Image: Letras de Guatapé.
Highlights
– What to see and do in the colorful and vibrant town of Guatapé, Colombia.
Time of Visit: March 2026
Duration of Visit: Three Nights
Description
Guatapé is a must visit while in Colombia. It is a small town surrounded by waters of Embalse Peñol-Guatapé which is an artificial lake created in the 1970’s after building a dam for hydroelectric power.
Guatape attracts a lot of visitors because of its colorful buildings with unique hand painted bas relief features called zócalos. Embalse Peñol-Guatapé provides a lot of water recreation opportunities. La Piedra, which is a giant monolith located between Peñol and Guatapé is also a major attraction. The town is a popular day trip from Medellin and can get busy during the day, especially on weekends.
Here we describe what we were able to see and do in Guatapé during our three night stay.
Activities
Visit the Tourist Information Office
Instead of listing the many points of interest around town and beyond, head over to the Tourist Information Office. It is located at the northeast corner of the town’s Parque Principal (main plaza). The lady behind the counter was very nice and spoke some English. She gave us a pocket size colored tourist guide that included maps showing Guatapé and Peñol attractions.
The most popular place in town is the street with the umbrellas and it is only one block from the tourist office. Calle del Recuerdo is also a nice street but with less people.
Perhaps what is most satisfying is just wandering around and being surprised by what catches your eyes. That’s how I stumbled into Callejon Julia Pastusa which is an alleyway filled with colorful bas reliefs. And don’t forget to have your photo taken at Letras de Guatape which we would have not known if it wasn’t for the lady at the tourist office.
La Piedra (El Peñol)
La Piedra (how locals normally refer to it) or El Peñol is the giant monolith located between the towns of Peñol and Guatapé. You will pass by the base of this giant rock if you are coming from Medellin. And if you Google Guatapé, chances are you will see photos of La Piedra.
How To Get To La Piedra
The lady from the tourist office said that the cheapest way to get to La Piedra from Guatapé is to ride one of the Jeeps or a bus. We boarded a Jeep stationed at the northwest corner of Parque Principal (the town square). After about a 10 minute wait, the driver took off and we were on our way even though it was not full.
For more money, a tuk-tuk can take you to the base of La Piedra. This saves a long stair climb from the highway to the “Bolateria”.
The Crowd and The Hike
We got off at the gas station on the highway. Then we took the long stairs (at least 200 steps) tucked in between the stores to get to the “Bolateria”. Entrance tickets can be bought at the counter or from the ticket machine to the left of the counter. It’s cash only at the counter while the ticket machine only accepts credit cards. La Piedra is open from 7AM to 6PM.
There are 675 steps from the Bolateria to the top of the rock and another 45 steps to the top of the viewing deck. We started the climb from the highway at 8AM and reached the viewing deck at 9AM (with frequent stops). We had the viewing deck all to ourselves for a good 15 minutes.
There were about 100 people lined up at the Bolateria when we got down at 9:30AM. Our host did mention that it is best to start hiking La Piedra before 10 AM to avoid the crowds.
Water Activities
Embalse Peñol-Guatapé is a big body of water. There are a lot of water activities that can be done on the lake, including boat rides.
Join A Guided Tour
You can join a tour group if you want to learn more about Guatapé and its history. We heard both Spanish and English guides. The tours normally occur around 11 AM.
Day Trips to Neighboring Towns
Guatapé is compact. You would be able to see most of what the town offers in about half a day of walking around. So we spent one day visiting the neighboring town of San Rafael. There is really not much to see in San Rafael which is about an hour by bus from Guatapé. But it was a nice change to get away from other tourists and have an authentic Colombian mountain town experience.
How To Get There
Guatapé does not have an airport. We reached Guatapé by taking on a two hour bus ride from Medellin’s Terminal del Norte. The bus terminal information counter told us which ticket counter to buy the bus tickets (Number 9 and 14). Buying bus tickets was straightforward but cash only. Buses leave every hour, at least.
There are also buses that go between Medellin and San Rafael which pass through Guatapé.
Medellin airport lies between the city of Medellin and Guatapé. You can go directly to Guatapé from the airport but it requires a couple of bus rides, highway crossings and a positive attitude. The easier way is just arrange a private pick-up/transfer with your accommodation in Guatapé like we did when we went to the airport to fly out.
Where To Stay
There are several accommodations in and around Guatapé. We chose to stay in the town proper so that we can walk to the attractions whenever we want, especially in the evening. Plus there are a lot of restaurants to choose from.
How To Get Around
Within Guatapé – walking as the town is not big.
To Penol and other nearby towns – buses, jeepneys and tuk-tuks. There are no taxis in Guatapé.
Motorbikes can also be rented.
Expected Expenses
Prices are per person unless noted otherwise.
Bus from Medellin to Guatape – 25,000 COP (6.75 USD)
Jeeps and tuk-tuks – depends on the distance. Jeep prices are displayed on the windshield (see photo above).
Jeepneys between Guatapé and La Piedra – 4,000 COP (1.1 USD)
Tuk-tuk between Guatapé and La Piedra – 25,000 COP (6.75 USD) to the base, 20,000 COP (5.5 USD) at the highway (same drop off as the Jeepneys) for the tuk-tuk (the road to the base is steep and some tuk-tuks struggle to get up there with just two passengers)
La Piedra Entrance – 35,000 COP (5.25 USD)
Bus between Guatapé and San Rafael – 14,000 COP (2.00 USD)
Private transfer between Guatapé and Medellin Airport – 170,000 COP (25 USD) for the entire vehicle
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Summary
Guatapé is one of those rare places that actually lives up to the hype. The town is visually striking in a way you won’t see elsewhere in Colombia. A lot of the buildings are decorated with colorful, hand-painted bas-reliefs (zócalos) that tell stories of local life, culture, and humor. It’s not just “pretty,” it feels alive and intentional. Pair that with the surrounding landscape of the Embalse Peñol-Guatapé with its hundreds of small green islands scattered across its emerald water and you get a setting that feels almost surreal, especially in good weather.
The real knockout experience is climbing La Piedra, a massive granite rock with stairs built into its side. The climb is short but intense, and the payoff is a unique panoramic view with endless water, islands, and sky in every direction.
Guatapé is an easy day trip from Medellín. But that would be a mistake as it is also magical in the evening. Plus if you stay overnight, you’ll get a quieter, more relaxed version after the crowds leave.
If your itinerary values “memorable over checklist,” Guatapé earns its spot without question.