Hunt the backwards-looking sheepOn the painted zócalo plinths around Plazoleta de los Zócalos, find the sheep glancing over its shoulder. It is the town motto in pictures, walking forward while staring at the past.CultureEasy30 min
Inhale a Merengón before it meltsDuck into Merengón y Más just off the main plaza and order the toppling tower of meringue, cream and strawberries. Eating it neatly is not on the menu.Food & DrinkEasy20 min
Walk a street that drownedStroll Calle del Recuerdo, the rebuilt block honouring old El Peñol that vanished under the reservoir in the 70s. Read the zócalos as a slideshow of a town that no longer exists.Hidden GemEasy25 min
Beat the boats along the MalecónGet to the Malecón waterfront by 7:30am and walk the empty lakefront boardwalk before the jet-ski crowd wakes up. Just you, the mist and the embalse.ActiveEasy45 min
Bounce off a floating obstacle courseTake the kids to Parque Comfama Guatapé where an inflatable obstacle course bobs on the reservoir, daring you to fall in. You will. Closed Mondays.FamilyMedium1 hr 30 min
Run a zócalo scavenger huntGive the kids a list around Plazoleta de los Zócalos: a bread loaf, a sewing machine, a fish, a dove. The painted plinths advertise what families inside once did for a living.FamilyEasy40 min
Take a tuk-tuk that knows the gossipFlag a tuk-tuk near the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen on the main plaza and let the driver rattle you through the back streets with the town's history thrown in for free.SocialEasy30 min
Slip Onto Calle 29 for the Same Colors, Zero Selfie SticksWhile everyone clogs the umbrella plaza, slip onto Calle 29 a block over. Same eye-watering colours, zero selfie sticks, locals actually living their lives.Local DetailEasy30 min
Play Tejo — Colombia's Gunpowder Disc Game — at a Local CanchaFind a cancha de tejo in Guatapé and lob a heavy puck at a clay-packed target rigged with little gunpowder packets. The whole point is the bang. Yes, with a beer.WeirdBold1 hr
Shoot straight up at the umbrellasOn the umbrella-strung lane behind the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, lie back and aim your camera at the floating canopy of colour instead of taking the same eye-level shot as everyone else.Photo HuntEasy20 min