Most of the group decided to go on a Pablo Escobar tour today; I however was not really interested and also had seen enough of Medellin; a few others thought the same way, so we decided to leave the city for a day trip.

The day trip did bring us to the peñón de Guatapé, a massive rock, 200 meters high with steps leading to the top for some incredible views of the surrounding area.

Our first stop – after a drive of about two hours – was in the small town of Peñol. The town had originally been located a few miles away (back then the town closest to the peñón); however had to be moved, with the construction of the Embalse Del Peñol reservoir and the rising water level. The old town is under water today, one can still see the church cross in the water.

In old Peñol we had a look at the church (with bits and pieces rescued from the original church – and its massive rock tower) – before making it to a viewpoint for old Peñol and the reconstruction of the old town center (with its kitschy touches, vendor stalls, vendor stalls and more vendor stalls).

From here it was to the peñón … we got tickets and made our way up the approximately 700 steps (actual numbers depend on counting … there is different ways up and down … so different counts here, plus there is an observation tower on top, which adds more steps … so no clear definition on what to count). The views from the top were amazing – see the photographic evidence below.

After heading down again, it was time for lunch in nearby Guatapé (another simple, but yummy and filling dish of rice, the beans of the trip, grilled meat, an egg and some side salad), followed by a boat ride on the lake (with more views of the rock) and a walk around the little town to see its colorful houses.

We left in the late afternoon – and made it back to Medellin around six in the evening – after a good day and a nice mix of activities.