Guatapé And The Rock

Guatapé is just a short 2 hour bus from Medellín, a small town in the countryside famous for a giant rock, beautiful lake and houses decorated with zocalos.

There is a pretty plaza with fountains and a white church and the town has a cowboy feel to it similar to Salento, although it doesn’t quite have the same charm. All of the houses are painted in bright colours and decorated with zocalos, small pictures that are almost like sculptures as they stand out from the wall. The locals choose what they want on their house or shop and you can often tell what business someone is in by their zocalo.

The main tourist attraction is La Piedra Del Peñol or simply, The Rock. Formed around 70 million years ago, it towers above the lake that the town sits on and you can climb it on a set of not-so-safe-looking stairs! The view from the top is incredible, you can see all the sections of the lake and little islets. It’s actually half man-made, the valley was flooded to create a hydro-electric dam, but it’s still looks amazing.