Guatape, Colombia was one of the places I was most looking forward to visiting after seeing many pictures and reading many articles about it online.
Guatape is often visited as a day trip from Medellin, being only two hours away on public transport.
It didn’t disappoint me, so I want to share all the tips on how best to approach this trip, how to get to Guatape, and what are the best things to do in Guatape Colombia.
Guatape is a town in the northwest of Colombia, in the Antioquia province, 80 km east of Medellin.
As I’m all about budget travel and travelling cheaply, I will always choose to do activities by myself independently, if possible, rather than on a tour.
You can join a tour that does the Medellin to Guatape Day Trip, but it is much more expensive than doing it yourself, and it’s easy to do by yourself! As a reference, an organised tour costs about $50 vs doing it independently costs $15 and you have the flexibility to do it on your time preference.
Plan Your Medellin to Guatape Day Trip
When you visit Guatape from Medellin there are two main places to visit. Firstly, visit the giant granite Guatape Rock, known as Piedra del Penol (El Penol). Secondly, visit Guatape Town, they are about 10km apart.
How to get to Guatape from Medellin
Numerous buses travel between Medellin and Guatape each day from the Northern Bus Terminal (Terminal del Norte) in Medellin. When I was there (2022) the earliest departure was 9 am but try checking with your hostel as the timetable may have changed.
How to get to Terminal Del Norte in Medellin
Taxi to Terminal Del Norte
You can get to Terminal Del Norte by taxi or metro. I was staying in Los Patios Hostel in the popular Poblado neighbourhood and a taxi cost me 10,600 COP ($2). The distance was 10km and the ride took 15 minutes. I took a taxi as I was feeling a little lazy and the cost is very cheap. Uber works in Medellin and this negates the concern about getting ripped off from taxis.
Metro Train to Terminal Del Norte
Alternatively, you can use the Metro system (the only Metro system in Colombia), which is very good and safe in Medellin. To use the Metro you first need to buy a Metro Card (Cívica Card) which costs about 50 cents and can be purchased at any station. Each journey costs an additional 50 cents so the Metro is a really cheap and easy way to navigate the city.
You need to take the Blue Line A from Poblado Metro Station and get off at Caribe. The train journey takes only 10 minutes. From Caribe Metro Station, you need to walk on the bridge that crosses the highway and you will arrive at Terminal Del Norte.
Taking the bus from Medellin to Guatape
Terminal Del Norte is a large modern station with loads of ticket booths. To buy a ticket to Guatape Colombia you need to go to ticket booth 14. The bus to Guatape costs 17,000 COP (one-way). The journey takes about two hours depending on traffic.
Should you visit Guatape Town or Piedra del Penol first?
When visiting Guatape, Colombia you need to decide if you want to visit Piedra del Penol or Guatape Town first. From Medellin, the bus arrives at Piedra del Penol first. It then takes about another 10 minutes to drive to Guatape Town.
It is 4 km from Guatape town to La Piedra del Penol. I chose to walk as I’d read online that the journey between the two was quite interesting. It wasn’t! It took about an hour and wasn’t particularly pleasant due to the heat. My recommendation is to get a tuk-tuk between the two. A tuk-tuk should cost no more than 10,000 COP and they are always waiting at the roadside by Piedra Del Penol.
As I wasn’t staying in Guatape for the night and therefore didn’t have a large backpack with me, I decided it was most logical to visit Piedra del Penol first and then Guatape Town afterwards.
As you climb Guatape Rock you will notice that parts of the steps are single file in some places. This means there can be a bit of congestion and waiting times as more people arrive.
For this reason, the earlier you arrive the better. I arrived just after 11 am and there was no queue to enter. When I left about 90 minutes later there was a large queue and I met people who were from my hostel who were on the tour.
Therefore, if you arrive at 11 am you beat the tour groups and can enjoy Guatape Rock before the huge crowds arrive.
After the rock, it’s easy to get a tuk-tuk to Guatape Town and it will be perfect timing for lunch. You can then spend the afternoon exploring the town and then catch the bus back to Medellin when you are ready to leave.
Best things to do in Guatape Colombia - Climb Guatape Rock - Piedra del Penol
To kickoff the list of things to do in Guatape, start with the major highlight of visiting Guatape Colombia, which is La Piedra del Penol, AKA the Guatape Rock. The 360 degrees views from the top are beautiful and the surrounding landscapes and lakes are amazing. The Guatape Rock is 650 feet tall and dominates the landscape.
As mentioned, the bus will pass Guatape Rock first before the town. The bus stops right at the beginning of the ascent to the Piedra del Penol. The first stage is a 10-15 minute walk and you will then arrive at the entrance to the Rock. There are also several souvenir shops and restaurants here.
I would head straight to Guatape Rock and start your climb, the entry fee is 20,000 COP (make sure you have cash). There is a total of 740 steps to the summit of Piedra del Penol. It sounds a lot, but the walk is quite easy and if you need to stop and rest for a few minutes there are places you can do this without blocking the path.
Best the Crowds at La Piedra del Penol
There was a constant stream of people going up and down, but the line was constantly moving. The steps are not very deep, so the walk is not that difficult. There are a few places you can stop on the way to take some photos but of course, the best views are at the summit.
When I got to the summit I was surprised by how large it was. There was a busy restaurant selling snacks and ice cream and lots of space to walk around to take experience different vantage points.
The surrounding landscape has beautiful green bays and islands as far as the eye can see, all enclosed with deep blue water.
Make sure you walk all around the top to see the different viewpoints.
On my way down an hour later, the queue going up was at a standstill. It is a single file part of the way, so as more people arrived the waiting time increased.
Things to do in Guatape Town
There are not lots of things to do in Guatape Colombia town itself. However, it’s the perfect pueblo to walkabout, take lots of photos, and enjoy where you are.
Explore the colourful streets and Zocalos of Guatape Town
After you’ve finished climbing Guatape rock, head back down and take a tuk-tuk to Guatape Town for another of the main things to do in Guatape.
Guatape is known as the most colourful town in Colombia, and it doesn’t disappoint. All the buildings are painted in bright shades of green, orange, yellow, blue, and red. Many buildings are also decorated with colourful, intricate mosaics, known as Zocalos. Not a single building in the centre of town is not painted in these bright colours. The number one thing to do in Guatape is simply enjoying the colours and take lots of photos!
Plaza de Zocalos is a pretty little square in the centre of town with steps painted bright blue. The plaza feels like an amphitheatre and is a great place to people watch. I had a coffee and a cake from one of the café’s upstairs overlooking the plaza.
Many little stores selling handicrafts and souvenirs are all across town so it does feel a bit touristy, but if you look past that and enjoy the colours it’s a great place.
What are Zocalos in Guatape, Colombia?
Zocalos are the painted panels on the houses and buildings and they supposedly portray the resident’s trade or history. I’m not sure if they are still representative now or if it’s more for decoration but this was the original purpose of these paintings.
What else is there to do in Guatape, Colombia?
Head out on the lake (Laguna Guatape) with a boat tour or kayak
As well as the main attractions there are a few other things to do in Guatape. Guatape Town is surrounded by Lake Guatape, where numerous restaurants face the lake shore and you will see boats offering tours across the lake.
There are many small islands on the lake so this is a good chance to get up close to them. Boat tours vary in length of time and cost but start at about 25,000.
An alternative to a bout trip could be hiring a kayak for a few hours. Kayaks can be rented for 30,000 COP per day or cheaper if you only want them for a few hours.
I chose not to do this on my trip as I wanted to spend more time in Guatape Town taking it all in.
Walk Along the Malecon and check out the Guatapé sign
This is one of the easier things to do in Guatape, if you head to the waterfront to the east of town you can walk along the boardwalk (known as the Malecon) for a different feel of the town. I have to admit I’m a fan of the big signs and along the Malecon is an interesting “Guatape” sign. It’s decorated very beautifully in 3D so I had to get a picture to add to my collection.
How to travel from Guatape to Medellin
Once you have finished your site seeing in Guatape it’s time to head back to Medellin. The bus station in Guatape is located near the lake on Calle 32, at the intersection of Carrera 30.
Buses depart from Guatape to Medellin regularly and cost 17,000 COP. I would plan to leave by 6 pm at the latest or check when the last bus leaves ahead of time to ensure you’re not stranded in town for a night.
Day Trip vs Spending a night in Guatape, Colombia
This article is all about visiting Guatape as a day trip from Medellin but of course, you can stay in Guatape for a night or two.
As you can see there is a few things to do in Guatape, but I think most of the activities can be done on a day trip. If you did want to stay a night, I imagine the town would be a good place in the evenings and early mornings.
Many of the tourists will have left and there will be more locals around town.
The main advantage of staying overnight is that you can wake up early and really beat the crowds. This would be a perfect time to walk around the town and take pictures without anyone else around.
You can also go to the Piedra del Penol earlier than if you are coming from Medellin, again, beating the crowds.
Where to stay in Guatape, Colombia
I didn’t stay in Guatape overnight but I did hear good things about Lake View Hostel. The Hostel is only a few minutes walk to central Plaza along the shore of Lake Guatape. They can provide kayaks and more info on any tours you may be interested in doing in the area.
Is Guatape, Colombia Safe to Visit?
Guatape is one of the safest places to visit in Colombia. I have found that smaller towns are usually much safer than larger cities like Bogota and Medellin as people know each other. Just take normal precautions as you would anywhere, and you should be fine.
Is Guatape, Colombia Worth Visiting?
Guatape is 100% worth visiting. It’s a unique destination with two top attractions (the town itself and the Rock). Add to this it is only two hours from Medellin and easy to travel on public transport there is no excuse not to visit!
Add an extra day to your Medellin stay to ensure you fit this activity into your itinerary and explore all the top things to do in Guatape, Colombia.
Can you swim in Lake Guatape?
I didn’t see anyone swimming in Lake Guatape near the town. If you go kayaking though the water is clearer and less polluted the further away you go from the town.
Summary of Guatape, Colombia Day Trip from Medellin
I hope this information has been useful and helped you decide to spend a day here or possibly longer. In all honesty, a day for me was perfectly fine. You need about 90 minutes to climb Piedra del Penol and two to three hours is enough to spend walking around Guatape Town.
There are more things to do in Guatape if you really wanted to, but not unique to the region. You could rent a scooter or motorbike and visit the nearby town of San Rafael and the waterfalls called Cascada la Samaria.
If you stayed overnight this would be a good option to spend an extra day but as I didn’t do this activity myself I can’t comment too much on it.
If you like smaller laid back towns don’t miss out on visiting Salento, another colourful town with historical architecture. If beach vibes is more you thing, Palomino on the Caribbean coast is a must-see destination.