Guatape Day Trip with Boat to La Manuela Estate from Medellin

Guatapé, the most colourful town in Colombia

Guatapé is a small lakeside town about two hours east of Medellín, and it is famous for its zócalos: colourful relief panels along the lower walls of the houses showing sheep, flowers, coffee pickers, bicycles and scenes of local life. Every house is painted in bright blues, yellows, reds and greens, and the effect along streets such as the Calle de los Recuerdos is joyful and endlessly photogenic. The main square is framed by the church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen with its neoclassical facade.

On this Guatapé tour from Medellín you have about two hours in town with your guide and on your own, enough to walk the main streets, take a photo under the famous umbrella street and sit in a café on the square. Is Guatapé worth visiting? For most travellers it is the favourite day out from Medellín, and the best time to visit is in the morning or early afternoon when the light makes the colours glow.

El Peñol Rock (La Piedra)

The Piedra del Peñol is a granite monolith that rises around 200 metres above the green hills and water of the reservoir. A zigzag staircase of around 700 steps, built into a natural crack in the rock, leads to a lookout platform at the top, from where the view takes in dozens of islands, peninsulas and winding blue arms of water stretching to the horizon. Local people once worshipped the rock, and today it is the symbol of the region.

The tour stops near the base for about an hour and a half of photos and free time. Climbing El Peñol is optional and the ticket is not included, so you can decide on the day; the climb takes most visitors 20 to 30 minutes up, with rest points along the way. If you prefer to stay below, the souvenir stalls and viewpoints around the base already give a fine view of the reservoir.

The Peñol-Guatapé reservoir by boat

The great lake around Guatapé is not natural: it was created in the 1970s when the Nare River was dammed for one of Colombia's largest hydroelectric projects, flooding the valley and the old town of El Peñol, which was rebuilt nearby. The result is a maze of green islands and peninsulas, small beaches and luxury fincas set along about 6,000 hectares of calm blue water, now one of the favourite weekend escapes of Medellín.

Your boat ride is the highlight of the day for many travellers: you cruise across the reservoir with the wind in your face, passing islands and lakeside houses, and see El Peñol Rock from the water. The boat takes you to the estate of La Manuela, and the guide points out the sights and the story of the flooded town along the way. Life jackets are provided, and the boat ride is included in the price.

Hacienda La Manuela

On a peninsula of the reservoir stand the overgrown ruins of Hacienda La Manuela, the former lakeside estate of Pablo Escobar. In the 1980s it had a large house, a pool, a heliport and gardens running down to the water; it was abandoned and partly destroyed in the early 1990s, and nature has slowly taken it back. Today visitors walk among broken walls and empty rooms while the guide explains, factually, the history of the estate and of the region during those years.

You spend about 30 minutes at the estate. For those who want more action there are optional extras on site for an additional fee, such as ATV rides, jet ski outings and paintball games, which you can book on the spot. Most travellers simply enjoy the walk, the views across the water and the contrast between the dark history of the place and the peaceful landscape around it.

The road from Medellín to Guatapé

The trip starts in El Poblado, Medellín's best-known district, and climbs out of the Aburrá Valley into the green hills of eastern Antioquia. The journey takes about an hour and a half each way on a colourful themed bus, passing small farms, pine forests, roadside fruit stalls and villages, and your guide shares stories about the region, its people and its traditions on the way.

How to get to Guatapé from Medellín on your own? There are public buses from the North Terminal, but they take longer and leave you to organise the boat and the stops yourself. This Guatapé day trip from Medellín puts the transport, guide, boat ride and lunch together, and if you fall in love with the town you can choose to stay overnight at your own hotel and ride back with the group the next day.