Medellín Travel Itinerary from a First Gen Traveler
Named the city of eternal springs, after witnessing the luscious green scenery amongst the busy streets of Medellín, no doubt on the title. It’s not your typical palm trees green, it’s bamboo and leaves bigger than both of my hands together. Add in the mountains as the background, surreal city.
In comparison, our Medellín time was filled with more adventure activities along with some nights out and walking around like Cartagena.
I’ll go over our day trips outside of the city that were accompanied by amazing bird views of mother nature offerings, bites and drinks, and our stay.
Airbnb
Crazy Views. Modern. Hotel-like.
Very much an apartment with a hotel luxury-feel. Before we get into the actual unit, I want to highlight some of the amenities. There’s a open nature concept co-work area with a café, gym, and terrace on the second floor. Now the apartment, the elongated landscape windows in every room had me in a stare down any chance I got with the city views. The apartment was modern, sleek, and making me want to stay there to just read a book and look out the window. However, the city had so much to offer. I will say the location of the Airbnb was a bit secluded from food and attractions, especially compared to our Cartagena Airbnb. But with day long trips, it wasn’t a dealbreaker looking back if we had to redo selecting our stay.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Paragliding in San Jose
Surreal. Safe. Adventurous.
An excursion that literally was a leap of adrenaline. Flying over Medellín was a pause in life. From a technical standpoint, everything was well executed. The equipment, location, staff, and the inclusion of the GoPro footage made the experience feel safe, secure, and memory-lasting. With excursions like this, there can be a chance of having the actual experience feel rushed. I can gladly say that the time up in the clouds was enough time to take everything in, appreciate the view, as well as get all the footage. My recommendations and warnings for this excursion would be to be ready for the steep steps up to the launch location, wear pants in case you have a rocky landing, take all the angles while up there (portrait and landscape), wouldn’t recommend bringing your phone, and make sure to speak up if you’re uncomfortable (they’ll help with readjusting the seating).
Overall Rating: 4.2/5
Provenza – Vintrash
Options. Latine. Vibes.
Provenza is a nightlife designated area. Although we went on a slow weekday, we had such a great time exploring the Provenza strip. We heard good things about Vintrash from a group during our paragliding excursion. The club is three stories with each one having its own vibe. We stayed on the main floor, which was the second. The music was hitting with pure Latine reggaeton vibes. The crowd in the club was diverse and dance-y. Do be prepared to pay a small cover. Pro, there’s Wi-Fi inside that’s open for public usage.
Overall Rating: 3.6/5
Guatapé (Piedra del Peñol)
Colorful. Informational. A Workout.
This petite tourist town outside of Medellín had a plethora of activities to offer. The main attraction being the Piedra del Peñol structure with 742 steps up to the top. We had a guided tour that included transportation with the pick-up and drop-off at Parque de El Poblado, tour guide, lunch, boat ride, and a walking tour of Guatapé.
Because it was a Colombian holiday weekend, we ran into some traffic issues. The staff did an amazing job of addressing the traffic concerns. It’s a great tour experience when you have the liberty to roam on your own with a regroup outline. Our main tour guide Sergio was beyond pleasant and personable. Top takeaways from this day were the views at the top of the rock and the traditional Antioquian lunch that was provided. The boat cruise was nice to be on the water and relax before all the walking. Be prepared for crowdedness. Both the walking tour and the hike up are filled with people slowly strolling and taking pictures. As a tip, get all your souvenirs and purchases in the town and not on the Peñal premises as the attraction is privately owned by a wealthy family whereas the town shops are mostly locally driven.
Overall Rating: 4.3/5
Pergamino Café
Friendly. Jungle-Like. Yummy.
Imagine the cutest café shop filled with luscious vibes and a collective of travelers. The days we went to Pergamino, it was a popular remote co-working spot for travelers. I absolutely loved the menu, staff, and environment this café gave before our busy days ahead. They also have souvenirs and branding items for purchase. I’m not a coffee person, but I got peanut butter and fruit toast one day and an açai bowl another time that tasted so rich and fresh on top of it looking so pretty.
Overall Rating: 4.2/5
Comuna 13
Artsy. Touristy. Narrow.
Previously known to be one of the most dangerous areas in the World, Comuna 13 is a place where street art and liveness thrive today. This tourist strip is on a narrow-elevated pathway with escalators and steep streets filled with restaurants, bars, galleries, souvenir stores, and street vendors. One of the highlights for me was the basketball court with kids playing occasionally interacting with visitors from all walks of life.
Overall Rating: 3.2/5
El Botánico
Elaborate. Scaled Experience. Yummy.
Knowing that we highly came for the simple fact that this restaurant delivered the receipt in a hollowed book, we knew this was going to be one of our sophisticated eats. It was a chill Tuesday with a late reservation, so it was practically empty. Aligning with the city, it was decorated with amazing greenery and a plethora of mirrors. The bathrooms also matched the ambiance. That was a vibe with all the wall mirrors. The drinks were a presentation. I ordered El Spicy and it came in a smoked-out treasure chest. One thing about me, I will order the octopus if it’s on the menu. I would highly recommend ordering the octupus.
Overall Rating: 3.6/5
Arepa
Cheesy. Rewarding. Genuine.
One bucket list item was getting an arepa while in Colombia. It was quite literally our last activity before the airport. I’m so glad I got lucky outside of the Comuna area with finding one street stand selling arepas. The arepa was good, however, the connection with the street vendor made the world’s difference. He was around 18 years old if my memory serves me right. He walked us through the overview of the iconic food staple. On top of forming a genuine connection, since it was our last moments in Colombia, we gave him the majority of our Colombian pesos. He appreciated our generosity tremendously. There was also a little girl with her dad making burgers at the next street stand. The remaining of my cash, I gave to the little girl that was too shy to approach the conversation but I noticed that she was around us listening in. She went to her dad to let him know her contributions for the day. Even though she wasn’t a part of the service of our arepas, seeing her near us wanting to interact but feeling shy reminded me of my younger self.
His street stand is located outside of Commune 13 entrance on Carrera 109 near Trece Food and Licor.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Chingona Tips
· Make sure to check the weather frequently, we were caught in micro rain sessions
· If it rains and you’re walking, make sure to wear shoes with grip as the streets are mainly on angles
· Parque de El Poblado is a great souvenir spot for jewelry
· According to our Uber driver, Aguardiente Antioqueño is a popular liquor out there if you’d like to drink like the locals
· Brings activities to keep you distracted on the long bus rides, especially if there’s traffic
