops, bars and a museum, all with a lovely view of the waterfront.

Be sure to grab yourself a refreshing Michelada de Mango from one of the vendors at the Parque – a delightfully zingy and refreshing mango beverage that comes with a spicy/salty rimmed cup. I prefer the non-alcoholic version made with lemonade rather than the option of beer, but the choice is yours!

Laguna de Guatapé

We ended our day out in Guatapé with a boat trip around the lake. It was a very peaceful journey and was a great way to view Guatapé from the water, having previously seen it from the top of El Peñón rock earlier in the day.

You will also more than likely float by some impressive waterside properties belonging to famous footballers and notoriously, Pablo Escobar.

Perhaps the most poignant parts of the boat trip was floating past a memorial cross standing out from the surface of the water. This was placed in the space where the original church steeple (I mentioned the replica version above) was located before the dam came to be. It serves as a reminder of the communities that were lost as a result of the reservoir being built.