We escaped the metropolitan Medellin to climb up a 200-metre high monolith rock near Guatapé. We ended up wandering in the finest and more colourful town in Colombia, Guatapé.
Today's adventures began with a 15-minute walk from our hotel, Hotel Florencia Plaza Medellin, to the metro station in Poblado. We jumped on the blue line Metro for the Caribe station. We loved the Metro in Medellín. Clean. Fast. And secure. We crossed the pedestrian bridge to reach the Terminal del Norte. The popular bus station was massive and confusing but the best/cheapest option for our Guatapé and La Piedra day trip from Medellin. The terminal had a medium-sized mall attached to it for any last-minute purchase.
On the ground floor, we quickly found the different bus companies and their ticket booths. We looked around hoping to find written somewhere ‘GUATAPE’. A gentleman spotted us and asked us if we were going to Guatapé. How did he know? Maybe all the gringos were going to Guatapé from Medellín. He kindly directed us to the window numbered 14. The choice was simple: `Guatapé centre` or `Guatapé La Pierda`. We tried to buy a roundtrip journey but they did sell them. We will have to buy the ticket from Guatape on the way back. We bought a single ticket for `Guatapé La Pierda` at COP 13,000 each.
Two hours later, we saw from a distance the majestic monolith rock "La Piedra del Peñol". The locals simply called it La Piedra or The Stone. We got off at the stop, El Peñol, by the fuel station. We swarmed by about three tuk-tuk drivers who were offering a drive up to the bottom of the rock. We ignored them, saved COP 10,000 and walk up the 293 steps.
After paying COP 18,000 each and enduring the 725 steps built on one side of the natural marvel, we reached the top. La Piedra del Peñol was most likely the result of a volcanic eruption which happened millions of years ago. It as an imposing and surreal form. The 360-degree view from the 66 million tonnes rock was breathtaking. While primarily a farming community, the region was flooded after the construction of the hydroelectric dam. The unforeseen consequence resulted in emerald pools nurtured by the river Nare and islets formed by what were previously hilltops!
After a careful walk back down the steps, we hopped on a bus to Guatapé, the most colourful town of Colombia. The small and picturesque town was amazing. Beautiful, relaxing, charming. We wandering through the streets with a camera in hand admiring the frescoes called Zócalos that adorned the lower half of most buildings.
The sculpted and painted bas-reliefs told the story of the family, the ancestors or the business who own the houses. We saw images of livestock, birds, sailboats, plants and musical instruments among others. Most of the walls looked freshly painted.
We were hungry. A trip to Guatapé would not have been complete without tasting the local speciality - fresh fried trout served with rice. With a full stomach, we headed back Medellín. The bus station was behind the Parque Principal located on the riverside. We bought our tickets from the tiny office as the bus was ready to leave the parking lot.
Practical information on Guatapé and La Piedra from Medellin
- No need to take a tour. Doing the Guatapé and La Piedra from Medellin independently is easy enough.
- The bus goes to La Piedra first before continuing to Guatape.
- Go early so you can start climbing the rock before 10 am to beat the heat and the crowd.
- Don't forget to bring your passport or even better a copy. Police happen to control the bus in and out of Guatapé.
- Visite the toilet before jumping on the bus as it will not stop for the 2 hours ride to Guatapé and La Piedra from Medellin.
- Get a seat on the right side of the bus. It will give you the best view of the rock as you are getting close to the quaint town of Guatapé from Medellin.
- Bring a bottle of water and snack. The shops around 'La Piedra' are over-priced.
- The tuk-tuk from 'La Piedra' to the town centre of Guatapé cost around COP 10000. Maybe less if you haggle hard.
- If you elect to walk, it takes an hour. It's not the best walk you would do though.
- If you visit La Piedra from Medellin, don’t miss out on the picturesque town of Guatapé, popular weekend destination for people living in Medellin. At weekends, the town fills up with tourist and Colombians escaping the hustle of Medellin. On weekdays the town of Guatapé is quaint and relaxing.
How to get to Guatapé and La Piedra from Medellin?
From Medellin make your way to the Terminal del Norte which is connected to the Caribe Metro station on the blue line A. Buy a ticket from counter 9 or 14 for 'La Piedra'. It's slightly cheaper than `Guatapé` and it's where you want to start your day.
How much does it cost to visit Guatapé and La Piedra from Medellin?
- Entrance fee for La Piedra was COP 18,000 per person (April 2018). It's expensive but totally worth it.
- Buses from Terminal del Norte, Medellin to La Piedra cost COP 13,000 per person (April 2018).
- Bus from Guatapé to Terminal del Norte, Medellin cost COP 14,000 per person (April 2018).
- Buses only cost COP 2,000 from 'La Piedra' to the town centre of Guatapé and they run frequently.
- Tuk-tuk will cost between COP 10,000 to COP 15,000 from 'La Piedra' to the town centre of Guatapé depending if they are busy or not.
Guatapé and La Piedra day was definitely a nice day trip to do while we were in Medellin. There were hotels/hostels in Guatapé as well if you like to spend a night. Personally, we thought that one day was more than enough.
Have you visited La Piedra del Peñol, Guatapé? Did you stay overnight? Let us know about it!
