My Day Exploring Guatapé and El Peñón — and the Helicopter Ride I Didn’t Plan
I love The Amazing Race. It’s probably the closest thing to reality TV that I actually enjoy watching. It has adventure, adrenaline, and my favorite part: destinations. More than anything, it constantly adds places to my travel bucket list.
That’s actually how I first learned about El Peñón de Guatapé. I remember watching an episode where contestants had to climb hundreds of stairs to the top of this massive rock in Colombia. I honestly don’t even remember what the actual challenge was, I just remember the stairs.
For anyone unfamiliar with The Amazing Race, it’s a competition show where teams race around the world completing challenges in different countries. My family loves it because we’ll watch episodes and suddenly realize, “Wait, we’ve actually been there!” It’s become one of my favorite forms of travel inspiration.
So naturally, when I started planning my trip through Medellín, visiting El Peñón was one of the first things I researched. Thankfully, it’s actually very easy to incorporate into your itinerary. Most people visit on a guided day trip from Medellín: a bus picks you up in the morning, takes you to El Peñón and Guatapé, and returns to the city that evening.
I quickly realized, though, that I personally didn’t want this to feel rushed. I wanted to experience the area at my own pace, so instead of booking a group tour, I decided to stay overnight closer to Guatapé.
I go into more detail elsewhere about why I chose my hotel, Cannúa Lodge, but while I absolutely loved the lush hillside setting and peaceful atmosphere, it did create one logistical challenge: transportation. Since I was staying outside the main tourist areas, I ended up booking a private driver through the hotel for the day.
It was definitely more expensive than joining a group bus tour, especially as a solo traveler absorbing the full cost alone, but it also came with huge advantages. I could move at my own pace, make stops whenever I wanted, and avoid the feeling of being rushed from place to place.
The night before, I checked the weather forecast and noticed scattered afternoon storms. When my driver picked me up that morning, he explained the usual itinerary: Guatapé first, then El Peñón afterward. I immediately asked if we could reverse the order.
He gently explained that the original route made more logistical sense and avoided backtracking, but I had a feeling the weather would turn later in the day. Thankfully, he agreed to switch it around, and I’m so glad we did because the rain arrived almost immediately after my time at El Peñón ended.
Arriving at El Peñón is honestly a little less picturesque than the photos online might suggest. There’s a large parking area, souvenir stands, snack vendors, and tour buses gathered at the base. But of course, nobody is really there for the parking lot, they’re there for the climb and the views waiting at the top.
Also known as La Piedra del Peñol or the Guatapé Rock, the climb itself is no joke. There are roughly 740 steps leading to the summit, though thankfully there are plenty of stopping points along the way. I definitely used several “photo breaks” as opportunities to catch my breath.
But once you reach the top, you immediately understand why people make the climb.
From above, you can see the sprawling Guatapé Reservoir stretching endlessly in every direction. The reservoir almost looks unreal from above, with winding fingers of water wrapping around green hills and tiny islands scattered throughout the landscape.
At the summit, there’s also a small café, souvenir shops, and viewing areas where you can really take your time soaking everything in. As I wandered around the top platform, though, I could see dark clouds slowly moving in. It looked like the storm was getting closer.
And then another thought that had been sitting quietly in the back of my mind all morning returned:
Should I do the helicopter ride?
Back at the base, several vendors advertise helicopter tours over the reservoir and around El Peñón itself. You can even see the helicopters taking off while climbing the stairs.
So while I was still at the top, I messaged my driver:
“I think I want to do the helicopter ride. Can you look into it for me?”
Thankfully, he said yes.
After climbing back down, we drove about five to ten minutes to the helipad area. They offered two different flight lengths, and from what I remember, the shorter option was somewhere around $90–100 USD for roughly six minutes in the air, while the longer flights were significantly more expensive. Even though six minutes sounded incredibly short, I still thought:
When else am I going to do this?
I had never been in a helicopter before, and honestly, the reservoir looked so stunning from the rock that seeing it from the air felt worth it.
One of the funniest parts of the experience happened completely by accident. Since I was traveling solo and everyone else boarding the helicopter was paired up, nobody had specifically paid extra for the co-pilot seat. Suddenly they looked at me and said:
“You can sit up front.”
So without planning it at all, I ended up riding in the co-pilot seat for my very first helicopter experience.
It was incredible.
Even with light drizzle beginning to fall, the views were absolutely stunning. We circled El Peñón multiple times, giving everyone panoramic views of the reservoir below. Seeing the landscape from above somehow made the scale of it all feel even more surreal.
The flight itself felt incredibly short, but it ended up being one of my favorite experiences from the entire Colombia trip.
Afterward, we continued on to Guatapé itself. Entering the town feels a little chaotic at first because most traffic funnels through one main entrance, but once you step into the colorful streets, the atmosphere completely changes.
Guatapé is exactly the kind of town that immediately feels charming. Brightly painted buildings, colorful zócalos decorating the lower walls of homes, banners hanging overhead, small cafés, souvenir shops, it feels lively without feeling overwhelming.
By the time I reached the central plaza, though, the rain had started coming down much harder. At that point, my priority shifted from sightseeing to simply finding somewhere dry to sit and have lunch.
Honestly, by that stage of the day I was also starting to feel a little tired, so I picked a restaurant somewhat randomly. The food was perfectly decent, but nothing particularly memorable. I explored a little more afterward, but the weather definitely dampened my motivation to wander as much as the town probably deserved.
Another stop that many tours include is Réplica del Viejo Peñol, a recreated miniature plaza built to commemorate the original town of El Peñol that was flooded decades ago to create the reservoir.
It’s a fairly quick stop, maybe twenty minutes or so, but it offers beautiful views overlooking the reservoir below and adds some historical context to the entire region.
By the end of the day, I realized how much I appreciated slowing this experience down and doing it independently. Hiring a private driver isn’t something I normally do and honestly, probably not something I’ll do often, but for this particular day, it allowed me to fully enjoy the experience without constantly worrying about logistics or timelines.
I would absolutely recommend adding Guatapé and El Peñón to your Colombia itinerary. Even if you only have time to do a guided day excursion from Medellín, I still think it’s completely worth it. But if you have the flexibility to incorporate an overnight stay, I think the experience becomes even more enjoyable. Whether you choose to stay directly in Guatapé to enjoy the atmosphere of the town itself or, like I did, opt for a quieter hillside retreat surrounded by nature, slowing the experience down allows you to appreciate the beauty of the region so much more.