Town of Zócalos and Colour
Plan your trip
Town of Zócalos and Colour
Plan your trip
How to get here, how to get around, what services there are and who to call if something happens. Everything that isn't scenery but you still need.
Guatapé is about 80 kilometres from Medellín, roughly two hours by road. You do not need your own car: there is direct public transport all day.
2 hours
From Medellín
Buses, minibuses and public taxis run the route all day. The operators are Sotrasanvicente — which also covers the Guatapé and El Peñón route — and Sotra Peñol.
1 connection
From José María Córdova airport
There are two ways. The first: bus or minibus to Rionegro (Belén area) and from there a shuttle or taxi to the airport. The second: a public jeep to El Peñol and a taxi from there to Rionegro, then on to the airport.
Jeep or chiva
To nearby towns
Jeeps, taxis and chiva buses connect Guatapé with the towns and tourist destinations of eastern Antioquia.
Timetables, routes, fares and departure points change with each day's operation. Confirm them with the transport company before you travel.
The town itself is entirely walkable. For anything further out — El Peñón, the rural villages, a countryside stay — there is local transport all day.
Tuk-tuk
Motochivas
Motorised rickshaws that work as individual public transport, like a taxi. They are the most practical way to move around the town and up to the rural villages, and they reach El Peñón, the places to stay and the shops.
By the hour
Motorbike and bicycle hire
Available in town depending on what is on offer that day. A good option for the Anillo loop and the country roads.
Door to door
Taxis and jeeps
For longer trips or with luggage, and for the villages a motochiva cannot reach.
There are parking areas in the town and around the main attractions. Use only authorised, signposted car parks: that is the municipality's express recommendation.
Guatapé is not an improvised destination: it has mains water, waste collection on fixed routes, fibre optic internet and a hospital. Here is what there is, in detail.
Drinkable
Drinking water
110 V
Electricity
Fibre
Internet and phone
A&E
Health
4 routes
Waste and recycling
Tap water is drinkable throughout the municipality. In the town it is supplied by the Empresa de Servicios Públicos Domiciliarios. In the countryside, the multi-village water system serves Los Naranjos, La Piedra and La Peña; El Roble, Quebrada Arriba and La Sonadora have their own independent systems.
The supply is 110 V and 60 Hz, with type A and B sockets. It is provided by EPM across almost all the territory; some rural accommodation runs on its own solar panels.
110 volts and 60 hertz. If you're coming from Europe, the UK or the Southern Cone, your devices run on 220 V: you need an adapter and a transformer, not just an adapter. The town's hardware stores sell them.
For travellers If you are coming from abroad: the hardware shops and stores in town sell type A/B adapters and voltage regulators, in case your equipment is not 110 V.
There is mobile coverage from Claro, Movistar, Tigo, Virgin and WOM. Travellers report the best signal with Claro and Tigo. The municipality has fibre optic in the town and across much of the countryside, with local providers such as Corpagua and Enlace Network, as well as Intelred, Ruralink and Tigo. Many tourism businesses offer wi-fi.
For travellers For a short stay, a local SIM does the job. If you are staying for weeks — and some people do — it is worth talking to a local provider depending on where you are based.
The ESE Hospital La Inmaculada provides level 1 basic care: general consultation, emergencies and health promotion and prevention programmes. There are also private practices for general medicine, dentistry, physiotherapy, nutrition, occupational health and clinical laboratory work, and visiting specialists hold clinics.
For travellers Travel with insurance or a policy that covers healthcare. In a real emergency, it is the difference between sorting it out quickly and sorting it out late.
The Empresa de Servicios Públicos Domiciliarios collects waste on fixed routes and the municipality runs separation-at-source programmes. Guatapé is known for being clean, and that does not happen by itself: it happens because waste is separated properly here.
When the truck comes
M
T
Organic7:00 a.m.W
Recycling7:00 a.m.Non-recyclable · rural7:00 a.m.T
Non-recyclable8:00 p.m.F
S
Organic7:00 a.m.S
Non-recyclable8:00 p.m.Take part in the separation campaigns and help keep the destination clean.
Guatapé is a safe, calm destination, for those who live here and for those who visit. There is no presence of illegal armed groups in the municipality.
That said, it is a tourist destination like any other and the basics apply: look after your belongings, do not share personal or financial information with strangers, and stay alert in crowded places. When it comes to theft, scams or extortion, the same care applies here as in any city.
If you find yourself in any risky situation, call the emergency lines straight away.
Single emergency number. It works all over Colombia, from any phone and with no credit.
If you witness or suspect a situation of child sexual exploitation, report it. In Guatapé nobody looks the other way.
In eastern Antioquia, about 80 kilometres from Medellín — roughly two hours by road. It is known for its zócalos, the painted panels along the base of its houses, the Peñol–Guatapé reservoir and El Peñón de Guatapé, also known as La Piedra del Peñol.
It depends on what you want to do, which is why we built the Night Counter: you tick the plans that interest you and it tells you how many nights you actually need. Almost nobody does it in a day. Two nights cover the town and the water without rushing; three bring in the countryside. Plan your trip
There are cultural, religious, tourist and traditional events throughout the year. The main ones are the living Holy Week (April), the patron saint festival of the Virgen del Carmen (July), the Fiestas de Zócalos y Flores, Silletas y Colores (July), the Fiestas de los Zócalos, el Turismo y el Embalse (October), the Christmas lights (from 1 December) and the New Year's Eve Carnival (31 December). Check the calendar before you plan your trip. See the calendar
Yes, though the plan changes. Rain mainly affects El Peñón, water activities and countryside trips; the town, the zócalos, the museums, the antique shop and the food all carry on as usual. Guatapé sits at 1,900 metres: rainy afternoons are common and mornings are usually clear.
El Peñón de Guatapé — La Piedra del Peñol — is about 5 kilometres from the centre of town. You can get there by car, by public transport or by motochiva, the local motorised rickshaw. All the information about the climb is on the attraction's official site, lapiedra.com.co. lapiedra.com.co
Admission was COP 35,000 in 2026. Prices are set by the site's operator and do change, so confirm them at lapiedra.com.co before you go.
The town itself is entirely walkable. For everything else there are motochivas — motorised rickshaws that work as taxis and reach the rural villages — plus motorbike and bicycle hire, taxis and jeeps.
There are parking areas in the town and near the main attractions. Use only authorised, signposted car parks.
Guatapé has thirteen must-sees and ten themed experiences: cultural, natural, culinary, water-based, adventure, wellbeing and birdwatching. The registered businesses, operators and providers that offer them are listed in the Business Directory. See the must-sees
Yes. Guatapé has guides and tour operators offering cultural, heritage, nature and adventure trips. Hiring a local guide is also one of the municipality's rules of responsible conduct: they are the ones who tell the story properly. Travel with respect
Yes, and in several ways: the zócalos city tour, the motochiva city tour, heritage trails, cultural walks and food experiences.
The Business Directory lists the providers and operators registered in the municipality, so you can enquire and book directly with them. Go to the directory
There are seven different ways to sleep here: a hotel in town, a hostel, an upmarket hotel, glamping, a floating cabin, a country estate and a cabin. The municipality has no campsite open to the public. Every registered place to stay is in the Business Directory. Where to stay
The Business Directory lists the restaurants, cafés, bars, bakeries and ice cream shops registered in the municipality. The range runs from paisa comfort food — the bandeja platter, trout, home cooking — to single-origin coffee, international cuisine, pastries and vegetarian and vegan options.
In the Parque Principal, inside the Town Hall, diagonally across from the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen. Open Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from midday to 6:00 p.m.
The national emergency line is 123 and it works from any phone, with no credit. Guatapé also has direct lines for the Police, the hospital and the fire service, published in the footer.
Check Guatapé's Business Directory: it lists the establishments, operators, experiences and tourism service providers registered in the municipality. And if you would rather ask a person, the Information Point is in the Parque Principal. Go to the directory
Emergencies
One number. From any phone, with no credit.
Information Point
Parque Principal, inside the Town Hall, diagonally across from the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen
Monday to Friday: 08:00–18:00
Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: 12:00–18:00
Getting here
About 80 km from Medellín, about 2 hours by road.