El Peñol & Guatapé

Medellin is now a favourite city amongst Colombians and an extremely popular nearby  attraction is the village of Guatapé which sits on the edge of an enormous man-made lake.

The banks of the lake, are lined with private waterside ‘weekenders’ and the occasional luxury hotel.

You can do boat tours ..

or climb the iconic El Peñol – a 200 metre high significant rock which has had a concrete staircase built into the side, with over 700 steps to the top.

The stairs are a little daunting but poeple of all shapes and sizes are climbing…

There are two ‘one way’ staircases.

El Penol is a striking rock that really donimates the landscape.

We usually prefer our significant rocks without staircases, but in this case we ‘did what the locals do’, paid our money and climbed! The view was great!

The view of the flooded valley is beautiful.

the view down to the fruit stall…mango, watermelon and pineapple.

In the nearby village of Guatapé, buildings have absolutely beautiful sculptured images that often reflect the products sold in the shop or the beliefs of the residents. The colorful paintwork and images make it a delight to wander around. They speak for themselves.

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