Guatapé and El Peñol

Guatapé is a small, colorful lakeside town about 2 hours east of Medellín, next to the giant rock of La Piedra del Peñol. In one day you can climb the rock's 740 steps for the view over the reservoir, wander streets lined with painted zócalos and take a boat out on the lake. Buses leave Medellín's Terminal del Norte about every hour, so you don't need a tour.

Why go

Guatapé is the most popular day trip from Medellín, and it earns that spot. It packs 3 very different things into a short ride: a huge granite rock you can climb, a town that looks freshly painted every morning, and a reservoir full of islands that you can explore by boat. It's easy to do on your own by public bus, and it shows you a side of Antioquia that feels a world away from the city's traffic.

The landscape itself has a story. In the 1970s, the Medellín public utility EPM built a large hydroelectric complex here and flooded the valleys between the hills. The project displaced thousands of people. The old town center of El Peñol was demolished and rebuilt in a new spot, and much of rural Guatapé went underwater. What's left is a reservoir of roughly 74 square kilometers, wrapped around hundreds of peninsulas and small islands.

Climbing La Piedra del Peñol

La Piedra del Peñol is a granite dome about 200 meters tall that stands just outside town. A staircase of around 740 steps zigzags up one side to a lookout at the top. It's a steady climb rather than a hard one, and most people reach the top in 20 to 40 minutes with breaks. From there you see the reservoir spread out below like a jigsaw puzzle of water and green land.

Go in the morning if you can. The view is usually clearer, the steps are less crowded and you avoid the afternoon showers that are common in the wetter months. Look for the giant painted "G" on the rock's face: it's the start of an unfinished sign, abandoned after a dispute with neighboring El Peñol over who the rock belongs to.

Exploring Guatapé town

Guatapé calls itself the "pueblo de zócalos". Zócalos are the raised, painted panels along the lower walls of houses and shops. Many show scenes of village life, farm animals, flowers and local crafts, and some hint at what the shop sells or what the family inside does for a living. Wandering the grid of streets around the main square and the church is the best way to see them, and every corner has another photo.

Don't miss:

• The main square and church, surrounded by colorful balconies and cafés.
• The streets around the square, where the zócalos are thickest and many of the town's small shops sell local crafts.
• The malecón, the lakeside promenade. On weekends it fills with stalls selling food, snacks and souvenirs, and it's where boat operators look for passengers.

Lunch is easy to find around the square and along the waterfront. Fresh trout is the local specialty, and you'll also see the classic paisa platter, the bandeja paisa, on most menus. For more on Antioquia's food, read what to eat in Medellín.

Boat trips on the reservoir

Boat trips leave from the malecón and last about an hour, in shared or private boats. They usually loop past lakeside holiday homes and the islands, and most stop at 2 places that come up in conversation all day:

• The memorial cross for old El Peñol. A cross in the water marks the area of the old town, which was cleared when the valley was flooded.
• La Manuela. The ruins of a lakeside estate that belonged to Pablo Escobar and was later bombed. Most tours point it out as they pass.

You can also rent kayaks or paddle boats, and some operators run trips to quieter beaches further out. As of our last check, swimming near the town isn't allowed because of dangerous currents, so only swim where a boat operator takes you to a permitted spot.

Getting there from Medellín

By bus. Take the metro to Caribe station, which connects to the Terminal del Norte bus station. 2 companies, Sotrapeñol and Sotrasanvicente, run buses to Guatapé about every hour from around 6 am. The trip usually takes about 2 hours, more on weekends and holidays. The buses pass the entrance road to La Piedra before reaching town, so you can get off there first, climb the rock, and take a tuk-tuk or local bus the last 2 kilometers into Guatapé.

Return buses fill up on weekends, so buy your ticket back as soon as you arrive. Pay in cash at the terminal.

On a tour. Many Medellín hostels and agencies sell full-day tours that include transport, a guide, the climb and a boat ride. They cost more and leave you less time in town, but they're simple if you don't want to deal with buses.

By car. Driving lets you stop in El Peñol and at viewpoints on the way. Weekend traffic back into Medellín can be slow.

Staying overnight

Guatapé has plenty of small hotels and hostels around the square and along the lake. Staying a night lets you see the town after the day-trippers leave and climb the rock first thing in the morning. It also makes a relaxed stop between Medellín and the other towns of eastern Antioquia. If you're planning more trips from the city, see our guide to day trips from Medellín.

The places in this guide

La Piedra del Peñol (El Peñón de Guatapé)

Guatapé, Guatapé, Antioquia, Colombia

La Piedra del Peñol is a granite dome about 200 meters tall that rises beside the Peñol-Guatapé reservoir, roughly 2 hours east of Medellín. A…