Getting there and away
Guatape is about a 2 hour car ride from Medellin and it is comfortable scenic drive. There are a number of places to stop for juices, food and snacks along the road and it goes through the city of Penol which is lovely town with an unusual history and an interesting church to stop off at. There are a number of tour companies to take you there (about $25 per person) or you can hire a personal driver (for about $90 total) for the full day.
Penol
Penol or the “new” Penol as we should call it, is a lovely town and it’s symbol is the Phoenix (strangely coincidental that it is our sites image also). This is because to build the Guatape Penol Reservoir (hydroelectric complex) which now supplies about 30% of Colombia’s power needs, the government had to flood the whole town of Penol. The town is now submerged under a lake. Before submerging the old town, they government built the “new” Penol town higher up and compensated the residents of the “old” Penol to move. So as the old town died to give birth to the new town, it is like the Phoenix being reborn from the ashes.
In Penol town there is this interesting church built to resemble La Piedra, the stone formation and old religious site with the amazing views we will be visiting.
Further on the way toward La Piedra is Replica Penol, a small recreation of the church and “old” town of Penol. This is a nice place to stop for drink or bite or for sourvenirs and it has a nice view of the lake which submerged old Penol.
When the river is low you can sometimes see the cross on the top of the submerged church of the old Penol town.
La Piedra
La Piedra is massive rock formation rising over 650 feet. It is not known how exactly it formed. It was a holy place worshiped by the Tahamies Indians but no one is known to have climbed it until 1954 when the local priest issued a challenge and a few locals fought their way to climb to the top over 5 days by wedging boards into the cracks in the rock. They reported the magnificent views and so the construction of the stairs began in 1955 and finished in 1957 after which it has become a huge tourist destination.
To get to the top of La Piedra you need to climb 740 steps (sorry no elevator). This is tough but you can stop as much as you need along the way
For you efforts you are rewarded with these beautiful views. There is also a little cafe with cold beers at top which helps 🙂
Guatape
Guatape is lovely town. One day a person decided to decorate his house with sheep carvings. Not to be outdone the neighbors started doing their own carvings and painting the houses in many bright colors which gives Guatape its distinct look.
The area around the Plazoleta de los zocalos has a number boutique stores, cafes and nice streets to explore.
Restaurants
Along the main road coming into Guatape town along the river, there are many great restaurants. If you are looking for traditional Colombian food I would recommend La Fogata. It also has a second floor with nice views of the river and the food is delicious.
Comments
If you are in Medellin I highly recommend taking a day trip to Guatape. The town is a great place to eat, relax and wander, the ride is scenic and, of course the breathtaking views from La Piedra (with what’s breath is left after climbing the steps) are worth it. Let me know what you think. Safe Travels!
