Guatape, Colombia

My last stop in Colombia was definitely my favorite. I went to the lakeside town of Guatape for a night, and ended up staying for about a week, until I had to catch my next flight south. It was only a couple hours from Medellin, but a world of difference! I'd spent too much time in big cities, and it was nice to be out in the country a bit more, with outdoor activities!

On my first day I did what everyone does in Guatape: climb the 740 steps up the nearby La Piedra. The view was worth it!

The next day found me hiking to a nearby waterfall with some fellow hostellers.

I then spent a lazy day exploring the town. All of the buildings have cute fresco-like paintings on the sides. Some advertise what's sold inside, and others are just cute.

The next day a few of us at the hostel hired a driver, and went to the neighboring town of San Rafael. Here, we went on another hike to a waterfall/swimming hole, had lunch in the town and met some cute kids, and walked along a river looking for monkeys (no monkeys) and swam some more. 

Finally, my last full day in Guatape I spent learning to do something new: I took a standup paddleboard lesson! I've always wanted to try it, and water sports were big in the town. It was pretty fun!

You can see the piedra in the background here!

 My next two days involved 3 bus rides, a hostel, 3 flights, a 12-hour layover, an other un-blog-worthy activity-but I ended up in southern Chile, ready for the next leg of this adventure!!