You have a lot to explore and what to do in Guatape. Did you know that he is most colorful town in Latin America? Each house is decorated with small drawings called baseboards, there is even a law that requires all buildings to have them. An interesting way to preserve this charming town! You can already imagine the beautiful photos that you will take in every corner of Guatapé. In addition, near the town is the impressive Piedra del Peñol, an impressive jewel to see in Colombia. In this post we tell you 15 things to see and do in Guatapéone of the best excursions from Medellín.
Contents of this article
15 THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN GUATAPÉ
1. Climb the Piedra del Peñol, one of the best things to do in Guatapé
You will be amazed as soon as you see the great Piedra del Peñol! It’s about a 220 meter high monolith. The best part is that you will be able to climb to the top thanks to its 700 steps. So get your legs ready! By itself, Piedra del Peñol is already impressive, but the views from above make that effort on the stairs worth it completely. The price to enter is 20,000 COP per person (€4).
Believe it or not, climbing the 700 steps takes around 20 minutes. Even less, if you are in excellent physical condition. We recommend you go to Piedra del Peñol very early to avoid the crowds. We arrived at the place at 9:00 a.m., when we left it was almost 11:00 a.m. and we noticed that there were many more people. There was even traffic to get up the steps!
Piedra del Peñol is located two hours from Medellín. So we recommend you to leave as early as possible to take advantage of everything there is what to do in Guatape.
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2. Get lost in the streets of Guatapé
Guatapé is known as the most colorful town in Latin America. So getting lost in its streets is one of the best things. what to do in Guatape. We recommend you go to the most beautiful street in Guatapé known as Calle del Recuerdo. Although you will surely be delighted with more streets of this beautiful town.
The site is small so it won’t take you long to get to know most of its streets. If you want to take memories of Guatapé this is the perfect place because in Piedra del Peñol souvenirs tend to have higher prices.
3. Photograph the zócalos and find your favorite, one of the most curious things to do in Guatapé
Unlike other colorful towns, Guatapé differs because all the houses have skirting boards. These are drawings or figures made by hand that cover the main infrastructure of the houses. As a curiosity, Every person who builds or owns a house in Guatapé by law must include zócalos. You will find different shapes, colors and designs.
We recommend you walk through the streets to take pictures of the zócalos and find the one you like. Our favorite was a zócalo with an Avianca plane. It’s one of the best things What to do in Guatape
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4. Enter the church of Guatapé with the right foot
The locals say you should enter the church on the right foot and make a wish. Whether you are a believer or not a great idea to walk through the interior of the church. You will be able to admire the interior of this building made of wood. Even the altar is also of the same material. It is beautiful and impressive!
Even if you don’t go inside, the church is beautiful from the outside. Did you know that it is the only church in the world that has skirting boards? Like all the houses in the village. So if one day you plan to live in Guatapé, think about what skirting boards you are going to decorate your house with.
5. Relax in the main park of Guatapé
Like all Latin American towns, Guatapé has a main park that houses the greatest activity in the area. around this are the church, several souvenir shops and restaurants to taste the typical food of Colombia. Look at all the facades that surround the park. They are all very pretty! In addition, in the center there is a water fountain with the church in the background. It’s a nice place to take photos!
6. Shelter from the sun on Calle de los Paraguas, one of the best things to do in Guatapé
To go to Guatapé we booked a tour and our guide told us that if you go to Calle de los Paraguas the visit to Guatapé does not count. And is not for less! It is a very colorful alley, full of souvenir shops and cafes. In addition to the colored houses with baseboards, there are several hanging umbrellas that adorn the street. The photo here is magnificent! Knowing her is one of the best things. what to do in Guatape.
7. Photograph the colorful buildings of the Plaza de los Zócalos
On the same street as the umbrellas is the Plaza de los Zócalos. this one too it is very colorful and there is often live music. It gives a calm and pleasant atmosphere to the square. We recommend taking a photo from here because it will not be as crowded as Calle de los Paraguas. It will be the best memory of Guatapé!
8. Get to know the Calle del Recuerdo, one of the most beautiful to see in Guatapé
Is about a steep alley, with super colorful houses and very striking skirting boards. It is known as the most beautiful street in Guatapé. In addition, it is a replica of one of the streets of the old town El Peñol. Before it was demolished to flood the area and create hydroelectric dams.
The street is beautiful. The super colorful facades, the skirting boards and cobblestones are the perfect combination for a souvenir photo. It is a mandatory stop to make in Guatapé. We recommend you visit it very early when it is almost empty so that you can admire it at its best.
9. Have fun at Comfama Park
Looking to have fun in Guatapé? Then you can’t miss Parque Comfama. It is a park in the middle of the water. You can enjoy boating, kayaking, water bikes, playing in the floats and slides on the water. In addition, you can admire the animals that inhabit the area. It will be a moment of entertainment in the middle of nature!
All the time you must wear a life jacket. If you don’t know how to swim this will help you a lot and you will be able to enjoy Comfama Park. The ticket price for an adult is 17,200 COP (€3). It’s the most fun what to do in Guatape!
10. Stroll along the Guatapé boardwalk
On the new boardwalk of Guatapé you can take a walk to enjoy views of the lake and mountains. Here you will find many stalls or stores that sell natural juices, chopped fruit, snacks, drinks, typical Colombian sweets, and souvenirs. The promenade was only inaugurated in 2019 so it is the new attraction to see in Guatapé.
We recommend you walk the entire boardwalk to find a colorful sign that says Guatapé. It is located on the other side of the town, very close to the bridge. You can’t miss the photo from here!
11. Have an incredible panoramic view of Piedra del Peñol from the outskirts of Guatapé
Although Guatapé has a viewpoint called Alto de la Virgen, We found a perfect place to take the most beautiful photo in Guatapé. You will have the great Piedra del Peñol and the lake in the background. There is also a very beautiful mural that reflects the essence of the town of Guatapé. It is an empty lot so you must pay close attention to find it. We share the location of this point here.
12. Eat traditional food
The typical food of Colombia is very varied depending on the area where you are. In the department of Antioquia the most famous is the bandeja paisa. So in Guatapé you must try this tasty dish. But get ready because it is very forceful! It contains beans, rice, pork rinds, ripe plantains, ground meat, avocado, potatoes, fried egg, chorizos and the typical Colombian arepa cannot be missing. The challenge is to finish the entire plate!
13. Cool off with a passion fruit and mango frappe at Punto Mango
Guatapé can have very sunny and hot days where the only thing you will be looking for is a very refreshing drink. We recommend you go to the Malecón and look for the Punto Mango stand. There are many stalls on the promenade so you must be very careful not to miss it. We ask for a passion fruit and mango frappe.
It was the best option to quench thirst and heat! you can also ask chopped fruit with salt and lemonwhich is the typical combination or micheladas with these tropical fruits.
14. Discover the history of the Replica of old Peñol
The lake you see around Guatapé is a hydroelectric dam, but it wasn’t always like that. Until 1978, a small town called El Peñol existed here. This was demolished for the construction of the Guatapé reservoir. But the ancient inhabitants refuse to forget the existence of the town so They built a replica of the old El Peñol park.
The church and the colorful facades are the most beautiful of the place. We recommend you take a walk through this small square and buy a wafer with arequipe made by hand. In addition, you will find many souvenir shops. In some you can go up to the balcony to take a picture with the typical Colombian hat and poncho.
15. Take a boat ride on the Guatapé dam
To end this post of the best 15 things to do in Guatape, you can not miss a boat ride on the dam. here you can see a large cross on the water that marks the location of the old church of old Peñol. Believe it or not, you will sail over the ruins of a demolished and flooded town. Awesome! Only a house with red doors remains of the old town It belonged to a local doctor.
you will also know one of Pablo Escobar’s properties, La Manuela farm. It is a huge mansion surrounded by trees from various countries of the world. In total the property has eight hectares and it was one of Escobar’s most luxurious properties along with the Hacienda Nápoles. Today it is in ruins since it was bombed with 200 kilos of explosives in 1993 by enemies of the drug trafficker.
You will also see the houses of soccer players James Rodríguez and goalkeeper Daniel Ospina. So you will not only learn about the history of the old town El Peñol, but you will also see luxurious houses of famous people from Colombia.
LOCATION OF THE BEST THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN GUATAPÉ
On the following map you will find marked the best things to see and do in Guatapé.
Source: https://lostraveleros.com/que-hacer-en-guatape/
