One Day in Guatapé – Bright Colors, Wandering, and a Really Big Rock

I had to get out of Medellín. It was time to go. I’d had a lot of fun, maybe too much fun, and I needed to rest somewhere a little more… quiet. Instead of taking a day trip to the pretty lake town of Guatapé with one of the Pablo Escobar tours, I decided to spend the night, get a private room, and wander solo around the city at my leisure.

Which was convenient, since the hostel I checked into was nearly empty. Lake View Hostel had been recommended by several other travelers passing through, but at the time I visited, it was like a ghost town. I was relaxing though, so it didn’t matter too much. I didn’t have any plans. And inspired by this post about how much there is to do or not do in Guatapé, I knew that wouldn’t be a problem.

On the weekend, the malecon – a little concrete boardwalk alongside the lake – is lined with tents selling crafts, souvenirs, and tasty snacks. You can make a meal out of these treats or cross the street to one of the many nearly identical restaurants selling fish and every form of bandeja paisa known to (Colombian) man.

Yep, that’s the Palace of Cholesterol

My first rainy evening alone in the town, even though it was dark and I was tired, I forced myself to head out of the hostel and get dinner. I stopped in the first place I found open and received a rather delightful though simple bowl of fish soup, with all of the usual accompaniments, including an orange wedge? (I’m not totally sure if I was supposed to squeeze it into the bowl, but I did.)

And the woman working was so nice and welcoming that I immediately got warm fuzzy feelings about Guatapé.

Upon its arrival, I wasn’t so sure about fish soup, but it hit the spot

And the next morning, it was nice and sunny so I opted for the tents. I got really healthy about my breakfast situation and found some coco con maracuya, a sticky, syrupy sweet mix of coconut and fruit covered in some kind of seeds. I’m all about trying new things.

Since I wasn’t done with the sweet stuff just yet, and because I can’t say no to them ever, I grabbed some churros filled with chocolate and arequipe. And a cup of tinto… because breakfast.

To my health! There were like eight churros in there before this picture…

Luckily, many of these tents also offer up a ton of knock-off sunglasses, and since mine were in total disrepair, I got some sweet “RayBans” for about three dollars before heading into the plaza to photograph the colorful zócalos – the painted lower portions of buildings – that the city is known for. There’s really no limit to what they can paint on there.

Told you

And I’m gonna be real here. I had no other plans for Guatapé except one:  to climb La Piedra Del Peñol, the giant rock outcrop that sits high above the town, for its crazy beautiful views of the lake below. So that’s where I headed that Sunday.

If you don’t want to wait for a jeep to fill up, a tuk tuk will take you straight to the entrance of the rock from the central plaza of Guatapé for 10,000 COP. You can split one with a couple folks for a cheaper price. Then buy your entrance ticket to La Piedra for 12,000 COP and head on up with the masses.

What? You thought tuk tuks were only in Southeast Asia?

Sunday at La Piedra was a bit of a clusterfuck family affair. Tons of Colombians were climbing the stairs with impractical footwear, arms full of babies, and selfie sticks. But a fun time was had by all! I got the other foreign-looking guy on top of the rock to take my picture and snapped a few selfies myself.

And after heading up Monserrate on foot in Bogotá, I was expecting the worst in terms of heavy breathing and exhaustion. But this climb of 700 steps, every 25 conveniently labelled, was surprisingly pretty easy. And totally worth it.

After that was over, I couldn’t help but reward myself with an adult beverage on top of the rock. Despite how irrational it might sound to be serving booze at the top of this thing (you know, before the climb down), the micheladas seemed super popular so of course I had to try one out. Loved the slice of unripe mango, lemon, and salt – very refreshing!

So then, after a few too many photos, along with many others I headed back down the rock to um… eat? The restaurants at the base of the rock offer great views and not bad prices, so I grabbed a bandeja chorizo from a super friendly waiter and enjoyed the rest of my time at La Piedra.

I won’t lie though – that chorizo was a little dry. Totally worth $4 though.

With literally no other plans left for the day, I headed back to the plaza in a tuk tuk I split with a couple and took more photos, wandered, and generally just waited to be hungry again if I’m honest.

Actually, you can do lots of things in Guatapé. You can rent kayaks and jet skis, go hiking and fishing, get yourself on a boat, try out a precarious looking zipline, and even play paintball in the remnants of Pablo Escobar’s estate. On the docks by the lake, they also offer lots of booze cruises and a guy with a microphone will count down the minutes until they depart in an effort to get you onboard. Very tempting…

Or, you can just hang out in the plazas, wander the malecon, and eat. Which is the route I opted for during my one day in Guatapé.

These women were offering up choripan with chimichurri – as a throwback to my days in Argentina, I had to do it. (Don’t judge me for eating chorizo twice in one day. I don’t care if it’s a cancer causing death meat.)

You can also ride a horse!

So yes, Guatapé is definitely worth more than the few hours that a day trip allows. You could easily chill out here for a while. I met a few expats who’d been in the town for years. Many of them were even speculating that all this lakefront property was about to blow up in popularity and value. And you can see why. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s quaint, laid back, and colorful. And easily enjoyed all by yourself. And for me, one day in Guatapé was enough.

Where I stayed: Lake View Hostel in a private room on the 2nd floor for 75,000 COP (a bit of a splurge, but at the time only a little more than $25). Dorms were 24,000 COP.

To get there:  From the northern bus station in Medellín, take a 2-ish hour bus via Sotrasanvicente (the company I used) or Sotrapeñol for 12,500 COP. You can get off at La Piedra or in the town of Guatapé by the malecon.