Colombia: Medellin
Medellin is the city in the Antioquia department famous for Pablo Escobar’s cocaine business. Similar to Bogota in size and level of development, Medellin offers a more modern vibe than the traditional Bogota. A ton of tourists from North America come to party for cheap, too.
You can travel to Medellin for cheap but for a 10 hour ride from Bogota, or fly here. I chose to fly since I was short on time, and ended up losing my phone. So most of my time in Medellin was spent on buying a new phone and then trying to get a notarized form.
To get to and from the airport (one of two that most people fly into), you can catch a shuttle for 9k that lets you off at the centro comercial san diego. From there, you can take a taxi. The place where lots of tourists stay is the El Poblado. Walking down the streets here, you’d think you’re in the states. Or a lot of the party also happens in the Laureles area, which has plenty of fun hostels, too!
To get around, taxi is usually the best way. Medellin is a big spread out city, and it takes a while to get between different areas. To get to places for cheaper, you can take buses (they take cash) or you might get lucky and if you find enough people going in the same direction, a taxi will come along and take all of you for the price of the bus. It’s impromptu uber!!
Though there wasn’t a whole lot of big things to do, the whole city was just packed with plenty of things to see and explore. The only area I got to explore was the La Candelaria area of Medellin. Park Botero is the center of the downtown area, and a bit away from the center gets a lot more hectic and crazy — be careful with your bag here! El Hueco is a bargain shopper’s dream area. It has everything you need — mostly clothing, and a whole lot of counterfeit items. Out to the East, there are carts and carts of fresh fruits and street food stations, and smoothies for just 1k!
Outside the city, the famous place to visit is Guatape. Anyone who goes to Colombia has a sick photo from the same balcony. The best way to visit is to do the full day tour for 79k pesos that includes transportation, breakfast, lunch, and a helpful guide through two different towns and to the famous Penol rock.
You stop by for a traditional Antioquian breakfast at a nice outdoor restaurant after being picked up from your hotel. Then you stop by the Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Chiquinquirá in the city of Penol, and another photo op place, then head to Viejo Penol (old penol).
Before Guatape was flooded, Penol was located at a lower elevation and therefore the city had to be moved. You can visit a recreated version of the old city used to be, buy some souvenirs, and get another view of the reservoir.
Then as a part of the tour, you can hop on a mini cruise tour to see where the old church is (under water) and get a glimpse of Pablo Escobar’s old vacation home. Because there are lots of Pablo Escobar things here, too, it’s a great idea to do a tour that combines the Penol rock and Pablo Escobar’s history.
Guatape is a town more than an hour out from Medellin. It is famous for ‘La piedra del Peñol’ — the third largest rock in the world. Climbing its 740 steps offers a great view of the flooded area of Guatape (due to the construction of a dam) that gives the area its exotic look. Pay 18k to climb up the stairs, and you will find a cafe and a gift shop at the top accompanied by an amazing view. You have lunch at the town with the tour group here.
Then the last stop of the tour is at the colorful town of Guatape, where you can try new foods, buy souvenirs, or walk around to take in all the colorful alleys.
The one thing I really wanted to do was try the bandeja paisa — a traditional and the signature dish of Antioquia. Pictured below is a 20k single meal, meant for one person to eat!
