By road, Pereira and Guatapé are about 193 miles (310 km) apart, or roughly 5 h 51 min of driving.
Read the full advisory before you go: Colombia. Advisory issued: Colombia March 31, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Colombia: “Travel only during daylight hours.”
| Distance | 193 mi (310 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 5 h 51 min |
| Main roads, in order | 25BAN |
| Departments on the route | Risaralda, Caldas, Antioquia |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 7.7 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 6 |
Driving Pereira to Guatapé: the shape of the trip
25BAN (20 mi) carries about 10% of the 193 miles. It runs through 3 departments: Risaralda, Caldas, Antioquia. Of the 6 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
Road-by-road breakdown: Pereira to Guatapé
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–109 | 109 | Risaralda, Caldas, Antioquia |
| 25BAN | 109–129 | 20 | Antioquia |
| local roads | 129–143 | 14 | Antioquia |
| connecting roads | 143–144 | 1 | Antioquia |
| local roads | 144–148 | 4 | Antioquia |
| connecting roads | 148–152 | 4 | Antioquia |
| local roads | 152–193 | 41 | Antioquia |
- Mile 15 of this route: Risaralda → Caldas (department line)
- Mile 48 of this route: Caldas → Risaralda (department line)
- Mile 52 of this route: Risaralda → Caldas (department line)
- Mile 87 of this route: Caldas → Antioquia (department line)
Breaking up the drive: stops between Pereira and Guatapé
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Catedral de Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, Caldas (mile 138), Basílica Menor Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Chiquinquirá, La Estrella (mile 142), Casa de la Convención (mile 169)
- Nature and outdoors: Arví Park (mile 155)
- Museums and history: Catedral de Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, Caldas (mile 138), Basílica Menor Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Chiquinquirá, La Estrella (mile 142), Water Museum EPM (mile 152), Casa de la Convención (mile 169)
Catedral de Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, Caldas
This Catholic cathedral in the Colombian municipality of Caldas is dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy and serves as the seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Caldas.
Basílica Menor Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Chiquinquirá, La Estrella
Part of the Archdiocese of Medellín, this Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá stands in the municipality of La Estrella, Antioquia.
Medellín Metropolitan Theatre
Medellín's largest theater, the José Gutiérrez Gómez Metropolitan Theatre is the city's main stage for performances.
Water Museum EPM
Part of Medellín's Barefoot Park, the Water Museum EPM receives about 1,000 visitors a day, most of them students.
Arví Park
On the eastern slopes of the Aburrá Valley above Medellín, Arví Park is both a nature preserve and a pre-Hispanic archaeological site, reaching into Envigado, Bello and Copacabana.
Casa de la Convención
Built in colonial style, the Casa de la Convención is a history museum honoring the Constitution of the United States of Colombia, which was written in this building.
When you get to Guatapé
Embalse del Peñol
Embalse del Peñol (Embalse Peñol-Guatapé) is a reservoir in eastern Antioquia that covers a quarter of Guatapé's land. Visitors come for water sports and rides on motorboats, jet skis and yachts.
More drives to Guatapé
- Quibdó to Guatapé
- Manizales to Guatapé
- Cartago, Colombia to Guatapé
- Armenia to Guatapé
- Tuluá to Guatapé
- Cali to Guatapé
From Pereira to other places in Colombia
- Pereira to Girardot City
- Pereira to Zipaquirá
- Pereira to Tunja
- Pereira to Sogamoso
- Pereira to Yopal
- Pereira to Popayán
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Pereira to Guatapé?
About 5 h 51 min of driving without stops, over 193 miles.
What is the driving distance from Pereira to Guatapé?
About 193 miles (310 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
Is it safe to drive from Pereira to Guatapé?
The U.S. State Department rates Colombia Level 3: Reconsider Travel. Read the full advisory before you go.
What are good stops between Pereira and Guatapé?
Closest to the road: Catedral de Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, Caldas (cathedral, mile 138, 0.1 mi from the route); Basílica Menor Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Chiquinquirá, La Estrella (basilica, mile 142, 0.8 mi from the route); Casa de la Convención (museum, mile 169, 0.2 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
How we put this guide together
Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on October 10, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.