I Climbed Colombia's Biggest Rock (Medellin Travel Guide)

Medellín, Colombia is one of the most modern and lively cities in Latin America, and its natural beauty has made it a hotspot for travelers and digital nomads for obvious reasons. There's so much to see in and around the land of Eternal Spring that it can feel overwhelming, but I'm here to show you how to travel this region and showcase three must-see destinations. Let's get started. First off, we have Comuna 13, one of the most colorful and popular places in Medellín. This neighborhood is full of vibrant art and friendly people, but didn't used to be this way, and in order to appreciate it, it's important to recognize its dark past. In the 80s and 90s, Comuna 13 was run by a violent drug trafficking cartel and guerrilla groups. Violence became so intense that it even became known as the murder capital of the world. And things only got worse in 2002 when the government launched Operation Orion, which used troops and Apache helicopters to raid the neighborhood, resulting in dozens if not hundreds of deaths and injuries. But now, Comuna 13 is a much different story, and thanks to efforts from the community, it's been renovated into the most vibrant place in town. The walls are covered in more art than you'll see just about anywhere, and the Comuna is now seen as an example of hope and change. Oh my gosh, there's a piggy! Escalators have even been installed in the Comuna, making it more accessible for all to enjoy, and it's an absolute must-see when in Medellín. Comuna 13 officially has more escalators than the entire state of Wyoming. I even made some new friends. ¿Cómo te llamas? Tomás. I'm David, the gringo. Moments like that are what I love about travel, it's just like so much fun to have random little encounters with kids like that. The crazy thing is just 30 years ago, I probably wouldn't have been able to walk out of this place alive. Now it's just this nice little street where you can look at some pretty art and buy some street food. You have mad drip, sir. And that's just the starting point for what there is to explore in Medellín. You'll definitely want to take some rides on the gondola system, which isn't just a tourist attraction, but actually how people get to work around here on the steep hillsides. This place is so awesome, I love it. It's low-key, I could totally live here. I'll build a second tiny home for Columbia. Next, I went on a bike tour, which definitely proved to be one of the best ways to explore. We scoped out some of the downtown architecture and tested out the street food. It's like Silly Putty. I don't know what to think about that. So this is a sugar cane drink we're about to try. So good. The name of this drink is Guadapo, made with sugar cane. Next, you'll hop on a bus and make the two-hour trip from Medellín to Guatupé. It's a small community on a beautiful lake, and after spending time in the city, it'll feel so good to get out into nature. Here, you'll find El Piñon, a 66-million-ton rock that's said to be the largest single rock in South America. It's totally smooth, except for a 650-step stairway you can take to the top. I set out to conquer it with my dude Max, who is another American travel creator who I met in Medellín. We rolled up to this big ol' thick boy and started our 200-meter ascent to the top. Wow, this crowd looks like it's for a rock concert. I get it because it's a rock. Now that we're here next to it, this actually feels a lot smaller than I was expecting. That's what she said. Every child that exceeds this height pays. 75 steps down, 575 to go. Bruh, Max is dying on me. Max takes on the world as taking on cardiac arrest. We made it to the top in about a half hour, and views were next level. Finally made it to the very top of the rock. That actually wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. You hear 650 stairs, and you're just like, oh my gosh, there must be some crazy athletic feat. No, it's like climbing up a tall building. Next, we're hopping on a bus and going from Medellín to Salento. It's a six-hour journey, but trust me, it will 100% be worth it. This is Louis, possibly Louis Vuitton, and he's a French dude I met at a hostel. We set out to explore our third must-see, the Cacora Valley. We're told that this is going to be a five to six hour trek. One reason this valley is so incredible is it's home to the tallest palm trees on planet Earth. But getting to these palms is no easy task, and we embarked on a long, muddy journey through the Colombian jungle, roasting each other's countries along the way. Back where I come from, we call those hamburgers. Meanwhile, these guys up here are eating snails. Do you like escargot? Yeah, but I prefer frog legs. Look, it's showing you the way home. Francia, that way. See you guys. After a while, the thick jungle turned into a mountainous hillside, and it quickly became my favorite place in the whole journey. This is insane. Look at the mountain right there. Don't give up, Louis. Don't surrender. Your people are good at that. Oh yeah, f*** off. We finally made it to the tallest palm trees on planet Earth. Yeah, golden. That is mambo jumbo. Look at that. I can touch my fingers. It's kind of like me, tall and not thick. Some of these trees are over 200 feet tall. That's like 32 of me. And these videos really don't do justice. You just have to see it for yourself. So I got invited to stay at this place called Arboret at Eco Lodge. And before we go on an adventure, I wanted to show you guys around this place because it is absolutely bonkers sauce. This is the main room. We got our bed, 10 out of 10. Over here, we've got some robes. We've got a coffee maker. We've got a drone. And we got us a fridge full of cervezas. No, cervezas. There we go. There's Spanish David. We don't see him around here too often. But here's the bathroom. We've got ourselves a mirror. We've got ourselves one handsome dude. Das Poopenfarten, as the Germans would call it. The shower is actually like the dopest thing in this entire house. I mean, how cool is this? It's like the shower just goes into the outside world. Hello, nature. This is so insanely peaceful. I was probably out in this net until like 2 a.m. last night, just sitting here, listening to the birds. This isn't at all what I pictured Colombia would be like. But I'm really happy I was wrong because this is so much better. So yeah, that's Arboret at Eco Lodge. Definitely check it out. It's a sick place. Let's go adventure. Next, I went over the river and through the woods to a local coffee farm where the student hipster glasses showed me how coffee is produced. First, the beans are planted and grown into these little sprouts that over the course of two years are grown into full-size plants. Here we have about 10,000 trees. Once they're ripe, the coffee cherries are picked and put into a peeler that separates them into the beans and the skins. And personally, I think the cherries are really good by themselves. Next, the beans are put in this big black tray to dry in the sun. And then they're roasted, ground up, and drank. So in a good year, we can produce here about 20 tons. In Colombia, there are about more than half a million coffee farms. Wait, more than half a million coffee farms in Colombia? Wow, that's crazy. Where do you think I'm from in the U.S.? I think in California. It's the surfer bro voice. After the coffee farm, I was flying my drone and this family thought it was really cool. So we started chatting and we were instant friends. I swear, Colombians are the sweetest people. They asked if I wanted to have dinner with them. So let's go eat some dinner. Yo, Jorge has no fear. He is just eating it down the street with like a million people. This dude's a real deal. OG Colombian driver. You gotta watch out when you're ordering that Coke in Colombia. They might not bring you soda. Salud! Oh, wow. That's juicy. That looks like they just slaughtered every animal they saw walking down the street and put it on a plate. I love these people. We got my whole Colombian family right here saying bye to them. We've known each other for like three hours, but this is so hard parting way. There you have it. My little journey through Colombia. One of the most incredible countries in South America that I can't recommend enough and I'll definitely be returning to. One thing I hear all the time from people is that they're scared to visit Colombia because of the crime. And while it's important to take precautions, the danger here is very much blown out of proportion by the media and you'll encounter almost nothing but sweet people. I had an absolutely incredible time here and I'm sure you will too. Hasta luego. Welcome back to the U.S. I got back here and my truck is gone. It just straight up disappeared. It parked right there and now it's gone. Do your best American impression. What do we sound like? So, yeah, basically, uh, yeah, all right. Okay, now this is actually pretty dope. Every time. Maybe we'll see a toucan. Maybe even three cans. What's your username? What's your YouTube? My username? What's your URL?