I almost made this an additional blurb under my Medellin post...but after looking over all of my pictures and recalling my adventure...I decided that Guatapé deserves its own blog!
During my stay in Medellin, I took a day trip to the small coastal town of Guatapé. During the 3-hour car ride, you will go thru the Antioquia region of Colombia, better known as El Retrio to most, and you will see rural towns and even mansions. Also, you will pass El Peñol, a village that was once destroyed by the creation of the man-made lake Guatape. Of course, the main attraction here is El Peñol Rock. A massive rock that you can climb to the top by way of 700 steps! (the steps are numbered every few steps so you can see the light at the end of the tunnel lol.)
Once you make it to the top, there are more steps to take if you dare to an even higher overlook on a mezzanine level of Guatapé Lake! Also, there are restrooms and shops to purchase souvenirs, water, ice cream, food, and places to sit and rest before you head back down those steps!
Additional Note: There are also plenty of restaurants and souvenir shops at the base of the rock as well to check out.
So once I was done conquering El Peñol, my tour guide Yeison (pronounced Jason for all you Gringos lol), took me to another little quaint colorful town to explore and have lunch. Here you can walk the streets and marvel at the colorful stucco-like homes and shops. Depending on the time of year, you can walk down a shaded pathway of colorful umbrellas to the central square to boot!
I had an amazing day and this excursion was well worth the time and money spent. When you book tours you never know who you are going to get as your guide and where they are going to take you sometimes. Luckily for me, I was blessed with a great tour guide who got me to the destinations safely, gave me plenty of time to explore, and gave me great information throughout the journey. Not only on Guatapé but Colombia and the culture as a whole.
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