Terrifying stairway to the stars: 650 steps zig-zag up 650ft high rock in Colombia.
EL PEÑON DE GUATAPÉ, literally “the rock of Guatapé”, is an unusual attraction in Colombia. It’s a giant monolith in the middle of flatlands that looks like it’s been sutured, but those ‘stitches’ are just the 740-step staircase that will transport you to the top.
Two hours away from Medellín, Guatapé is located next to the massive man-made lake that was created for a hydroelectric dam built in the 1970s. Now it is a lakeside with many sidewalk restaurants and cafes plus water activities in the area. And there is also El Peñón de Guatapé – the gigantic rock with incredible views.
The rock of Guatapé (El Peñón de Guatapé) is 656 feet or 200 meters tall and is mainly composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica minerals. It is described as weighing about 10 million tons, though this may not be an exact estimation. The rock itself is about 70 million years old. The region surrounding the rock has a varied geological history. During the early Mesozoic Era, about 251 to 145 million years ago, most of Colombia was underwater – as evidenced by marine sedimentary deposits that date to that time.
In 1954, the rock was scaled by two friends, encouraged by a local priest, who made it to the top of the rock by using wooden planks inserted into cracks in a large fissure in the stone. They were the first adventurers known to climb the rock in historical times. At a later date, a series of stairs were built into a major fissure in the rock making the journey easier.
Climbing to the top of the monolith involves climbing up steep stairs built into the side of the rock (740 total stairs). The cost is 18,000 pesos per person to climb the rock. It is worth the climb for the incredible views. From the top, you can see the huge lake as far as you can see.
Since Guatapé is a popular tourist spot there are many lodging options with a range of prices. Besides Hotel los Recuerdos, two other hotels are Hotel Portobelo and Hotel Guatatur.
The white letters on the side of El Peñon were a failed attempt by the residents of Guantapé to claim the monolith as their own, but the residents of El Peñol, a bordering town who wanted to claim the rock as theirs, stopped them before they could complete the U.
