The small town of Guatape had been recommended as a must-visit trip from Medellin. I had also pinned it on my pintrest ‘travel’ board, most of which I have missed or forgotten about; I had to make the effort for this one! I had hoped to stay there for a night but given my last minute style of organisation, the hostels were fully booked and I headed out for a day trip instead. This meant that I unfortunately couldn’t fit a run in, but I did climb up a really big rock so I’ll tell you about that.

The big rock, or ‘La Piedra’ is undoubtedly the main draw of the little town of Guatape. The monstrous formation seems to be bursting from the Earth and is a pretty unusual vision to behold! Stairs have been constructed in recent years which allow anyone, at a small fee, to climb the beast and access the incredible views from the top. It was a lovely bright morning and off the bus from Medellin, I set about conquering La Piedre. After scaling a challenging 659 steps and about 20 minutes I was at the top, soaking up the views to a coconut ice lolly. The rock and town of Guatape lie on little islands in a huge lake, blue waters and lush green islands filled the landscape as far as I could see.

After a while chilling up on the rock I descended to ground level and caught a little open top car into Guatape town. The town was a pretty and colourful place, making the most of the tourism brought by the rock and it’s beautiful lakeside location. After wandering around for a little while and treating myself to a buñelo (Colombian deep fried cheesy dough ball-yes, mmmm), I caught the bus back to Medellin. It was the final of the South American cup that night and Medellin’s Athletico Nacional were in the final; I was hoping for a victory and for the city to live up to its party reputation!