World of Good by AFAR - Dailymotion

World of Good: how people around the world are inspiring positive change

Transcript

00:00 See that? That's a big rock. And that's me, about to climb it. For a bit of

00:09 context, I was touring Guatapé, an Antean town in Colombia's Antioquia

00:14 department. Guatapé was known as a farming and mining town until 1970, when

00:20 a dam was built to provide power for the area. This created a stunning landscape

00:24 of lakes and islands and turned it into a hotspot for travelers.

00:33 The touristic town has a reputation for its colorful streets, but most of its

00:38 fame comes from Guatapé's really big rock called La Piedra de Peñol. The name

00:45 translates to "the rock of Peñol" and I must say, it really deserves its title.

00:51 Guatapé is only about two hours away from the city of Medellín by bus, making it a

00:56 great day trip. So, one weekend, my friend and I decided to go. After getting on the

01:02 tour bus and grabbing breakfast, we were off. First stopping in Guatapé. To be

01:07 honest, after seeing the rock, I was a little intimidated and almost backed out.

01:13 But after some encouragement from the tour guide, I went for it. Then was the

01:19 hard part, the hike up the stairs. Or so I thought. I assumed the hardest part of

01:26 the climb would be walking up the nearly 700 stairs, but as it turns out, visiting

01:32 on a Saturday means tons of other people are visiting too. The hike up seemed more

01:37 like a really long line, with people wanting to stop and take pictures every

01:42 few minutes. But with those views, couldn't really blame them. And I'd be

01:47 lying if I told you I didn't take any pictures too. Even with the long line, it

01:52 only took my friend and I about 45 minutes to get to the main platform at

01:56 the top. There were even food stands and bathrooms there, though I don't even want

02:02 to think about how those operate on a big rock, as well as access to a smaller

02:06 lookout point. The views from the lookout point were pretty magnificent, but the

02:12 long line to walk down the rock? Not so much. All things considered, touring

02:17 Guatepe and La Piedra del Peñol make for a great day trip out of Medellin.

02:22 Tours range from around 20 to 30 US dollars and usually include a meal, so it

02:28 isn't too expensive. If you can, try avoid going on a weekend since it'll be

02:34 super busy. But if you're willing and able to take a few hundred steps, the

02:39 views will be well worth your time. Do you know any must-see spots in Medellin?

02:43 Leave a comment below. Don't forget to like and subscribe for more videos.

02:49 Safe travels!

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