Guatapé & El Peñol: Motorboat, Rock Climb & Lake Villa Lunch

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/10

Duration8h–10h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

The motorboat cuts across the lake and suddenly the water goes still—you're floating past a half-submerged mansion, its walls crumbling into the reservoir.

You get picked up from your Medellín hotel, spend the morning on a private motorboat touring the flooded landscape and submerged ruins of the old town, sample exotic Colombian fruits at a lakeside cabin, eat lunch with included wine or beer, then climb Peñol Rock to its summit for the full-lake view. Afterward, you walk through the colorful streets of Guatapé town before returning to the city. A bilingual guide stays with you all day, and everything except tips is already paid for.

8h–10h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Guatape and Peñol Rock

Walk Guatape boardwalk and streets
Have coffee in Guatape
Ride private boat on dam
See Piedra del Peñol from water
Visit old flooded town
Relax at private cabin
Sample exotic fruits and lunch
Enjoy Colombian coffee
Climb Peñol Rock summit
Enjoy view from Peñol Rock

The Experience

The sound of the engine drops to a murmur as your guide points out what's left of the old flooded town beneath the surface, and you realize you're looking at a landscape that doesn't exist on any map anymore. This is what the Guatapé and El Peñol lake tour from Medellín does—it takes you through a place that's been reshaped by water and time, and you see it from angles most people never reach. The day starts with a pickup from your hotel, then a drive out to the lake where a private motorboat is waiting. You'll spend the morning on the water, moving past the submerged ruins and the old mansion, then pull up to a private cabin on the shore where fresh tropical fruits are laid out—things you've probably never heard of, let alone tasted.

After the fruit sampling and a proper Colombian coffee (you get to choose how you like it), lunch arrives at the lakeside villa. It's either a sandwich or BBQ, depending on what you've booked, and there's beer or wine included depending on your tour package. The bilingual guide stays with you the whole time, so you're not guessing what you're looking at or what anything costs. Then comes the part that makes your legs remember this day: the walk up Peñol Rock. It's the massive stone formation rising out of the water, and yes, you climb it. All the way to the top. The view from up there is the kind of thing you'll pull up on your phone for months afterward—the lake spreads out below you, the town of Guatapé sits in the distance with its painted colonial buildings, and the reservoir stretches toward the horizon.

Before you head back to Medellín, you get time to walk around Guatapé itself. The streets are narrow and the buildings are painted in bright, almost neon colors—each one a different shade. It's the kind of place where you can grab another coffee if you want one, or just wander and watch how the town actually works when tourists aren't the main event. Bottled water is included throughout the day, so you're not buying drinks at inflated prices. The whole thing runs on a private basis, which means the pace is yours and the guide adjusts to what you want to see or skip.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup from Medellín, a private motorboat tour of Guatapé lake with views of the submerged town and flooded mansion, exotic fruit sampling at a lakeside cabin, lunch (sandwich or BBQ) with included beer or wine depending on your package, entry and the climb to the summit of Peñol Rock, a walk through the colorful streets of Guatapé town, and a bilingual guide for the entire experience. Bottled water and snacks are provided throughout.

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for pregnant travelers

Operated by FURŌ

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the main Guatapé and El Peñol highlights—the lake, the rock, the town—without arranging transport, entry fees, or timing it yourself; the private format and bilingual guide mean you're not figuring out logistics or translation on the day.