Incredible Day Trip from Medellin Colombia to Guatapé

If you’re anything like me, you’ll know a good idea when you hear one. That’s how my boyfriend and I got to experience some of Guatapé on a day trip from Medellin Colombia. How we ended up on a tour outside the city is almost as funny a story as what happened on it.

Before I get into the trip itself, here’s the backstory. My boyfriend is a big airsoft junkie. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s basically paintball but with BB guns. As an ex-Marine, he likes to play war every now and again. Who am I to deny him that?

On the late afternoon of New Years Eve, we stumbled into a random little sushi bar called Tabetai in Cartagena. As we waited for our order we noticed a young guy with a British accent at the table next to us. I’m can always sniff out a fellow traveler, and couldn’t help but strike up a conversation.

After we finished exchanging pleasantries with Manny, we happened to mention that we were headed for Medellin after Cartagena. He lit up and said that Medellin was his favorite visited Colombian place, and asked what our plans were. Obviously, he had a something to recommend.

The tale he painted led us to drop our mediocre plans for an adventure day trip to Guatapé. Manny gave me Danny’s Whatsapp number and next thing we knew we were booked on quite the adventure, though it didn’t exactly go according to plan.

Meet & Greet

Promptly at 8:15am, Cristian collected us from our El Poblado hotel. After a couple other stops to pick up like-minded adventure seeking travelers, our van made its way to a platform overlooking the city of Medellin Colombia.

There, our group of 17 chatted in a “getting to know you” with empanadas and a stellar backdrop. We were a mixed group (Canadians, Dutchies, Brits, and Aussies) who turned out to be the most fun random strangers ever.

Paintball Escobar Style

Stop #1 on our grand tour was a small house atop a mountain overlooking Medellin Colombia. Next to it was an enclosed field set up for playing paintball. The kicker, this house was one of the old hiding places of Pablo Escobar.

We split into two teams, red and yellow. First was two rounds of capture the flag. Then two games of Escobar & the Colombian Cartel vs the DEA. I mean, if you’re going to paintball in Colombia, that’s the way to do it, isn’t it?

Downsides to Colombian paintball: 1) there’s no shade on the field and it gets super hot in the gear. 2) 1/2 the time you’re running uphill on muddy terrain. 3) Don’t get clocked in the back of the head – it hurts like hell.

Upsides to Colombian paintball: 1) It’s super fun. 2) It’s an awesome bonding experience. 3) An American shooting a “gun” in Colombia – could there be anything more cliche?

Taking The Scenic Road

If I was to give you one major piece of advice should you chose to do this tour, it would be DON’T GO DURING A MAJOR HOLIDAY. If you have no choice, like many of us didn’t, be prepared for A LOT of traffic.

Here, the type of people in your group becomes extremely relevant. We were fortunate to have a wonderfully friendly group. We were even lucky enough to be equipped with our own personal D.J.

The truth is we could have lost our minds siting in that traffic. The road to Guatapé is narrow since it curves around the mountains. There is only one route, and one lane going in and out. It took us nearly 3 hours to get to our next stop.

Boat Ride to La Manuela

Finally, we made it to Peñol Reservoir only two hours behind schedule. There, we boarded a boat that took us to the shores of an island in the reservoir that housed the remnants La Manuela Hacienda.

La Manuela was situated on a 20 acre island overlooking a stunning backdrop. Famed as Pablo Escobar’s vacation estate, it was fully equipped with a pool, tennis courts, a soccer field/helipad, stables and other luxury amenities.

In 1993, a vigilante group called Los Pepes (allegedly funded by the Cali Cartel) decided to take matters into their own hands. The “Perseguidos por Pablo Escobar” planted 200 kg of TNT in a bathroom of La Manuela.

The explosion blew the house to bits. After the bombing, police quickly arrived to seize the drugs and money on premise. Less than 8 months later, Escobar was killed by authorities in Medellín Colombia.

La Manuela Hacienda was and is a popular tourist destination. However, some of the locals looked unfavorably at allowing visitation, saying that it encourages Narco-related stigmas about the country.

Six months ago the Colombian government restricted all visitation to La Manuela. While this used to be the site at which paintball was held, now the only way to see it is unfortunately at a distance by boat.

A Change of Plans

So here’s how our day was supposed to go. After lunch, we were to go jump off a bridge 60 meters high into reservoir. Then, we would go climb La Piedra del Peñol.

La Piedra del Peñol is the second largest rock in South America, and a strange eyesore in the otherwise green backdrop of Guatapé. Travelers flock to climb the roughly 750 stairs to the top from which the view is said to be epic.

What actually happened? Traffic. As we sat at lunch, Cristian broke the news to us that the line was so long to get to the rock that there was no way for us to make it before closing.

The group was obviously disappointed. Not that we could really blame anyone, it was January 2 and still holiday weekend. As an alternative, Cristian offered to take us into the town of Guatapé (which wasn’t subject to a closing time).

An hour of traffic later (at some points it would have been faster to walk), we finally arrived at the walkway into the old town square. Wonderfully colorful yet obscenely touristy, Guatapé was everything you’d expect of a Colombian tourist town.

While we didn’t have the option because we were flying out of Medellin Colombia the following day, many of the group (especially the backpackers) decided to impromptu stay in Guatapé overnight.

There were hostels available and buses to get back to Medellin the next day. Their plans were flexible enough to let spontaneity happen because they really wanted to climb that rock. Truthfully I was a bit jealous.

Saying Goodbye

There, in the center of Guatapé with a perfect Colombian coffee in hand, we said our goodbyes to more than 1/2 of the group. Despite the not so expected change of plans, we all walked away with some amazing memories of the day.

It did also bode well for those of us returning that 10 people stayed behind. It meant we could spread out on the van ride back to Medellin Colombia. It was so cramped on the way there that the extra space was entirely welcome.

Though I do have to say, it was a lot quieter on the way back. Catch 22 when you have such an amazing group of people. While we could have done without the endless traffic and missed stops, this day trip delivered in a great many number of ways.

Looking for a unique tour in Medellin Colombia?

One thing I learned in my travels is it’s always important to have a contact on the ground no matter where you go. I’m eternally grateful for our chance encounter with Manny the Brit, who put us in touch with Danny.

If you’re looking for a unique perspective on Medellin Colombia, Danny’s the guy to call. Response time is amazing on Whatsapp, so just shoot him a message.

Planning on the fly? Short on time? No problem. We planned our whole itinerary with Danny the day before we got to Medellin and he had us sorted in no time.

Tell Me Your Thoughts

This Post Has 4 Comments

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