Guatapé Lakeside Adventures

The Replica of Old Peñol is a theme park that evokes and keeps alive the memory of the old town that was flooded between 1971 and 1978 to make way for the Peñol-Guatapé Reservoir. The replica recreates and reproduces what were the most emblematic sites within the main park, such as the park, the parish church and the town hall, along with other beautiful balconies and colorful structures that function as commercial premises where it is possible to find, among other things, beautiful local crafts and souvenirs. This park, besides having become the main tourist attraction for this municipality, is a project to recover the historical memory of a town whose flood and relocation is full of melancholic memories for its inhabitants, but also of heroism and bravery. In their struggle, they rose again like the phoenix and managed to keep alive the legacy of a municipality whose history is divided into two: the Old and the New Peñol, as it is traditionally known.

Without a doubt, the Piedra del Peñol has become one of the biggest tourist attractions in Antioquia. Also known as “El Peñol de Guatapé”, this natural wonder is 220 meters high and has more than 700 steps that will help you reach the top, where you can delight in the view of the 2,200 hectares of the dam. Discover more activities that you can find in Guatapé here Let's start with the first thing, what is La Piedra del Peñol? It is a batholith, which are large masses of rocks that are formed due to the cooling of the Earth's surface. Now that you know what it is, it's time to get down to business: the story behind the Piedra del Peñol. Before having the importance that this natural wonder has today, they say that the Piedra del Peñol was an element of worship for the indigenous people who inhabited this land before the Spanish and, between us, that it was the victim of multiple kidnapping attempts by the devil, and because of this it has a large crack on one of its sides.

Despite its relatively recent construction, which took place in 2010, the Plazoleta El Zócalo has become one of the tourist reference points in Guatapé and one of the most photographed places in the municipality. Its conception was to commemorate the 200 years of the municipality, with the aim of making the inhabitants appropriate the roots of their town and, through invitations in favor of the zocalization, display on the front of their homes figures that narrate the local history and its inhabitants. This is how Plazoleta El Zócalo was born, a pedestrian space that connects with Calle del Recuerdo, Parque Principal and the Malecón Turístico, emblematic symbols of local tourist activity and that together tell a story with meaning and color. The plaza has become an ideal meeting point for locals and foreigners since it is possible to enjoy a gastronomic and commercial experience, and contemplate its colorful buildings and its stands full of plinths.