Guatapé (map) is a small, very pretty lakeside town in Eastern Antioquia, about 1½ hours from *Medellín (map), Colombia.

The Rock of Guatape (map), it is also known as The Stone of El Peñol, or simply La Piedra or El Peñol (La Piedra del Peñol), as the town of El Peñol, which borders Guatapé, has also historically claimed the rock as their own and thus has led to different names for the site.

Peñón de Guatapé is an outcrop of the Antioquia Batholith and towers up to 200 meters (656 feet) above its base. Visitors can scale the rock via a staircase with 649 steps built into one side.

The picturesque town of Guatapé is known as the Pueblo de Zócalos, named for the beautifully sculpted and painted depictions of village life that adorn the lower half of most buildings in the town center. On weekends, the waterfront malecón (boardwalk) fills up with local vendors selling beautiful Paisa art, food, and souvenirs, and the adventurous can take a ride on the Cable Vuelo, a canopy zipline over the lake.

Near the base of the Rock, there are food and market stalls for shopping. About halfway up the stairs, there is a shrine to the Virgin Mary. The summit contains a three-story viewpoint tower, a convenience store, and a seating area.

BUS: Metro and Metroplus (Medellín) > For finding public transport connections, Moovit and Google Maps cover the city. Moovit has more local bus lines included. Traveling through the city is easy and quick, with the two line Metro system, you can go to anywhere in the city with The Metroplús (Bus extension to the Metro), Tranvía (Tram system) and the four-line Metrocable.

There are numerous other bus companies and drivers’ unions throughout the country that operate more locally at varying distances of a particular city or town. You can find more information on RedBus.co

Travel by bus is widespread and has different levels of quality. Depending on the company or terminal, it may even impossible to purchase a ticket more than a few hours in advance! Long distance bus travel tends to be very slow because main highways are two-lane roads with lots of truck traffic. (Expreso Bolivariano | Rapido Ochoa)

AIRPORT: El Dorado International Airport • José María Córdova International Airport • Olaya Herrera airport. For any distance more than 5 hours, you may want to check into air travel >> Colombian Civil Aviation Authority

Guatape, Colombia is the most popular tourist destination in Colombia. But is it worth it? We went to Guatape and the Piedra del Penol (or Penon de Guatape) to find out if it’s worth it to visit, whether from Medellin on a day trip or a few nights stay.

⇒ video source: Eric and Sarah /youtube.com/

• Barranquilla Carnival
• Guatape Rock (El Peñol)