A day trip to Guatapé from Medellín
Guatapé is an area of lakes a couple of hours east of Medellín. The flooded valleys displaced residents, but led to increased tourism in the area mainly due to the imposing La Piedra del Peñol and the incredible views across the lakes from its summit.
It’s one of the most popular day trips from Medellín so there are plenty of ways to get there. But we booked a day trip with Viajero Hostel in Medellin as an easier option than making our own way there.
How to get to Guatapé
We booked our day trip to Guatapé with Viajero, where we were staying in Medellín, which cost about £40 per person and included lunch, breakfast, and all the drinks and snacks we wanted during the boat party.
You can book similar trips for a similar price on Get Your Guide, or you can arrange your own transport and catch the bus from Medellín Terminal del Norte. This is the cheapest option, but you’ll probably need at least beginner’s level Spanish and will need to book your own boat tour if you want to go on one.
If you’re happy to skip the boat trip and just want to see the town and La Piedra del Peñol then taking public transport is the cheaper and more flexible option.
Guatapé day trip itinerary
We left Medellín at 9am and it took about one hour to get to our first stop: El Alto del Chocho. It’s like a restaurant and a fairground and a farm all in one (and is as weird and overwhelming as it sounds). You enter through a gated area filled with llamas that you can choose to feed, if you don’t mind them following you around and head-butting you. We went straight for breakfast, wandered around the farm stalls where the animals didn’t look that happy, and thankfully left for La Piedra del Peñol after 30 minutes.
At 11:30am we arrived at La Piedra del Peñol. It took about 10 minutes to scale the 700 steps to the summit and even on a Saturday morning it wasn’t too busy. We spent about 30 minutes at the top taking in the amazing view across the lakes. Then we headed to the town of Guatapé for lunch at Los Fiambres D’Donal where we had delicious tamales.
We spent about half an hour wandering around the colourful streets of Guatapé before heading to the Viajero Hostel to start our boat trip. Most tours include boat trips around the lakes but you can choose shorter options that focus on La Piedra del Peñol and Guatapé if that’s more your vibe.
The Viajero tour includes a full boat party with beers, rum, and aguardiente (poured directly into your mouth, most of the time) and was well worth the £27 per person in drinks alone. The music was good, and loud, and we danced for most of the trip – except when we stopped for a swim. After about 20 minutes of swimming in the deceptively cold water, we headed back to Viajero Guatapé to dance a bit longer before leaving at about 8pm.
We were back in Medellín by 10:30pm, having slept for the whole bus ride home. It was a great day out for us, but if you’re not on a party holiday and don’t drink then the second half of the day probably won’t be the right vibe for you and a calmer tour would be a better choice. Although there are also options with Viajero that don’t include the boat party, if you’re staying there and that’s your easiest option.
Find out more about how we spent four nights in Medellín here.