Guatape, a small Andean town in Colombia’s Antioquia department about two hours from Medellin, is known for houses painted top to bottom in vivid colors and decorated with hand-carved zocalo reliefs.
Its signature attraction, El Penol Rock, is a 220-meter granite monolith reached by a 740-step staircase, rewarding climbers with sweeping views over the reservoir and its scattering of small islands.
Weekday mornings suit the rock climb best, before weekend day-trippers arrive from Medellin.