Karibu PROSPER !: Piedra del Peñol (Peñol de Guatape), Medellín, Colombia

February 2, 2012

Piedra del Peñol (Peñol de Guatape), Medellín, Colombia

It’s nice to be pleasantly surprised by your destination when you are travelling, and Piedra del Peñol was exactly that. This was one place where natural and man-made wonders came together to create spectacular surroundings and harmony. It is one of the most worthwhile daytrips you can take around Medellín.

Colombia - Medellin - Piedra del Peñol

Piedra del Peñol reminded me of Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) in Australia. Both are massive sentry rocks that stand out from miles away.

You will get the first beautiful view of the lake from the carpark.

But the real fun begins when you start climbing up the dodgy looking stairs wedged in between the narrow vertical crack that runs all the way up to the top of Piedra del Peñol. You will see a coat of plants growing precariously on the vertical rock face as you climb the 649 steps. Piedra del Peñol apparently belongs to a family from the region, and there is a charge of around USD 2 to climb it.

Once you make it to the top, you can climb to the roof of the 3 story gift shop for the incredible 360° view. You will be delighted by the panorama of numerous islands spread out in front of you as far as your eyes can see, and the sprawling arms of the lake that fill the small bays of what used to be hillsides. That’s right. The ‘lake’ turned out to be a man-made reservoir about 25 years old. Where once the poor farmers had to walk up steep dusty paths, the rich can now pull up to their mansion doorstep in their shiny boats.