Guatapé

---

About 50 miles outside of Medellín is the granite monolith that dominates the surrounding landscape, at 2,135 metres.

Santi took us on a magnificent climb to the top (740 steps).

El Peñon de Guatape was once worshipped by the Tahamies indigenous people. In the 1950s, a group of visitors spent five days climbing to the top of the massive rock using a wooden board to ascend up the rock’s long crack along its side. Afterward, a concrete staircase was built into the crack.

On the way up we saw wild orchids growing from the granite rock face and once at the top stunning bird’s eye views of Guatape & a series of lakes.



Guatapé residents paint their houses and businesses in gorgeous bright colors, and decorate the bottom of every building with fresco-like panels called “zocalos.”

The zocalo tradition seems to have started about a century ago, no one seems sure when or why.

We visited a local artist studio where the technique of painting is with the stick end of a brush rather than the usual method of painting with the bristles.

Colourful steep streets, overhead colourful umbrellas, colourful zocalo - This must be one of the most colourful towns in the world.



A short while after the tour finished it was back with Santi & off on a small boat that he had hired. Getting onboard his hat fell off & landed in the water but thankfully Santi stayed dry and we soon took to the to the water for a view of the rock he had climbed earlier & to watch the sunset.



The clouds formations were amazing and what a treat to be serenaded by Santi as the sunset.

A fabulous day spent with an incredible guide.

https://www.heygo.com/santi

---