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When I first moved to Colombia, all of my Colombian friends insisted that I visit the majestic El Peñol.
Getting to El Peñol
You have the option to visit El Peñol and Guatapé on your own, on a guided large group tour, or on a private tour.
Getting to Guatapé by Bus
Visiting on your own using public transportation is possible at a low cost. Buses leave from Terminal del Norte in Medellín. The bus terminal is connected to the Caribe metro stop. Once in Guatapé, you can hire a tuk-tuk for COP$12,000 (as of June 2024) to take you to El Peñol. The ride takes about 10 minutes.
Private Tours of Guatapé
To save yourself the hassle of missing buses and to have a thorough explanation of the area, I highly recommend doing a tour from Medellín. Both LandVenture Travel and Walter, our guide for Comuna 13, are great options if you prefer a private tour. They’ll pick you up at your hotel and show you all the highlights in the area as well as tell entertaining stories.
El Peñol
The main attraction in the area is El Peñol, also known as La Piedra del Peñol or El Peñón de Guatapé. It’s a huge granite monolith that stands 220 meters high and is a national monument of Colombia. The setting looks like something out of a Disney movie, with rolling forested green hills and clear blue water surrounding the rock.
Controversy over El Peñol
The rock is a very controversial subject to residents of El Peñol and Guatapé, as both towns claim the rock as their own. The town of El Peñol used to be located right next to the rock until it had to be relocated due to construction of a dam. Now, the nearest town is Guatapé.
If you look at the rock from a distance, you’ll notice a large “G” and a partial “U” painted on the side. Residents of Guatapé came up with a brilliant idea to paint the name of their town and mark the rock as their own. Sure enough, the residents of El Peñol became livid and formed an angry mob to stop them. The government stepped in and put a stop to the madness, reminding both sides it’s illegal to deface a natural monument.
Who Owns El Peñol?
El Peñol is privately owned by the family of the first man to climb it, Luis Eduardo Villegas López. He bought the rock because it was useless as farmland for the original owners, built the concrete steps in a crack, and began charging admission to climb to the top. Nowadays, over 5,000 visitors climb the rock every day and Villegas’ descendants live off the profits. A monument to Villegas is located near the stairs. It was placed there by his family to honor his legacy.
Climbing El Peñol
It costs COP$25,000 per person (as of June 2024) to climb to the top of the rock. It’s a good idea to take some water and wear sunscreen on the way up. It could also get windy and possibly cold so a jacket was recommended, but on the day I climbed it was hot and the jacket definitely wasn’t necessary. Another warning – if it has been raining, there will be mosquitoes and biting flies at the top, so take bug spray just in case. For those who don’t want to climb the rock, there are several cafés and restaurants located next to the entrance.
Every 25 steps are numbered with yellow paint. Halfway to the top is a small pedestal with a statue of the Virgin. It’s a resting point allowing visitors to rest away from the stairs where others are ascending to the top.
Once at the top of the rock, there’s a small café selling drinks, ice cream, fruit, and other snacks. There’s also a small structure with stairs to an observation deck. The observation deck offers breathtaking 360° views of the surrounding landscape. Inside the structure is an inescapable gift shop selling overpriced souvenirs junk. You can buy the same junk at the bottom of the rock for a much lower price.
Viejo Peñol
Viejo Peñol is a replica of the original town of El Peñol, which was founded on June 20, 1714. It had to be relocated in 1978 because construction of a hydroelectric dam put it in the flood zone. If you want to get a taste of how the old town of El Peñol might have been, you can stop at Viejo Peñol. It sits on the road leading to the rock and Guatapé.
The replica town features a reconstructed plaza and church. There are souvenir shops and a couple places to grab coffee, ice cream, or something to eat.
Some of the souvenir shops have photos of the old town on the wall. One collection of photos chronicles the different stages of demolition and flooding. There are also some nice views of the reservoir.
A cross rising out of the water marks the spot where the church of El Peñol once stood. If you take a boat tour from Guatapé, you can cruise just above where the plaza used to sit.
