Peñol de Marial y Guatape

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In Salento, another backpacker enthusiastically recommended getting to the Guatape / Peñol region around La Magdelena Gorge, a manmade lake about a two-hour bus ride from Medellin. She said it was one of the most beautiful places she'd ever seen. I should have asked her how many places she'd seen.

Through Airbnb we reserved a section of a home constructed from four used shipping containers - the building, and basically everything in the place, has been repurposed/recycled.

We stopped in Peñol for supplies. It seemed like a nice enough town. Then we continued on in a chivero (collective jeep) for half an hour on bumpy dirt roads, and then by foot for the final kilometer to the house.

The place was obviously pretty remote, so the highlight for me was just hiking around the area on dirt roads, chatting with the locals about the trails, and finding new vistas of the lake. The steep hills are lush and gorgeous.

The lake looks pretty stunning from above, partly because the terrain isn't typical for a lake, since it's manmade. The shape of the shoreline is more like the Chesapeake Bay, with crooked fingers creating many extra miles of shoreline that is ideal for weekend homes for the wealthy, which is what the area is quickly becoming, given the amount of construction, the container house included.

Like much of Colombia, this is a conspicuous intersection between rich and poor. We rode on plenty of jeeps through the area, with 20 people clinging to the back, sides, and top, carrying goods and all sorts of miscellanea, but the area is changing quickly, and soon the houses will be constructed, and the roads will be paved. This will probably make things easier for the guy who sat on top of the truck with hundreds of dozens of eggs.

We made it to Guatape and the giant rock, but it was ruined by a staircase built up it, and my fear of heights prevented me from finding the silver lining. It took a good hour of uncomfortable travel from where we were staying. The town is pretty, but there's not much authentic about it- it's just a slice of imitation Disney... fabricated, beside the fabricated lake.

We rented a canoe and though it was nice to get onto the clear water, the erosion on the shorelines was an eyesore and the lake seemed like nothing more than it is - a big valley recently flooded with water.

As a weekend getaway for Paisas (people from Medellin), this is nice enough in the same way that a state park built around a dam is a nice getaway for Americans. I just don't think it belongs on the typical backpacker circuit.

There are more photos below.

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Photos

Perfect Lunch Spot
A hike on the newly built dirt roads led us to this viewpoint on somebody's farm.

Container House
We found this place on Airbnb- four shipping containers repurposed into a home.

Piedra de Marial
People who believe in fairy tales come here for blessings. There is a much bigger rock on the other side of the lake, but it's been ruined by a giant staircase up its gut.

Jeeps
This is the main method of transport in the area if you don't have a car. Unfortunately, they're usually full, so if you want a ride, you have to sit on top or stand on the back. Women and children get the seats, so I was usually hanging off the back.