No trip to Medellin, Colombia is complete without a Full Day Guatape Tour. The Viator tour I purchased was around $35 USD and offered so much bang for your buck. I’ll give a full in depth review for this tour as I do highly recommend it. I use Viator a lot for myself and clients because they are reputable and I know my money is safe with them. Feel free to book directly with a Guatape Tour from Medellin if it seems reputable to you. Additionally, if you are interested in my complete 10-day Colombia itinerary, click here.
I had a blast discovering the mountains surrounding Medellin on a full-day Guatape tour to with a visit to Peñol Rock. This tour also included a boat cruise on the Peñol-Guatape Reservoir. The gorgeous scenery isn’t the only draw, and you’ll get a glimpse of traditional Colombian architecture on a tour of the gracious plaza, cobblestone streets, and colorful facades that make Guatapé a world away from the bustling streets of modern Medellin.
Now, let’s talk about the different components included in this Viator tour.
Breakfast
Round-trip transportation is included in this Full Day Guatape tour and picks you up from the famous Poblado Park area in Medellin. Our first stop was breakfast (that was included in the tour price). Breakfast consisted of Arepa and a homemade thick farm cheese (similar to cream cheese, yet vastly different lol hard to explain). I’ve noticed that this seemed to be the local favorite. When in Rome…
After breakfast, we were off to the first local town. I honestly forgot the name of it, but it was a cute town where we were able to see local school children wearing their school uniform heading to another building, older men and women in the nearby park laughing and having a great time, locals buying snacks from vendors like fresh fruit, juices, and different types of meat. I enjoyed the fact that the only tourists I could see were the ones from my specific tour bus. Felt like we really got to see what the day-to-day life is like there.
You were able to buy crafts, purses, clothing, and other souvenirs. We didn’t have too long before we had to be back on the bus so I didn’t have time to try clothes on or anything but it was a good experience just to see the normal day-to-day. Think it helped that my tour was on a Friday. It may be more dead on a weekend.
El Penol Rock
After we boarded the bus, we were off to The Rock of Guatape, also known as the Stone of El Penol. Which is also known as La Piedra. There are over 600+ steps to reach the top. If you’re out of shape like I am currently, it will be a struggle. But… it’s #worthit. Look at those views of Guatape Lake. Just stunning. There’s actually a resort down there where you can book a stay.
Now, to climb to the top it was optional and therefore an additional cost. It was very cheap though, I think around $5 USD. Once you do make it up to the top, (after a few huffs and puffs and view watching), you are rewarded with optional snacks and beer/water. Nice little hang out spot. Kudos to the employees who hike this rock every working day of their life. No elevator option. My goodness, my legs felt like J-E-L-L-O afterwards. But you can’t make it all the way here and not climb it, if you’re physically able to.
Lunch
After we climbed down, there was of course a gift shop where you can buy kitschy items to remember your hike. Then, we were fed a big lunch. This lunch was really nice. It wasn’t a buffet, it was a sit down lunch style on picnic tables under an open door shelter. You were given a choice of 3 lunch options:
- Chicken
- Fish
- Bandeja paisa
I chose the chicken dish to stay on the safe side. One of my friends ordered the fish and it came out pink and flaky looking. Didn’t particularly look appetizing to me but he enjoyed it. Below, you’ll see what the Bandeja Paisa option looked like. One of my other friends ordered that. He really enjoyed it!
Bandeja paisa is a typical meal that’s popular in Colombia (typically the Antioquia department area such as Guatape and Medellin). The main ingredients of this dish are: red beans cooked with pork, white rice, carne molida (ground meat), chicharron, fried egg, plantain (platano maduro), chorizo, arepa, hogao sauce, and avocado. If you are an adventurous eater, and not vegetarian, you should check it out. My friend who ordered it said it wasn’t too bad!
Guatape Town
After lunch, we were shuttled to the famous Guatape town. I’m sure at one time this was where the locals went, but it now seemed to swarm with tourists such as myself. It’s a very cute, bright-colored town. Guatape is a town and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia. It is located in the outskirts of Medellin, bordering a reservoir created by Colombian government for a hydro-electric dam, built in the late 60s.
Each building has tiles, called Zocalos, along the facade’s lower walls in bright colors. The tiles are tied to the products sold by the shops, or the beliefs of the residents. Others are cultural images of the farming heritage of the community (Info found on Wiki).
After walking around, there was time for some ice cream! I thought I bought cake batter (see the multi-colored dots?), but it wasn’t. The ice cream tasted like small fruit gummies. Not particularly my cup of tea, but it wasn’t too bad. I then walked around to check out the musicians playing music, where they were sitting right in front of “bleachers” or whatever they’re called. Just walking around and people watching was exciting enough for me. There were lots of little cafes to dive in, there was one guy making fresh CREPES in a griddle right outside. The smell just lingered. Looked SO good. But ultimately, I chose ice cream as my dessert. Next time, Crepes!
After our time here, we met back at the original church where the Guatape tour began, and headed back to Medellin! Anyone interested in going on a day trip to Guatape? Anyone been on a tour and want to offer up additional advice? Please leave a comment! Always happy to read them.
Planning a trip to Medellin?
