Day Trip to Guatapé and El Peñol from Medelin with Kids : Honest Mom Review
- dimple verma
- 19 hours ago
- 7 min read
Part of my Colombia with Kids series, read my full Colombia family itinerary here.
A day trip to Guatapé from Medellín with kids was one of the most rewarding family experiences in all of Colombia and one of the most COLORFUL!!
If I had to pick just one day from our entire Colombia trip that my kids still talk about, it would be this one. No contest!!
A day trip to Guatapé and El Peñol from Medellín with kids might sound ambitious with two hours each way, a giant rock with 708 steps, a colorful town, and two small children in tow. But here's what actually happened: alpacas in the rain, a mini chiva parade through rainbow streets, a playground that saved our sanity, and desserts my husband inhaled in approximately one breath. This day had everything.
If you're planning a Colombia family travel trip with kids and wondering whether Guatapé is worth it with little ones, it absolutely is. Here's exactly how we did it.
Is Guatapé Safe for Families with Kids?
Yes !! Guatapé is one of the most relaxed and family-friendly day trips from Medellín. It's a major tourist destination with a well-established visitor infrastructure, and we felt completely comfortable with our two kids throughout the entire day. As always, stick with a reputable guide, which also makes the logistics significantly easier with little ones.
⭐Quick Facts: Day Trip to Guatapé from Medellín with Kids
Distance from Medellín: 79 km
Journey time: 2 hours each way (allow extra for traffic and weather)
Best for: Kids aged 2 and above (sweet spot)
El Peñol steps: 708 steep steps, roughly take 20 minutes to the top
El Peñol entrance fee: ~COP 25,000 per adult (~$6 USD), kids under 6 often free
Animal farm: Small entry fee, carrot feeding included
Mini chiva ride: ~COP 5,000–10,000 per person
Recommended: Private English-speaking guide from Medellín (DM me for contact)
Best time to go: Weekdays to avoid weekend crowds
Stroller-friendly: Only partly. Take a compact foldable stroller that works in town. Recommend a baby carrier if planning to climb El Peñol.
🗓️ Sample Day Itinerary: Day trip to Guatapé with Kids from Medellín
7:00 AM: Breakfast at the hotel
8:00 AM: Depart Medellín early to beat city traffic
10:00 AM: Animal farm stopover (alpacas, llamas, carrot feeding)
11:30 AM: El Peñol rock climb (or views from base with smaller kids)
1:30 PM: Lunch at the reservoir restaurants with views
3:30 PM: Arrive in Guatapé town
4:00 PM: Umbrella Alley, zócalos, photo stops everywhere
5:00 PM: Shop around and try Postre Marajuca and Postre Limón at Dulce
6:00 PM: Snacks & Parque Infantil del Malecón playground break
6:30 PM: Depart for Medellín
8:00 PM: Order food (via Rappi app) at your hotel before arriving
8:30 PM: Arrive back (traffic dependent, allow extra time)
9:00 PM: Dinner and sleep
Getting to Guatapé from Medellín with Kids
The route from Medellín to Guatapé took around 2 hours each way. However, coming into Medellín was much harsher as Medellín's traffic is no joke. We hit significant congestion coming back into the city, which stretched our journey considerably.
TIP: Factor in the traffic time when you're planning your departure time. Earlier is always better.That said, the drive itself is genuinely beautiful once you clear the city, rolling green hills, Colombian countryside, and kids who are (hopefully) distracted by a tablet and snacks.
Biggest TIP: hire a private guide rather than taking a tour bus. We used Alejandro, an English-speaking guide arranged through our Medellín driver Ricardo.
Alejandro planned the entire day perfectly, the pacing, the stops, the order of everything and having someone who speaks English and knows the route with kids made the whole experience feel effortless.
DM me for Ricardo's contact details — he's the real reason for our memorable Colombia trip.💰Cost for a Family: Day Trip to Guatapé from Medellin with kids
One of the best things about Colombia (in general) is how affordable it is for family travel. Here's our real cost breakdown:
Private driver/guide from Medellín: ~$120 USD for the full day (split across your family)
El Peñol entrance fee: ~COP 25,000 per adult (~$6 USD), kids under 6 free
Animal farm entry + carrot feeding: ~COP 10,000–15,000 per person
Lunch at reservoir restaurants: ~COP 30,000 per person
Desserts at Dulce: ~COP 8,000–12,000 each
Rough total for a family of 4: ~$150–180 USD for the full day
Stop 1: Guatapé Animal Farm: Feed the Alpacas, Llamas
The farm, El Alto del Chocho, sits roughly halfway along the route between Medellín and Guatapé. This was the stop that my kids remember most vividly, even now.
This farm has alpacas, llamas, emus, pigs, sheep, and more. My kids' eyes went wide the moment we stepped in.
For a small fee, you can feed carrots to the alpacas and llamas, and if you've never seen a four-year-old offer a carrot to an alpaca taller than she is, you are missing out on one of life's great joys. My happiness was genuinely on cloud nine.
Suddenly, it started raining heavily!!! If you know anything about Colombian rain, it doesn't just drizzle, it absolutely pours! We couldn't move. But here's the thing: all the animals ran inside to shelter from the rain, too.
So there we were, just our family, a collection of alpacas, llamas, and emus, hot coffee in hand, rain hammering the roof, watching the Colombian hills disappear into cloud. It was the kind of moment you don't plan and can't recreate.
TIP: Don't skip this farm. It's not in most Guatapé day trip itineraries and it absolutely should be.Stop 2: El Peñol with Kids: 708 Steps
The Rock of El Peñol is the giant granite monolith rising dramatically out of the reservoir with a zigzag staircase and views that stretch endlessly in every direction. El Peñol has 708 steep steps carved into a crack running up the face of the rock, and it takes roughly 20 minutes to reach the top.
My older one (4 years old) ran up with zero complaints. She treated it like a personal challenge and genuinely had no issues. The climb took about 20 minutes, and she was fine throughout.
I carried my younger one (then 2-year-old) in her baby carrier and made it to around step 304 before I felt genuinely uneasy. It rained before, so the steep stairs were slippery, and carrying a small child on your back while climbing a rock face started to feel risky in a way that's hard to shake. I made the decision to climb back down, and I'm glad I did.
My honest advice for El Peñol with smaller kids: if you have a child small enough to need carrying, skip the climb (especially with the rainy weather) and enjoy the views from the base.
The reservoir views from the bottom level and from the surrounding restaurants are genuinely stunning - almost as dramatic as from the top, and infinitely less stressful. You are not missing the trip of a lifetime by staying at ground level. You are making a smart call.
For kids aged 3 and above who are confident walkers and climbers, El Peñol is a brilliant experience
TIP: Stroller Note
Leave your stroller with your driver at El Peñol — there's no practical way to navigate the rock with one. A carrier works for smaller kids up comfortably.
For Guatapé town afterwards, a compact foldable stroller works fine on the flatter sections. We used our Contours Itsy which folded small enough to carry over the cobblestones when needed. Read my full travel stroller reviews for more.Stop 3: Things to do in Guatapé Town with Kids: Most Colorful Town in Colombia
After El Peñol, we drove into Guatapé town itself (which is less than 20 minutes away) and nothing quite prepares you for how extraordinarily colourful it is. Every single building in this town is covered in intricate, brightly painted friezes called zócalos, i.e., geometric patterns, animals, flowers, scenes from daily life, running along the bottom of every door and every corner.
The photo opportunities are genuinely everywhere. We couldn't walk ten steps without stopping to take another picture.
This post is part of my Colombia with Kids series. I've traveled extensively through Medellín, the Coffee Axis, Guatapé, El Peñol, and beyond with my two children, aged 2 and 4. Every recommendation in this guide is based on real family experience, not research from a desk. For my full Colombia family itinerary, cost breakdowns, and honest safety reviews, start here.
Things to do in Guatapé with kids:
The Mini Chiva Ride - if your kids do one thing in Guatapé, make it this. The chiva is a traditional Colombian motor vehicle, brightly painted and open-sided, used here as a mini people carrier that parades through the town streets. My older one absolutely loved it. It costs almost nothing (~COP 5,000–10,000 per person). Don't overthink it, just get on.
The Umbrella Alley - A covered passage strung with hanging umbrellas in every colour. My kids thought it was the most magical thing they'd seen all day (high competition given the alpacas). It's small but completely charming and produces brilliant photos.
The sheep icon - Guatapé's slightly unexpected town mascot appears everywhere you look, from murals to souvenirs. My kids found this hilarious and spent a good portion of our town walk spotting sheep hiding in plain sight.
Parque Infantil del Malecón - Just two blocks from the Umbrella Alley, there's a small playground, and after a full day of farms, rock climbing, and town wandering, this was exactly what my kids needed. They found their spot, I found a bench, and everyone was happy for twenty minutes. Small but perfectly timed.
Must try desserts at Cafe Dulce- We tried two desserts at Cafe Dulce that I still think about: Postre Marajuca and Postre Limón. My husband ate his in one breath and immediately considered ordering another. Sweet, fresh, and completely unlike anything we'd had elsewhere in Colombia. Budget around COP 8,000–12,000 each, absolutely worth it.
Was the Guatapé day trip worth it with Kids?
Without question, yes. This was the day our Colombia trip went from great to unforgettable. The Guatapé animal farm alone would have made the drive worth it. Add El Peñol, the colour explosion of Guatapé town, a chiva ride, and you have a full day of Guatapé, Colombia, family travel that covers adventure, culture, nature, and genuine family joy all in one beautiful loop.
My kids still talk about the alpacas in the rain. Some days just stay with you.
Planning your Colombia trip with kids as a family? Read my full Colombia family itinerary and travel guide — everything from Medellín to the Coffee Axis, with real costs, honest safety reviews, and kid-friendly activity guides.
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