The most colourful town in Colombia, maybe even the world?!
Just a couple hours bus ride from Medellin (making it an easy day trip) is the gorgeous town of Guatape. Before you get there though, get off the bus at El Penol and give it a climb!
During the 1970s this area was flooded and made way for a huge hydro-electric dam, which in turn also created a pretty stunning view of the submerged fields. To see the view, you only have to climb 740 steps up a great big granite rock. I know, doesn't sound that appealing, especially in the famous Colombian heat, but once at the top, enjoying the views with a refreshing mango smoothie, you may have forgotten all about it (or maybe not...). However, it is defiantly worth checking it out if you are heading to Guatape anyway.
Catch a tuk tuk into the town and set about wandering the beautiful cobbled streets. As you're exploring make sure to check out the zacalos (the lower part of the facades on the houses), as they have been decorated to show different parts of the local history, flowers and so on. Enjoy a coffee or ice cream whilst people watching in the plaza de zacalos.
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