What San Carlos is
Keep going east from Guatapé, past San Rafael, and the land gets wilder. San Carlos is river-and-forest country: rivers, waterfalls and natural pools under jungle-covered mountains, with hundreds of bird species and real adventure terrain. It is one of eastern Antioquia’s quiet capitals, and most visitors to Guatapé never hear of it.
Rivers, waterfalls and natural pools
Water is the reason people come. Clear rivers, waterfalls and natural swimming pools thread through the forest. It is the same river country that begins in San Rafael and only deepens as you continue.
River country east of Guatapé. Interim image from adjacent San Rafael; San Carlos photography to follow.Adventure and forest
Beyond swimming, San Carlos is hiking, canyoning, tubing and climbing, with cycling on the rural roads and birdlife throughout the forest. It rewards people who like their nature unpolished and uncrowded.
Piedra El Tabor
San Carlos is home to Piedra El Tabor, the fourth of the region’s major piedras. The story that begins at Piedra del Peñol above the reservoir ends out here, farther east. See all four piedras →
A town that came back
San Carlos lived through one of the hardest chapters of Colombia’s recent history and has, over the past years, become a story of return and renewal. Today it welcomes travelers as one of eastern Antioquia’s recovering adventure towns. It is worth visiting with respect for that history and for the community rebuilding around it.
Getting there and planning
San Carlos sits east of Guatapé and beyond San Rafael, which is the natural gateway. If you are already thinking about the region east of the reservoir, this is where it goes deepest.
Discover San Rafael, the gateway east →The four piedras →
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