Exploring Guatapé: Day trip to Guatapé from Medellin

Getting to Guatapé from Medellín is relatively easy, making it one of the best day trips or weekends away from Medellín. My visit to Guatapé from Medellín was probably one of my favorite days on my 3 week trip!

Quick facts about Colombia

Day trip from Medellín

Medellín is one of the biggest and most cultural cities cities in Colombia. While there are plenty of things to do in Medellín, sometimes it’s nice to get away from the city and see a bit more of the surrounding area.

What is Guatapé?

Guatapé is a vibrant and colorful colonial town located to the east of Medellín. The nature surrounding the town is beautiful, and you’ll find that many Colombians like to spend their weekends on the nearby lake.

Guatapé is about 2 hours from Medellín, so this destination works well for both a day trip or to spend the night away from the city.

Close to Guatapé is the huge landmark of Peñon de Guatapé, otherwise known as La Piedra del Peñol. This gigantic rock formation is a popular stop on the way to Guatapé, as visitors can climb many flights of stairs to the top of the rock for a bird’s eye view of the area.

How to get to Guatapé to Medellín

There are a few options when visiting Guatapé:

• Taking a tour,
• Driving by yourself,
• Taking a taxi, or
• Braving public transport

Taking a tour is of course the easiest option, as you have transport there and back as well as a guide. Tours are really cheap too, so they’re definitely a viable option. All of the tours stop at Peñon de Guatapé, so you have transport in between the town and the landmark included.

Renting a car is also fairly simple, except for the traffic in Medellín. Colombians drive like maniacs so, if you aren’t used to that, I wouldn’t recommend learning in Medellín! Once you’re outside the city the way is fairly simple.

If you’re a group, it may be worthwhile to take a taxi all the way from Medellín. The taxi takes about an hour and 45 minutes but only costs 150,000 pesos (around $35 USD!)

Where can I take a bus from Medellín to Guatapé?

If you decide to take public transport, you will need to take a bus from Medellín’s north bus terminal. To get there, either taxi, Uber, or take the metro to the station “Caribe“. If you’re staying in Poblado (the tourist area), the stop is directly on the same metro line.

How much does it cost from Medellín to Guatapé?

The bus Medellín to Guatapé runs every 10 minutes or so, and costs 16,000 pesos ($3.65 USD).

Once you get on the bus, tell the driver that you want to stop at la Piedra (meaning “the rock”). The ride will take about two hours (depending on traffic) and will drop you off at a gas station that is close to the Peñon de Guatapé. From there, you can either climb the steps to the rock entrance or take a taxi/tuk-tuk. I decided to walk it, but if I were to do it again, I would definitely take a taxi! The walk up is a lot of steps, which is not very fun, especially considering that you will do even more steps once you reach the rock.

Reaching Peñon de Guatapé from Medellín

At the entrance to the Piedra, there will be several shops and restaurants. Grab some water or some snacks to prepare yourself for the climb, then head past all the shops to the ticket office.

How much does it cost to climb Guatapé rock?

The cost to climb Guatapé rock is 20,000 Colombian pesos ($4.54 USD) per person. You can purchase tickets from the office at the end of the “street”. Once you’ve bought a ticket, turn right to start the journey!

How many steps are in La Piedra del Peñol?

There are a whopping 740 steps to climb to the top of La Piedra. See why I told you to buy water down below?

You can take as much or as little time as you need when climbing the rock. Sometimes the spaces are very narrow, so you’ll need to wait for people coming down in order to continue climbing up. For me, it was a welcome break to catch my breath!

Luckily, for most of the time during the climb you’ll be covered in shade due to being in the staircase.

At the top, you’ll be rewarded with a 360 degree view of the surrounding area. It’s incredibly green, full of lakes, and perfect for a photo op!

You can climb higher and higher for better and better views. Watch out though, because it can be pretty crowded and difficult to find space for a photo.

At the top, there’s a small little tourist shop and some drink/snack vendors. Reward yourself with a beer on top of the rock!

When you’re ready to climb back down, you can go back the way you came, although hopefully the way down should be much easier! At the bottom, you can explore some of the shops or grab some lunch before heading to Guatapé town.

Guatapé the town

Once you’ve taken all the time you need visiting the rock, you can make your way to Guatapé. If you go back down the hill to where the bus dropped you off, you’ll find several tuk tuks (or taxis) waiting. At the time of this post (Aug 2022) they all charged 12 mil pesos (about $2.75 USD) for the 10-minute drive to Guatapé.

Alternatively, you can try and catch the bus when it comes. It will be cheaper, but a bit more complicated and longer wait, so I think 12 mil for a taxi is definitely worth it!

What to do in Guatapé

The tuk tuk will drop you off right outside the city center.

IMPORTANT: If you’re not staying the night in Guatapé, try to go and buy your tickets for your return now.

In the high season the bus from Guatapé to Medellín can get pretty packed, and you don’t want to be stranded there for the night! The tickets back from Guatapé to Medellín should cost the same as the way you came (16 or 17 mil pesos).

You can now explore Guatapé! This vibrant town looks like it came right out of a children’s book. The locals of the town have painted their houses in bright or pastel colors, with decorative pieces at the bottom, called zocalos. These zocalos can depict a variety of objects, such as sunflowers, roses, or llamas. Some of the houses depict artwork indicating the house or what the family was known for. Other, more complicated zocalos, tell a story, similar to fresco paintings.

Explore the town to discover a few!

Guatapé is a town full of many restaurants, shops, and colorful streets– although that’s not all! The nearby lake is also full of locals and tourists taking a stroll on the waterfront or exploring the lake and the scenery by boat.

A few things to do in Guatapé:

• Wander the historic and colorful town
• Enjoy a local lunch with bandeja paisa
• Take a boat out on the nearby lake
• Rent a kayak or paddle board (usually from a hostel)

Is it worth it to stay the night in Guatapé?

Guatapé is fairly small, so one day is definitely enough for most people. However, if you have the time and want a bit of relaxation, it may be worth it to stay overnight! If you stay the night, you can explore the town a bit more in-depth, join a language exchange, and spend more time on the lake!

Where should you stay in Guatapé?

When staying the night in Guatapé, you can either choose to stay in the town, or a bit outside to be more in the nature.

Inside the city: Lake View Hostel – inside Guatapé with some activities you can choose to do

Outside Guatapé: Casa Kayam Hostal – more of a nature feel, but still only a 20 minute walk from the city center!

When heading back to Medellín, you will again arrive at the North bus terminal and can head back to your accommodation from there!

Hands down one of my favorite places to visit in Colombia! Repin this one for later!