Guatape Tour
Climb the rock for Colombia's most iconic view
There is a magical place near the city of Medellin, a colorful place full of stories & friendly people, a place to rest and marvel at the beautiful scenery of our Antioquia landscapes. That place is Guatapé, land of indigenous ethnic groups that owes its name to a great chief and caretaker of nature.
As we begin the wonderful journey to the Guatapé paradise, we’ll make our first stop 40 minutes from Medellin to enjoy a delicious typical breakfast. Then our journey continues through a neo-colonial style village that today is of "cultural interest", this town is called Marinilla. We will take a break to enjoy the town square and buy delicious fresh fruit. After passing through this small and cozy village the tour continues through mountain trails where you can see fields of corn, beans, potatoes, onions & peppers, among other produce.
Later, after tasting the typical delicacies of our country, we’ll find a modern town called "New Peñol" which means that the adventure is about to begin, because we are only twenty minutes of meeting the majestic “El Peñol” stone, the world's third largest stone and the first to be able to be climbed via stairs. In this modern town, we’ll stop to take a look at the sculpture of the Phoenix representing a town emerging from the water. After passing through this town, there will be another stop for the adventurous who want to climb the 740 steps of the Peñol stone. From the top you will not only be able to appreciate the immensity of the dam and its surroundings but you'll also experience one of the most scenic views in the whole of Colombia.
Next we will be arriving our surprising destination, Guatapé, a small town that will excite us with its architecture, cobbled streets and brightly colored houses decorated with a peculiar type of moulded art on the skirtings of every house, very typical of this area and said to represent "the family, daily life and enjoyable pastimes". During our tour through Guatapé we’ll take a break for lunch where we can try one of the local species of fish that the dam offers. We'll also take some time to explore the town. This is how we end our tour through a village with its own light and beautiful people, an unmissable journey that will leave you with beautiful experiences to remember forever.
Get ready for a day of amazing beauty and fun as you explore Guatape and the Piedra del Penol! Our tour guide, Jesus, was informative, kind and humorous. We boarded the bus on the south side of Poblado Park and were treated to a narrated tour as we passed through downtown Medellin and made our way over the mountains and through the beautiful countryside. The breakfast and lunch are definitely "tipico" as we stopped at a cute roadside cafe for arepas with cheese and hot chocolate. Lunch was at a Guatape cafe with a choice of chicken, fish, or ... if you are in for the "total" Colombian experience, definitely try the "Bandeja Paisa" platter (a vegetarian version was available also). We enjoyed all the "extras" in this tour including stops and walking tours at two Colombian villages as well as the chance to climb the 700+ steps up the Piedra del Penol. Amazing views reward you at the top. This tour is an all day experience going from 7:45 until about 6:30 and is an amazing value also. Definitely add this to your "to do" list when visiting Medellin!