After the big city life in Medellín it was time for some small town vibes. We hopped on a bus and headed about two hours east of the city to the small town of Guatapé. Known for its colourful houses with fresco-like images and the stunning view on the sourrounding area we were excited what to expect.
Artificial lake
The area was flooded in the 70s to make way for a huge hydroelectric dam. This resulted in villages being relocated and all the fields being, well, overflowed. Since that time tourism plays a much bigger role. A probably unintended side effect of the project was however the creation of a pretty great view. The signs call it “the best view in the world” (it’s not quite…) but it is definitely worth seeing. 😉
El Peñol, the rock
To get the best view over the area you have to climb La Piedra de El Peñol, the Stone of El Peñol. The granitic rock is around 200 meters high and located between Guatapé and El Peñol. Of course we had to get there and climb up all the around 700 stairs (!)… 🏞
Two trips
We decided to take two trips to get to know the history and the sourrounding area. One to the nearby town San Rafael with a relaxed walk through the streets and a delicious coffee break. ☕️ 😋 And the other by boat on the lake. Our guide told us about the area and how it looked like before the flooding. You can still see the peak of the old church with a cross in the middle of the lake. By boat you can also gaze at all the big villas on the lake side. Most of them once belonged to the rich and famous Narcos like “La Manuela”, one of Escobar’s mansions which was bombed…
After all the sightseeing we decided to try another pizza for dinner and were once again wholly surprised how good they are in Colombia! 🍕😁
Guatapé itself is really a charming little town and has its own flair. Strolling through the streets with all the colourful houses was a nice change.
