Guatape and El Peñol Day-Trip: Private Tour from Medellin with Traditional Lunch
4.9
19 Ratings
Guatape

Embark on an exclusive excursion from Medellin to the well-known Guatapé dam and the towering El Peñol monolith. Savour a native lunch while gazing at the waterscape, the vibrant settlement of Guatapé, and climb El Peñol or alternatively, you can opt for a scenic boat tour.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Guatape Dam - This tour will take you to one of Colombia’s must-see attractions: the massive rock La Piedra de Guatapé, also known as El Peñol or simply La Piedra (The Stone). Merely a one-and-a-half hour drive east of Medellín, the rock is located right next to the Peñol-Guatapé Dam, near the border of the towns Guatapé and El Peñol. You’ll be breathless after climbing up the 649 stairs – not only because of the hike but also the astonishing view!
  • Piedra Del Penol - As soon as you get off the bus, you are ready to start the hike up to the top of La Piedra, where you’ll have time to relax and marvel at the panoramic view over the beautiful lake and its magnificent surroundings.

Back at the bottom, you’ll have a closer look at the environment and capture its beauty from different perspectives. You will also get to hear the story about the letters G and U imprinted on the north side of the rock, telling us about two cities claiming El Peñol as their own.

The next part of our tour includes visiting the gorgeous colorful town of Guatapé. Walking down the cobblestone streets of the laid-back village you’ll admire the decorative panels at the base of the houses. In Guatapé you’ll also get a delicious meal in one of the nicest traditional restaurants with the best local ingredients.

After a good hike, and a walk through the town of Guatapé, you’ll return to the bus and will be on your way back to Medellín.

What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Entry tickets
  • Typical Colombian lunch
  • Expert guide in Spanish or English
What's Not Included
  • Optional tips and gratuities
  • Unspecified food or beverage
  • Personal expenses
  • Boat ride along the dam
Additional Information
  • We recommend wearing comfortable clothes ans shoes as well as sunscreen and a cap or hat.
  • Changes on the tour may occur due to external factors. These changes will be notified to you with anticipation.
Location
Guatape Dam
Malecon
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(19 Ratings)
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830marinah
Aug 16, 2023
If you go up…. - You must go down 2!!! Super awesome experience doing this tour, the guide was super informative and made out tour fun, highly recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Frederick_b
Feb 13, 2023
Guatapé Day Trip - Thought the company that employs our guide (Impulse Travel) didn’t confirm the guide would be arriving the next day after I provided our pickup address and requested confirmation, our guide and driver did show up as scheduled. Oscar, our guide) was very knowledgeable of the area we passed through on the way to Guatapé. We made a brief stop in El Penon to visit a very ornate church with its exterior built to look like Guatapé. Then we visited the rock and climbed all 675 steps to the top. The views from there are amazing. After we left the area around the rock, we visited the quaint town of Guatape admiring the zocalos and ate a delicious lunch of fresh caught fish. I highly recommend our guide but don’t recommend Impulse Travel.
Review provided by Viator
Girishr917
Jul 5, 2022
Amazing Trip Thanks to Impulse Travel - I used Impulse Travel for all the activities I did during my 4 day trip to Medellin. Felipe coordinated the entire itinerary and made a few changes to accommodate the conditions in Medellin. Day 1: Coffee Tour. It was just amazing. I am a coffee lover and really enjoyed every aspect of the tour. We ended the tour at a roastery and coffee shop - Urbania. At Ubania had one of the best coffee I have tried during the trip. Day 1 a: City tour with Diana. We started with a lunch at "In Situ" at the botanical gardens. Diana knew I was vegetarian and took good care of my dietary requirements. Diana knew Medellin very well and spoke very good English. We went from lunch to Plaza Botero and walked around the city. We tried some local delicacies and fruits. Day 2: Pablo Who Tour and Comuna 13 trip. Ruben was the guide for day. We started the day at Mira Flores and took the Cable Car up the hill. Ruben talked about how the city had transformed itself over the years. We then went to the Memorial Museum (Museo Casa de la Memoria) and the museum guide and Ruben walked me through each of the exhibits. Lunch was at Govinda's and we had some amazing vegetarian food. After lunch we drove to Comuna 13. Comuna 13 was one of the most dangerous place in the world in the 1980's to early 2000. The transformation is very visible and we had someone who had lived there tell us the story. Day 3: Guatape and El Penol. Diana was the guide for the day. Diana did an amazing job both sharing the history, culture and food. We started really early as it was a weekend and expected to get really crowded. We stooped on the way to have some delicious Colombian breakfast - Pan de Queso, Arepa de chocolo and Torta de chocolo. We reached El Penol at about 9:00 AM and it was already getting crowded. We climbed up the 740 steps. The views from the top were STUNNING. They had some green mangoes with lemon at the top. Just what was needed after a long climb. We walked down and drove to the lake took a quick 1 hour boat ride. The views were amazing. Diana shared the legend of the blue dragon during the boat ride. The legend of the blue dragon. A priest over 100 years ago claimed that the city of Guatape would be swallowed by blue dragon. In 1960 the Colombian government decided to build a dam. They flooded this city and moved the residents. After the flooding when people looked at the satellite picture were shocked by what they saw. The boat ride ended with a walk around Guatape and the must take picture of the street with umbrellas. We wrapped up around 12 and drove to Bosko hotel for a lunch. The drive back to Medellin took about 2 hours. All in all the trip planned by Felipe and supported by Diana and Ruben were just amazing. I thank Diana for all the stories and sharing amazing locations, food and culture with me.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X8327iqlucym
Feb 22, 2021
One of my favourite day trips in Colombia - Such a great day! We had an amazing guide who taught us lots about the area, took us for coffee and an amazing lunch. We learnt and saw much more of the area than I was expecting. The view from the top will not disappoint and wasn't as difficult as I thought to reach the top! Enjoy a michelada before you head down. Would highly recommend. Even just the drive to and from Guatape is stunning.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lj888
Feb 4, 2020
Guatapé what a beautiful place - 2 hrs from Medellin but worth the drive the mountain gives the most panoramic view of the reservoir and surrounding area. 705 steps to the top are not for the feinthearted Guatapé is totally delightful- a picture postcard town with enchanting pictures of every shop. Take a tuk tuk round to get the best of your visit
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Migsambo
May 7, 2019
meet culture - a colorfull attraction and nice details of the so called ‘socalo’ of the houses. you can shop for memorabilia inluding the ‘el peñol’ stone in miniature.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jawa13
Jul 27, 2018
A trip to Guatapé town and El Peñol boulder is a must if you are in Medellín - Quatape is a small town, about two hours drive from Medellín. Getting out of the city is a hassle. El Peñol region is known for its agriculture. The beautiful green landscape of El Penol is remarkable. There are two destinations: El Peñol boulder and Guatapé town. El Peñol boulder is a spectacular monolith of 220 m high rock with a built-in 740 steps to reach the top. I went up in less than 15 minutes. The view from its summit is wonderful. You can see Guatapé reservoir, an artificial water reservoir built for energy production in the country. Guatapé town, on the shores of the reservoir, is one of the most picturesque places in Colombia.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zak
Apr 9, 2018
Breathtaking - This town and the large monolith nearby are both breathtaking. There is a safe, relaxed atmosphere that makes visiting this town and region a lot of fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kristina
Feb 22, 2018
This tour was great and the tour guide... - <p>This tour was great and the tour guide as well! Highly recommend it!!</p>
Review provided by Viator
Lucy
Aug 25, 2017
We had an amazing day out with Juan... - <p>We had an amazing day out with Juan Carlos who was really knowledgable about the area and also any questions about Medellin. We were blessed with a great, sunny day and found the walk up the 750 stairs easier than anticipated. Once we reached the top and had a look around, we tried a Michelana for the first time beer with mango and salt and loved it. Lunch was typical of the area and they even catered for my vegan requirements. After lunch we tried some amazing Colombian coffee, before exploring the beautiful, quaint town of Guatape. Highly recommend.</p>
Review provided by Viator
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