Colombia has a new way to reach one of its most photogenic towns. Alma Air has launched a seaplane service linking Medellin's Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport directly with the El Penol-Guatape Reservoir, trimming a road journey that usually takes around two hours down to roughly 15 or 20 minutes.
This is the first commercial seaplane passenger service in Colombia in almost 70 years, so it's a small piece of aviation history as well as a handy shortcut. The aircraft is an amphibious Cessna 208 Caravan fitted with floats and retractable wheels, meaning it can take off from a conventional runway in Medellin and then splash down on the reservoir. It carries six passengers plus two pilots, and since there's no terminal at the far end, you step off the plane essentially at your destination, with boats or transfers taking you to the town or your hotel.
Right now it runs as a charter, so you hire the whole plane rather than buying a single seat. A one-way flight costs about US$1,080, with round trips around US$1,757. That pricing clearly targets small groups splitting the cost or travellers who value time over money. For six friends going together, the one-way fare works out to roughly US$180 each, which starts to look more reasonable against a two-hour bus or car ride on winding roads through Marinilla and El Penol.
Guatape itself justifies the hype. The town sits about 75 kilometres from Medellin and is famous for its brightly painted buildings decorated with zocalos, the ornate relief panels along their lower walls. The big draw is El Penol Rock, a 220-metre granite monolith climbed via a long staircase built into a crevice. From the top you get sweeping views over the reservoir's maze of islands and peninsulas. The water itself offers boat tours and water sports. Interestingly, the reservoir only exists because a 1970s hydroelectric project flooded part of the original town, forcing residents to relocate. What began as displacement became the region's defining scenery.
Alma Air sees this route as a test case. It's reportedly eyeing other water-capable destinations including Bahia Solano on the Pacific coast, the colonial river town of Mompox, and Ayapel in Cordoba. For places without nearby airports, amphibious aircraft could open them up to tourism without heavy infrastructure investment.
For travellers, the takeaway is straightforward: the classic road trip to Guatape remains the budget option and a scenic one, but if you're short on time or travelling as a group, a 20-minute flight that lands on the water turns the transfer itself into an excursion. Expect the service to evolve as Alma Air moves from charters toward potentially scheduled operations. — Source: Colombia One
