How To Get To Guatape From Medellin (The Cheap & Convenient Ways)

Traveling To Medellin, Colombia And Wondering How To Get To The Famous Day Trip Destination Of Guatape?

When I was living in Colombia teaching English, I had the week of Semana Santa (Easter) off so I went to explore Medellin and even did the day trip over to Guatape, and although I used the cheapest, longest way to get there, there are a few options depending on how much money you want to spend and how quickly you want to get there.

🚌 How To Get To Guatape From Medellin

Guatape is a fun day trip from Medellin and a good way to exercise going up the 700+ stairs of the rock.

Although there are plenty of things to see and do within the city of Medellin, one of the most popular side trips to take from the city is over to the smaller lake town of Guatape.

Since you can’t get flights directly into Guatape, Colombia (because there is no airport here), you’ll have to go to Medellin first and then use one of the following options to get to this small town.

📍 How Far Is Guatape From Medellin, Colombia? Guatape is only about 2 to 2.5 hours from Medellin so it’s a very easy day trip to make

The Easy, Convenient Way

The easiest way to get to Guatape from Medellin is on a guided tour.

If you’re visiting Colombia for the first time and/or you don’t speak much Spanish or feel super comfortable with the currency, the best option for you is definitely going to be visiting Guatape on a guided day tour from Medellin.

You won’t have to worry about figuring out how to get there, how to pay, or what to do once you’re there, so it is the simplest and most convenient way to visit.

There are tons of tours from Medellin to Guatape, but here are a few of the highest rated options:

⛰️ Viaja Medellin – 5.0 star rating day trip tour from Medellin including the rock, a boat tour, breakfast, and lunch

🛥️ GIGI Tours – 4.9 star rating premium day trip tour from Medellin with a smaller group and a luxury boat ride

🏠 AEROTUREX – 4.9 star rating day trip tour to Guatape and Hacienda La Manuela (formerly owned by Pablo Escobar)

🚁 Ecoexperience – 5.0 star rating day trip tour to Guatape with a helicopter and boat ride

☕️ Tourguides Medellín – 5.0 star rating day trip to Guatape and a coffee farm

The Easy, Expensive Way

Although it would be more convenient, the most expensive way to get there is using Uber or a taxi.

If you don’t want a tour that requires you to stick with a group and be on their time, another way to get to Guatape from Medellin is using a private transfer, Ubers, or taxis.

Ubers are generally the safer option in Colombia, compared to taxis, but if you were to take an Uber from Medellin to Guatape, you might have some trouble getting an Uber back to Medellin so taxis might be necessary (just make sure to use official certified ones).

A one-way ride out here using Ubers or taxis will likely cost anywhere from $70 (220,000 Colombian pesos) to $127 (400,000 Colombian pesos) while private transfers are about $85 one-way, so this is definitely the most expensive way to go, but it is convenient and easy for exploring on your own time.

The Longer, Cheap Way

Although it takes a little longer, the cheapest way to get to Guatape from Medellin is using the bus.

And lastly, the cheapest way to get to Guatape is using the public transportation system, which might sound a little intimidating, but is actually quite simple.

It’s as easy as getting yourself to the transportation terminal in Medellin, searching for the counter selling tickets to Guatape, buying a ticket (usually around $8 or 25,000 Colombian pesos for one-way), getting on the bus, and heading that way.

If you want to feel a little more adventurous, don’t want to pay as much, and want to explore on your own time, taking the bus from Medellin to Guatape will be your best option.

😴 Should You Do A Guatape Day Trip Or Stay Overnight?

There isn't much else to do here so I think a day trip is plenty of time.

Although Guatape is one of the most popular day trip options from Medellin, many choose to stay overnight here, so you may be wondering which is the better option?

In my opinion, there was enough to do in Guatape for the day, but it did not at all seem necessary to stay overnight here. I did live in Colombia so I might have a different perspective, but based on the amount of things to do here, I still think one day is plenty.

🔁 Sum Up: How To Get To Guatape From Medellin

Although there’s plenty to see and do in Medellin, Colombia, visiting the nearby lake town of Guatape is usually on everyones list, but there are a few different ways to get there depending on how much you want to spend, how quickly you want to arrive, and how easy of an experience you want. If you’re new to Colombia and don’t speak Spanish, I’d suggest going on a guided tour or using Ubers, taxis, or private transfers, but if you want to spend less and explore on your own time, taking the bus is pretty easy and very cheap.