An absolute “must visit” day trip for those in Medellin, located just two hours away on bus, you can find the marvel that is Guatapé and the infamous rock, La Piedra.  Combine the spectacular 360 degree views from the rock with a beautifully preserved colonial town and you have a formidable Colombian day trip.

Although Medellin itself has many sights to offer, a day trip to Guatape will allow you to soak in the paisa (countryside) atmosphere and climb up the famous big rock (2100m above sea level) for some of the best views in this small town. It is an amazing town surrounded by Antioquia’s green hills and fresh water lakes.Doubled with colourful buildings and inquisitive children wandering on the streets, it is an enjoyable moment to spend in this picturesque town, without facing any stress or heavy traffic.

How to get there?

Buses depart regularly from the North Bus Terminal in Medellin.

1. Buy a bus ticket to La Piedra or Guatape at one of the ticket booths (counter 9 or 14). There are a few bus companies that go to La Piedra and Guatape. Price was  13,000 COP to Guatape as of June 2018. The ticket clerk will tell you which gate the bus departs.
2. Board the bus. The ride is about 2 hours. It will make a few stops on the way to pick up passengers at random stops.
3. The bus goes to La Piedra first. The driver will usually stop at the base of La Piedra as there will be a few people sightseeing here. You can go up La Piedra by taking the stairs and then up El Penon. The bus will then continue to Guatape.
4. The driver will also make a stop at Guatape.
5. To return to Medellin, just wait on the opposite side of the road where the bus dropped you off. When the bus approaches, wave it down (last buses finish 6:30 to 7:00 p.m.).

For me and my friend, we visited the rock first before going to Guatape town for lunch. This is to prevent backtracking. When the bus reached the base of the rock, several passengers got off the bus. We grabbed some snacks by the roadside stall before heading up the stairs which leads to the entrance booth. This takes about 10 minutes.

Entrance fee has increased to 18,000 COP and after buying the ticket, we proceeded up the narrow flight of stairs for what was deemed as “the best view in the world”. The stairs seemed never ending at first and some parts were really narrow such that only one person could walk through. Coupled with the exit pathway undergoing renovation, we had to share the stairs with people coming down, so some parts were quite congested.

After climbing for half an hour, we finally reached the top and were rewarded with an amazing view of the islands. We spent about one hour at the top taking photos, resting and eating ice cream to cool down.

Next, we headed back down the stairs to the carpark and caught a tuktuk (5000 COP) to take us to Guatape town. The ride was around 15 minutes and we were famished by the time we reached Guatape, so we had lunch first. Exploring the town on foot was quite easy and we were fascinated by the colourful buildings. I even visited a school, crashed a music lesson with 4 kids who were learning how to read notes. Afterwards, I distributed some stationery to them and even had a photo with the class. It is an after-school programme where children learn other skills such as dance, art or music.

As it was getting dark soon, we waited by the main road for the red bus back to Medellin. Luckily there were two seats left when we boarded, if not I cannot imagine standing for the whole two-hour journey back to the city. It was an enjoyable day trip to Guatape, but for those who wish to spend more time in the countryside, there are hostels and other lodging available so you can make use of Guatape as a base to visit the surrounding area.