Guatape and Peñol

Guatape and El Peñol are about 2 hours from Medellín, you can get there by public transportation, taking a bus from the north terminal, more specifically at ticket office 17, and it costs 18 thousand pesos, approximately 5 dollars.

The first stop would be the Piedra del Peñol, the bus drops you off at a gas station and from there you begin the climb, you can do it by steps or by the road that was the old route.

When you get to the bottom of the rock you will find parking lots, restaurants, bars, craft shops and more, there is even a currency exchange office there.

The view from this part is already great and you can enjoy it, take some photos or videos. But if you want a little more, for about 5.6 dollars you can buy the ticket to climb the rock that has 740 steps to reach the top.

The view from the top is crazy, seeing how the water moves through the middle of the mountain making us believe that we see a bunch of rivers joining each other and at the same time being separated by small mountains, and not to mention the blue sky that joins the work on the horizon.

The second stop would be Guatape, which is about 10 minutes from the peñol. We go out to the main road again and we can pay for a motorcycle taxi that will cost us approximately 3 dollars or take a bus again for 1 dollar.

Upon arriving at the town we can enjoy several activities, one of them is to walk through the colorful streets wrapped in the magic of the combination of colors on facades, balconies, windows and doors. Visit the street of umbrellas and the street of memories (on the street of memories there is a little painting workshop, it is very cool, I recommend visiting it).

There are also activities available at the reservoir, such as boating, jet skiing, rafting, and more. Prices vary from activity to activity, but can be over $30.

Finally, you can visit the Peñol replica theme park, which is a small town that was built in memory of the town that was left under water when the reservoir was built. I recommend visiting it if you have your own vehicle and you can visit it on the way home before arriving at the town of Peñol.

RECOMMENDATION

If you like saving, don't eat lunch at La Piedra, wait until you get to Guatape, it's cheaper.

Bring water to hydrate yourself when you go up the rock.

Climb the stone at your own pace, avoid a drop in blood sugar or blood pressure.

Bring a hat or sun cap and lots of sunscreen.