Last updated on December 8th, 2023
Guatape and the surrounding bodies of water are like cottage country. If you speak to enough Paisas in Medellin, they’ll let you know Guatape is a must-visit. Plus that big rock you have to climb by the name of Piedra del Penon.
It’s possible to do a day trip to Guatape and la Piedra del Penon from Medellin by bus. In this post, I’ll explain how to do that exactly.
Taking the bus from Medellin to Guatape or La Piedra Del Penon is easy.
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Follow these steps:
- Take the Medellin Metro to Caribe Station. Fare is about 2,500 COP.
- Get off Caribe Station and cross the pedestrian bridge to the North Bus Terminal. The bus terminal is viewable from the metro station.
- Buy a bus ticket to La Piedra or Guatape at one of the ticket booths (counter 9 or 14). There are a few bus companies that go to La Piedra and Guatape. I used Sotrasanvicente at counter 14 (prices may not be updated online). The bus fare from Medellin to Guapate is no 17,000 COP. Make sure to ask the ticket clerk from which gate the bus departs.
- Board the bus. The ride is about 2 hours. It’ll make a few stops on the way to pick up passengers at random stops. Try to sleep or enjoy the views.
- The bus goes to La Piedra first. The driver will usually stop at the base of La Piedra as there will be a few people sightseeing here. You can go up La Piedra and then up El Penon. The bus will then continue to Guatape.
- The driver will also make a stop at Guatape. Then he’ll continue until the final destination, probably San Rafael.
- To return to Medellin, just wait on the opposite side of the road where the bus dropped you off. When the bus approaches, wave it down (the last buses finish from 6:30 to 7:00 pm).
The buses are microbuses. If you’re tall, you won’t have much leg space. The bus I took had assigned seats. When buying your bus ticket, ask if you can sit at the front or beside the bus driver (shotgun) for more leg space and a better view. Or ask the bus driver if you can sit beside him when boarding the bus.
There’s also a Terpel gas station, with several buses, across from the bus terminal. The gas station almost looks like a bus terminal; make sure not to go here.
Alternatively, you can take a tour to La Piedra del Penon and Guatape. The good thing about the tour is you’ll see quite a few sights in one day. The bad thing is you’ll probably depart before seeing the sunset from El Penon.
The entry fee to go up La Piedra del Penon is 20,000 COP. Hopefully, they don’t kick you out after the 6 pm closing time so that you can see the sunset.
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Quick question: If you get off at the Rock to climb it do you need to buy another ticket to get to Guatape or do you have to tell the clerk in Medellin? Thanks!
Hi, sorry for the delay (didn’t have internet access for a week). If you get off at the rock and want to go to Guatape afterwards, you’ll have to pay extra. But the fare can be purchased when you flag down a bus at the rock and it will be cheaper, something like 2,000 COP if I remember correctly.
Thanks for your help! Worked out exactly like you said.
Thanks for the heads up. My girlfriend and I took the bus to Guatape first, walked around and had a drink, then took the bus back to toward El Penol to see if we could get a sunset pic. Unfortunately, they closed the lookout up top at 6pm, 30 minutes before sundown. We ended up flagging down a bus on the way back to Medellin, the last of the night, and it was standing room only for the 2 hour trip back down. I would advise El Penol first, then Guatape so that you can ensure a seat on the ride “home”.
Thanks Josh, I made some updates to the post.
Thanks for the info, clearly the bus is the more economical option; have you taken the tour before? are they reliable? I’m 6’4 so a cramped bus will not be fun. Alternatively I can rent a car but not sure I want to risk my life driving the mountains of colombia, I’ve been to medellin many times and some taxi drivers fly around corners.
I’ve done the tour before in 2014. It costed 60,000 or 70,000 COP. I booked it through the Black Sheep Hostel and the tour operator picked me up from the hostel early morning. It was an independent local (he was also the driver) from Santa Elena that ran the tour. It was worth the price. We were in a minibus and it was comfortable for me. Didn’t seem cramped, plus you can sit in the front which I believe I did.
Nice post and great info. Thanks!
Thanks for the advice. Worked brilliantly, a couple of comments, Our tickets now had a Bus number (painted on front wing of the bus), and seat number. The comment about, do El Penol first then go to Guatape is a must, we bought return tickets here at 4.50 (no queue) and only had a 45 min wait, but the place was heaving by the time we left, with only 8 seats left on the bus for pick up at El Penol. A great day out at a tenth of the tour price.
Do you know how often the buses run? I am thinking of spending one night in Guatape, the next day I would fly out of Medellin to Bogata so I would like to ensure an early enough bus back to Medellin in order to make my flight to Bogota.
It says every 30 minutes. You can check here.
Hey, Your Blog is very helpful. I will be going to Medellin in a week. I had a question. If my ticket is to Guatape and i take the bus and get off at the rock first, will that same ticket still get me up to Guatape. Do i just need to stand back at the stop to catch another bus?
My understanding is it’s another fare, but at a lesser price. There are also Tuk Tuks that can take you into town from the rock to town.