Short Answer: Yes. But the food included with the tour isn’t exceptional.
If you’re researching things to do in Medellín, you’ve likely come across the Guatapé day trip.
There are quite a few tour options on Tripadvisor and Viator.
The trip to Guatapé is relatively inexpensive, with prices as low as $30 USD, so it’s worth taking advantage of if you have the time.
If you’re curious, I decided to travel with Tours Guatape.
What does it include?
Most of the tour packages include transportation to and from Guatapé (about 2 hours from Medellín); a short boat ride on the lake; entrance to La Piedra del Peñol (depending on the tour you choose, the 25,000 COP (about $6 USD) cost of entry may be separate); a guided tour of the city of Guatapé; and lunch.
Some of the tour options include breakfast as well, but the one I took did not.
Tell me about the food.
As I was researching, each of the tours noted that a vegan/vegetarian option was available.
As ever, when traveling as a vegan, I double checked that a vegan option would be available (as you probably know, you can’t leave anything up to chance when you’re traveling for a full day!).
The tour group met at 7:30 am. The first opportunity for food was at a road side restaurant that we stopped at around 9:15 am. Unfortunately, the food options weren’t vegan-friendly, so I just opted for a coffee.
We hiked La Piedra del Peñol around 10:30 am and then had our meal in Guatapé around 12:30 pm.
Lunch was at a lakefront restaurant that serves large groups. Because the food is made in high volume, the quality it not quite as high as restaurants that work in smaller volume.
There were four options for the meal: a traditional bandeja paisa (a mixed meat plate common in this region of Colombia), chicken, fish, or vegan.
The plates were large, so it was plenty of food, but it felt like there was more emphasis on quantity over quality. The plate had beans, avocado, rice, a fried plantain, a cabbage slaw, and French fries. It was fine, but I wasn’t wildly impressed with the flavors. It’s simple food, but it’s filling. Just go in with realistic expectations about the quality of the food.
What if I don’t want the food that’s included?
If this meal doesn’t do it for you, there are a few other options you can pay for out of pocket.
Guatapé is a small and very charming city. In the city center, there are a several vegan-friendly restaurants (listed below) which I definitely would have tried if I wasn’t on the tour.
The tour does allow for about 1 hour of free time to explore the city yourself, so that would be a great opportunity to grab a bite to eat.
Because I ate with the tour, I didn’t get to try any of these restaurants, so I can’t make any recommendations about which restaurant to try. However, the reviews of each of the restaurants are really positive.
There are also a few gelato shops in town, so if you’re wanting a sweet treat, that’s an option. I visited Picocono and they did have a vegan coconut option. I chose to make it an affagato (the gelato with a shot of espresso). Unfortunately, the ice cream was more icy than creamy, so I wouldn’t recommend it.
If I were to go back, knowing what I know, I would probably go to one of the vegan restaurants to find a nice vegan sweet treat.
As a final note, there is also a small health food store called Vida OrganiKa Guatapé. They offer a selection of vegan, gluten-free, and health food items. This would be a great spot to grab a snack for the bus if you need something for the 2 hour trip back to Medellín.
Tell me a little more about the tour.
I had a great time on this tour. There were about 40 participants on the day that I went. There were several other solo female travelers, so I got to meet and spend time to some awesome women.
Everything is every well planned throughout the day. The meeting places in either Laureles or El Poblado are central and easy to find. The bus ride to and from Medellín is beautiful. There are very few decisions you need to make on the trip, so it’s a pretty stress-free day.
If you do plan on doing the 600+ step climb up the Piedra del Peñol, wear decent shoes.
It rained while my group was climbing up, and the stairs are very steep in certain spots and the water runs directly on them. Wear shoes that you can comfortably climb in.
The climb up looks intimidating, but it’s really not that bad. I did the climb in about 15 minutes. If you’re in decent shape, it shouldn’t be too bad. There are a lot of people climbing and descending the steps at the same time, but there are a few places you can stop to catch your breath. The view is 100% worth the climb.
The day as a whole is very long – we met at 7:30 am and were dropped off at 7:30 pm. Though there are vegan options along the way, it may be best to bring a little snack for the trip just in case.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this tour. It offers a lot and is makes for a really fun day.
