A Guide to Colombia’s Most Colorful Town: Guatape

We have this thing for cute and colorful towns, so we fell hard for Guatape! It’s a charming lakeside town with lively residents, cobblestone streets, and bright, happy colors. Guatape is just a two hour drive east of Medellin and we HIGHLY recommend it as a day trip if you are in Medellin. We actually wish we stayed for a night or two as there is so much to do there. Whether you have a day or three, here’s our guide to Guatape and the things to do in Guatape.

How to Get to Guatape from Medellin:

There are three super easy options depending how much you want to spend. As we mentioned, it’s just a two hour drive away, possibly even less if you don’t hit traffic.

1. Take a bus both ways: This is probably the cheapest option. You can buy a ticket for about $5 each way. Keep in mind, if you do decide to take a bus, you need to buy your return ticket ahead of time. The con to this method is that you do not have much flexibility with your departure in the event you decide you want to stay later. The buses usually drop off and pick up at the rock, but it’s relatively easy to get around the small town of Guatape.
2. Take a taxi or Uber there and a bus on the way back: This is a good option if you are strapped on time on the way there and want to avoid the multiple stops a bus makes. Taxis in Medellin are relatively cost effective and you can negotiate a ride for less than $50. The problem is not a lot of taxis are willing to drive to Guatape unless you hire them for the day. Keep in mind, you should book a bus for your return trip in advance as it can be very difficult to find a taxi to take you back.
3. Hire a private car: While this is the most expensive option, it is also the most flexible. We hired a van for 5 people all day {around 12 hours} for $200. You can most likely negotiate lower fares if you don’t need a van and also if you find a private driver {we booked through our hotel}. We really loved the flexibility of this option. We were able to leave whenever we wanted, stop at any point {there are lots of nice views and fruit markets along the way} and we were able to leave a change of clothes in the car.

Things to Do in Guatape:

Stop by Parque de Guatape:

This is a little town plaza with a pretty church and colorful buildings. You can buy souvenirs and grab a snack. When we went there was a traditional dance performance which was nice to watch. Of course we spent the majority of our time taking photos of the colorful buildings and the pretty views.

Climb Piedra de Penol or the Rock of Guatape:

This is a must when in Guatape! The monolithic formation can be climbed via 740 steps and there is a majestic view when you get to the top! Great way to get a little bit of exercise in as well as witness a spectacular viewpoint! Skip the restaurants up top, there are better spots in the village. Fun fact: the rock is on the border of Guatape and Penol. Both cities fight over who the rock belongs to and will often try to paint their city name on the rock. When we went, the rock had a giant “G” on it.

Explore the main village:

This was the highlight of Guatape for us! The village is full of brightly colored homes and there is something unique to see around every corner. The colors aren’t just there to be aesthetically pleasing. Businesses will decorate their buildings to advertise what’s inside {for example, a spool of thread for a tailor}. Families will decorate their homes to tell the story of their heritage. We can’t think of a better way to introduce yourself!

We recommend just wandering around and taking in all the colors, patterns, and unique details. Of course, wandering with a camera in hand is even better and icecream + camera is best! If you’re tired of walking, you can also hitch a ride in a tuk-tuk, a brightly colored motorized cart, and explore the city that way.

Finally, if you are over all the color {which in that case, we can’t be friends, just kidding}, take a walk by the lakefront. You’ll get beautiful waterfront views and there are tons of restaurants and shops there.

Take part in water activities:

There are so many fun water activities offered on the lake! You can take out a kayak or boat for the day and explore all the little islands. We didn’t have time to take part in any, but here are some options that sounded like a lot of fun:

• Kayaking
• Ziplining across the lake
• Boating
• Jet skis
• Fishing
• Scuba diving {only in shallow areas}

Visit La Manuela {Pablo Escobar’s former mansion}:

This lakefront mansion is one of the many Pablo Escobar formerly lived in, this particular one named for his daughter. You can go explore the now deserted home and even play paintball there! We really wanted to do this, but we ran out of time.

What to Eat in Guatape:

We don’t have a list of where to eat in Guatape, it really depends on your preference. You can eat at the nice waterfront restaurants if you have some time or grab quick street food. From what we’ve heard and what we’ve experienced, it doesn’t seem like you can really go wrong. Also, if you’re vegetarian, we noticed Guatape had the most vegetarian options out of all the cities we visited in Colombia.

• Trout {Guatape is best known for their freshly caught trout!)
• Coffee {Okay, it’s not a food, but it’s a Colombian must}
• Ice cream {it’s all over the village}
• Ajaico {traditional Colombian soup}
• Bandeja paisa {this is a traditional Colombian dish, in Guatape the meat is replaced with fish}
• Empanadas and arepas

 We hope you enjoyed the most colorful town in Colombia!

Where’s the most colorful place you’ve been?

Check out more of the most colorful cities in South America!

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