I visited Medellín in December and during my time there, Ana, some of her family, and I went on a day trip to Guatapé. The city is about a two-hour drive from Medellín, in which I was passed out for most of the way- I was a tired lady. Busses are available to comfortably and affordably travel to the city. Renting a car would also be a good option because the roads are modern and safe. Ana’s dad, Luis, and cousin, Lina, were nice enough to take our gang: Ana (my BFF), Nicola (hi), Rafa (Ana’s cousin), Jacques (Ana’s cousin), and Juan David (Ana’s brother).
We left for Guatapé around 6am. The air was brisk and everyone was groggy. Early into our journey, we stopped for breakfast. Paraderos, or “Stop Places,” are common along the roadside and are ideal for long trips, as they provide large, traditional meals to keep everyone satisfied. I wasn’t looking for something overly filling, so I just had pancakes and fruit. I guess pancakes could be considered filling, but compared to the other meals it was a light snack.
A more traditional meal would have consisted of arepas, sausage, eggs, plantains, and beans. It's called, "Calenta'o" (kal-in-tao) and it's served with hot chocolate. You can see this in the photo below. Once we got our coffee fix and bomb food, the journey continued.
Rafa and Jacques.
Back on the road, I returned to my slumber. I always fall asleep easily on long car rides and airplanes. I think it’s a gift.
I woke up about twenty minutes before we arrived at El Peñon de Guatapé, which is a 7,000ft rock that borders Guatapé. I gaped as I watched the monument tower over its surroundings. Ana said we were going to climb to the top. “Kill me.”
La Piedra del Peñon, also known as the Stone of El Peñon, was initially worshipped by the Tahamí, the area’s former inhabitants. Many years later, it was seen as a nuisance for local farmers. Isn’t history great? La Piedra (the rock) was first climbed in 1954, when Pedro Nel Ramirez and Ramón Díaz made the trek by impressively using a series of boards and sticks that were fixed against the rock’s walls. Later, a German scientist found a new species of plant on top of La Pierda called Pitcairnia heterophylla. Pretty wild.
Also, on the north side of La Pierda, it looks like there's a huge "61" painted on the rock. It's really a completed "G" and the start of a "U." The towns Guatapé and El Peñol never agreed on who owned La Pierda, and Guatapé decided to claim ownership by writing "GUATAPÉ" on the rock. This clearly did not go down well with El Peñol, and a mob gathered to stop the act. It worked, and now only the "G" and part of the "U" are there. Check it:
A picture I swiped from Wikicommons.
The weather warmed up, and I could feel things were about to get sweaty. After we bought our tickets (18,000 Colombian pesos, or about 6 U.S. dollars), we began the 740-stair hike to the top. It was embarrassing to look at the video footage after we returned from the trip because all the audio consisted of my heavy breathing and wheezing. Not my finest hour.
These poor fellas had to carry a refrigerator to the top for the snack bar. Respect.
We finally made it to the top, and it was damn worth it.
There wasn’t really a lot to say at the top of La Pierda, just a lot of squeals and gasps because of how beautiful it was.
Ana's Dad admiring the view (top). Rafa, Jacques, Lina, and Juan David (bottom).
At the top, there are bathrooms, a stand that sells food and drinks, and a gift shop. We took in the view as much as we could, gathered our strength, and started the journey down. This was a great deal easier than the walk up, but it will make your legs shake uncontrollably (see the end of the video for reference).
Once we made it back to the cars, we decided to see the town.
The town of Guatapé is extremely cute: everything is colorful, the buildings have designs to specify what is inside, and the weather is gorgeous.
The city is getting more and more touristy, though. Most of the stores are gift shops that sell the same trinkets and souvenirs. I heard English quite a bit. Though the La Pierda is worth a visit, you will definitely encounter other tourists there.
Just like any Colombian town, Guatapé’s center had a beautiful church and old men in button-ups hanging out.
In the town, we ate some food (delicious), zip lined (would recommend), peaked in the shops (cute), and a lady selling fruit called Ana's cousin, Rafa, “Papasito,” (it means “sexy man” and it was amazing).
The day was extremely pleasant. I highly suggest you take a trip there.
Jacques, Ana, Lina, and Juan David.
Before heading back, we stopped off at Ana’s cousin, Lina's, family’s home. They had four dogs, an unbelievable view, and a hammock. I think that’s what heaven is. I could have stayed there for days, but we left after an hour.
You can see La Pierda poking out from above the trees (below).
Juan David enjoying the hammock.
We began the journey home and I fell asleep again.
Guatapé has one of those views that makes you wonder if what you’re seeing is real. The world has some truly astounding views, and La Pierda is no exception. Please go.
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