Guatape: Ascend El Peñol, Embrace Zócalos, Unforgettable Day!

I had the best time on this tour with Carlos as our guide! He was funny, knowledgeable, and his love for his hometown was infectious. We were traveling on a domestic holiday which led to long wait times and itinerary changes, but I felt comfortable and confident knowing Carlos was taking care of everything. Cannot recommend this tour enough!

A fun day out and away from the city. Guatapé is a very cool little town, and climbing the El Peñol rock is something you definitely should tick off your list while in Medellin! The tour was well organized, and the helpful guide Carlos clearly enjoyed his work. Breakfast and lunch stops were good, and overall it was a great value trip that I'd recommend to all.

great opportunity to explore more outside of the city with authentic tasty food stops and a fun reggaeton boat ride , and an interesting and pretty town

This tour was incredible. We had an amazing time. Carlos, our tour guide, was so kind, fun, and knowledgeable. He ensured that we go to see all of the best that Guatapé has to offer. Our family had a life changing experience. We will DEFINITELY be back and we will bring more of our family next time. Thank you so much Carlos for making the first visit for my brother and I so special 🩷

I had high hopes for this tour, but it ended up being one of the most unpleasant travel experiences I’ve ever had. To start, at breakfast I found a hair in my cheese. When I pointed it out to the staff, they refused to replace the food or offer any sort of solution. It was handled unprofessionally and set the tone for the rest of the day. Things got worse during the tour itself. Instead of joining the walking portion and waiting around for everyone else to finish eating, we politely asked the guide if we could meet up with the group afterward to catch the ride back. His response was incredibly rude—he told us we’d have “no way to find him” and acted as if we were inconveniencing him just by asking. It genuinely felt like we were being held hostage on the tour with no flexibility whatsoever. Finally, on the bus ride back, the person in front of me reclined so far that I could barely sit. I asked the tour guide for help, and he just shrugged and said the person was sleeping, offering no assistance at all. It was a small request, and he still couldn’t be bothered. Overall, the lack of professionalism, poor customer service, and rude behavior made this tour completely unenjoyable. I would not recommend it to anyone.

The Good • Breakfast and lunch were included, and both were surprisingly solid—much better than expected. • The town of Guatapé was easily the highlight. The people were incredibly friendly, and we had plenty of time to explore. • Climbing the rock was fun and memorable, and the views from the top were definitely worth it. The Bad • The area around the rock feels very tourist-trappy, with many shops selling the exact same items. • Our Spanish-speaking guide acted more like a host than an actual guide. On a 7-hour tour, she spoke maybe 30 minutes total, and most of the information she shared was brief and only during the stop in Guatapé. The Ugly • The 7:00 AM pickup is rough. • The stop at El Alto de Chocho felt completely unnecessary—especially since this tour was supposed to not include it. Everyone had already used the restroom in Guatapé, yet the “quick” stop stretched from 20 minutes to almost an hour because a few people didn’t return on time, despite constant reminders about punctuality..

Andres (our guide) and the team made the experience worth while. The team also helped me with a last minute change which made the trip a breeze. The overall experience is worth the value. I highly recommend 👌

Pickup was easy to get to and find. Bus ride was smooth and comfortable. Guatape was an excellent experience. The boat ride was fun and the the little town visit was adorable.

Enjoyable but tour guide was a poor communicator. He was not articulate and provided few details about the history. Very nice guy thoughl. Too long of a day too. Two hours shorter would have been better.

Andres was a really organized and fun tour guide, who made sure everyone was where they had to be at the right time. Me and my friends got a full day of Guatape full of activities and I will be sure to be back again