Guatapé and El Peñol: the famous day trip, and how to do it at any age

Guatapé is the day trip everyone takes, and for good reason. The reservoir was created by a hydroelectric project in the 1970s, drowning a valley and leaving a sprawling maze of green peninsulas and dark water. The town itself is covered in zócalos — painted relief panels along the base of every building — and it is as colourful as the photographs suggest.

Rising out of the water between Guatapé and the neighbouring town of El Peñol is La Piedra: a granite monolith about 220 metres tall with a staircase built into a fissure in its face.

Getting there

Buses leave from Terminal del Norte, which sits directly above Caribe station on Metro Line A. From Laureles or El Poblado that means a metro ride with a change at San Antonio, then an escalator up into the terminal.

The journey takes about two hours, sometimes two and a half in traffic. Buses run frequently through the morning. The bus stops in El Peñol town first, then continues the few kilometres to Guatapé — and there is a stop at the base of the rock in between, which is where you get off if the rock is your plan.

By car it is roughly 80 kilometres east. A newer route via the Túnel de Oriente and the Rionegro interchange saves time but carries a toll, and on Sunday and holiday afternoons the tunnel runs one-way toward Medellín — check before relying on it.

What it costs

Guided tours from Medellín typically run $30–$35 per person for a group trip with breakfast, lunch and a boat ride, and considerably more for a private one. For a retiree the tour has a real advantage that has nothing to do with money: hotel pickup, a fixed return time, and someone else managing the logistics. The disadvantage is the pace, the mandatory shopping stops, and no ability to sit out the parts you do not want.

The 740 steps, honestly

The staircase is narrow, built into a crack in the rock, with a handrail. Most people take 15 to 30 minutes to get up. Step markers on the stairs read into the 740s — the exact count is disputed and has changed with maintenance, which tells you something about how seriously to take any specific figure.

At the top there is a small chapel, a craft market and three observation decks. The view is genuinely one of the best in Colombia and it does justify the hype.

Things that make it harder than the raw number suggests: the crowd, which sets your pace on weekends and holidays; the fact that there is no exit halfway; and the altitude, since Guatapé sits at around 1,880 metres, nearly 400 metres above Medellín. Things that make it easier: going on a weekday, going early, and going in the dry season.

If you have a cardiac or pulmonary condition, this is a conversation to have with your doctor rather than a decision to make in the car park.

The day without the stairs

This is the version most people should consider and almost nobody writes about.

Take the bus to Guatapé town rather than getting off at the rock. The town centre and the waterfront malecón are flat. Spend the morning walking the zócalo streets and the plaza, which is the actual charm of the place and takes a couple of unhurried hours. Have lunch on the waterfront looking at the reservoir.

In the afternoon take a boat out on the water. The standard circuit passes the ruins of Pablo Escobar's lakeside property, which is either interesting or grim depending on your view of that particular tourism, and gives you the rock from below — arguably the better angle anyway.

You will get the view of the monolith, the colour, the water and the food. You will miss the view from the top. That is a real loss, and it is a smaller one than a day spent worrying about a staircase.

Practical notes

• Weekdays, always. Weekend and holiday crowds affect the road, the staircase queue, and the restaurants.
• Cash. The rock's entrance is cash only.
• Last bus back. Reported last departures from Guatapé range from about 5:30pm to 6:30pm depending on day and season. Buy your return ticket when you arrive if you are travelling on a Saturday.
• Bring a layer. It is cooler than Medellín and windy on the water.
• Landslides. Heavy rain has periodically damaged roads in this area. Check conditions in the wet seasons — April to May and September to November.