We took a two hour bus trip east from Medellin to visit the beautiful Guatape area, a very common weekend getaway spot for Colombians and home to about 6,000 residents. During the three days we visited three main attractions: El Penol Reservoir, La Piedra Penol, and the town of Guatape.

El Penol Reservoir – Before the government-owned utility company (known locally as EPM) constructed the dam and lake in the 1970’s for the production of hydro-electric energy, Guatape and El Penon were towns in a valley and along low hillsides.  Without the full consent of area residents, EPM flooded the area and many people lost their homes, schools, businesses, and churches.  Residents moved further up the hillsides and the utility company did help some with resettling costs.  We took a chilly, but enjoyable, two hour boat tour of the 64 square kilometer lake. Paddle boarders, kayakers, water skiers, and fishermen frequent this lake in warmer weather, but they stayed away on that afternoon.  Jefferson, our guide, pointed out large houses for sale and the beautiful vacation home of a popular Colombian football player. He also told us the story behind the skeleton of La Manuela, one of Pablo Escobar’s vacation houses, which was bombed in 1993 by a rival drug cartel. The remains of the house are quite a stark contrast to the other residences on the lake. At the west end of the lake we saw a church cross in the deep water which marks the site of a church before the area was flooded. We saw other tourists and guides standing on the concrete platform of the cross to take pictures, but we opted not to get out of our boat. Just a bit too cold and breezy. 

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La Piedra Penol – When our bus arrived in the Guatape area the first landmark we saw was the giant 200 meter high granite rock that juts out of the ground. One morning during our visit we climbed all 649 concrete and stone steps to the top, even though the air was warm and the trek was tiring, And yes the step number is indicated about every 50 steps, which is sort of motivational after 400 steps and out of breath. The 360 degree view from the top was magnificent and we feasted on a bit of fresh pineapple from one of the small shops at the top while watching vultures gliding in the warm air currents. Construction workers were demolishing a four-story café on the top of the rock and we observed one man operating a jackhammer while standing on top of the fourth floor wall. He had a great view and yes, he was wearing a safety harness. We even saw a vacation house or two we would love to buy if we had lots of money.  Unfortunately the bromeliads growing along side of the monolith rock were not blooming during our few days in the area. 

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Guatape – We loved this small, very colorful resort town with sidewalk restaurants and cafes, street vendors along the lake walk way, a large central plaza, many shops selling crafts/artwork along cobblestone streets, and many colorful buildings. It is quite easy to walk from one part of town to the other, but we did take a ride or two in the multi-colored, fun-looking taxis called tuk tuks. 

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Zocalos – The beautiful 3D decorative squares on the lower exterior walls of buildings in Guatape are zocalos. Many years ago builders in this area discovered that having a concrete base to exterior walls extended the life of the structure. And over the years home owners and shop keepers added artwork to the concrete to indicate something about who lived there (profession, hobbies, preferences) or what was sold – much more visually appealing and understandable in any language than typical signs for storefronts. One outdoor adventure business owner showed us the zocalos he recently commissioned for his building and explained that this traditional artwork continues today, even though only a few artists in the town have the necessary skills. As you can see from the many photos below, it was hard for us to take just one or two photos of this type of artwork.

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