- Region: Antioquia
- Height of the summit: 2135 m
- Relative height: 220 m
In distant Colombia , between the towns of El Penoy and Guatape Department of Antioquia is an unusual attraction . Despite the distance from the main tourist routes, this area enjoys extraordinary popularity. Let's find out what is so interesting is the rock El Penion de Guatape.
Historical facts
All the most interesting about the remarkable rock can be expressed in figures:
- 70 million years - this is how the age of El Penion de Guatape is determined by scientists. In the pre-Columbian period, the rock was the place of worship of the Tahamis Indians. This is not surprising, because the extraordinary miracle created by nature in the form of a giant rock could not but leave a trace in the culture of the ancient Aborigines. Climbed the Indians up, to this day is unknown.
- 1551 year is the first mention of an unusual rock by Europeans, when the Spanish conquistadors came here.
- Since 1940, El Penion de Guatape has been officially protected by the state as a national monument . Despite this, the land around the stone and under it is privately owned.
- In 1954, the rock was first conquered. This was done by three residents of the neighboring city of Guatape: Ramon Diaz, Luis Villegas and Pedro Nel Ramirez. Having made the ascent, which took 5 days, they decided to immortalize the name of their settlement, carving huge letters of GUATAPE on the rock. However, all they managed to do was to write a half letter on the steep walls. They still "decorate" the mountain.
The legend of the appearance of the rock
Arriving at El Penion de Guatapa, tourists will surely hear from the guide or locals a beautiful tradition. It says that the once lived tribe of Indian fishermen worshiped a huge fish named Batolito. They gave her rich offerings in the form of a catch and even made human sacrifices.
For this "real" gods were angry with the Gentiles and sent a curse on them: they commanded that the heavens fell on them. Then the Indians prayed for the fish of Batolito to save them. The fish jumped out of the water and rested on its ridge directly into the rapidly falling sky. She managed to stop him, and the heavens returned to their place, but for Batolito it was not in vain: she was petrified and fell down, turning into a huge stone. Today it is known as El Penion de Guatape: its name is formed from the names of two cities that have long disputed the right to this object. Local, by the way, call the rock "Muharra" (Mojarra) or simply "stone".
What is interesting about this place?
The rock stands out from the surrounding landscape. In the middle of the valley near the Guatepe reservoir, this 220-meter massive formation weighs 10 million tons. Nature created it from quartz, feldspar and mica. In fact, El Penion de Guatapé is a giant monolithic stone, the same as those lying under our feet - at least in composition. At the same time, the rock reminds of an iceberg, because 2/3 of it is hidden underground.
The rock has almost vertical walls, and only on one side there is a cleft. It was used by people and built a ladder for climbing to the top. Upwards lead 649 concrete steps. The staircase is built in the form of spans that seem to have placed a gigantic seam on the edges of the cleft.
An interesting fact is that there is vegetation on the mountain: an entirely new species of flora, called Pitcairma heterophila, was discovered here.
Tourist ascensions
Tourists come here mainly to admire the stunning view that opens from the top of the rock El Penion de Guatape. At the very top there is a three-story observation deck, from which you can make excellent shots. The view that opens from the top is amazing: it is a reservoir, a lot of its branches, lakes , islets and the green jungle covering them.
Also there are small shops - souvenir and grocery - and a cafe where tourists after a hard climb can enjoy a cup of fragrant Colombian coffee.
The cost of the upgrade is $ 2. This money is used to maintain the stairs in good condition, because the rock of El Penion de Guatape is conquered daily by dozens, if not hundreds of tourists, who came to rest in Colombia . In the dry season here is just a stir.
How do I get to Guatape Rock in Colombia?
The attraction is in the north-west of the country, just 1 km from the city of Guatape. You can get to it from Medellin by bus, which goes here for 2 hours. From the stop to the stone the easiest way is to take a taxi or get on foot on a wide road leading from the city to the southwest.