Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
Italy • 9 days, 8 nights
Flavors of Italy: Roman Carbonara, Florentine Steak & Venetian Cocktails
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The exterior of the Hall of Records.
Atlas Obscura Mailbag: Urban Exploration, Illegal Carvings, and Repeat Vacations
1 day ago
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat
2 days ago
Places like Forest Grove linger on the edge of wilderness and civilization.
Listening for Echoes of the Forest Grove Sound
2 days ago
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Colombia Salto de Guadalupe
AO Edited

Salto de Guadalupe

Ride a steep cable car alongside a tall waterfall that feeds a near century-old power plant.

Guadalupe, Colombia

Added By
jimmysoda
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Salto de Guadalupe cable car   Iván Erre Jota / CC BY-SA 2.0
Salto de Guadalupe cable car   Iván Erre Jota / CC BY-SA 2.0
  jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
  jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
  jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
  jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
  jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
  jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
  jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
  jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
  jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
  jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
  jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
  jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
  jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
  jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The waterfall of the Guadalupe River at El Salto is the site of Guadalupe I, a hydroelectric power plant dating back to 1932 that serves Medellín and the surrounding region. The companion Guadalupe III at the base of the waterfall was built in 1966. The boundaries of the Gómez Plata, Carolina del Príncipe, and Guadalupe municipalities meet at the base of the waterfall.

A two-cabin cable car from the top to the base of the waterfall started operating in 1962 to serve EPM and the surrounding communities. The cable car has a 730-meter (2,395-foot) horizontal length to cover a 565-meter (1854-ft) vertical span, with a maximum speed of 4.4 meters per second (15.8 km/h or 9.8 mph). The cable car system was built by Bell (Kriens, Lucerne), and the cabins by Metalleger (Sierre, Valais) from Switzerland.

The power plants and surrounding facilities are owned by Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM), the power utility company that serves the city of Medellín and the surrounding region.

Related Tags

Power Stations Waterfalls Cable Cars

Know Before You Go

Each of the two cable car cabins can carry 12 people (1200 kg, 2645 lbs). EPM employees and locals have boarding priority since their transportation is the cable's car primary purpose. The cable car has a small symbolic fee (100 COP for 20 rides in 2016, roughly 0.03 USD). The cable car station is inside the EPM El Salto power plant facilities. Pedestrian access is available since only EPM-authorized vehicles are allowed to enter. Vehicles may park outside of the EPM El Salto gate. The drive from Medellín to El Salto takes roughly 2½ hours on a fully-paved road. Road signage is sparse after exiting Medellín and primary national routes. Several tour operators provide transportation to El Salto, including lunch at one of the towns along the way. Alternatively, more adventurous travelers may catch a municipal bus towards Guadalupe from Terminal del Norte Bus Station in Medellín at Caribe Metro Station, and then obtain local transportation to EPM El Salto 7 km away. If driving from Medellín, take Colombia National Route 62 eastbound (road to Puerto Berrío) and exit towards Yolombó. Take a left on the bridge crossing the Porce River continue to Gómez Plata and Carolina del Príncipe. Take the fork on the right towards El Salto before reaching Guadalupe.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Colombia Discovery: Coffee, Art & Music

Explore Colombia's depth: art, history, culture & transformation.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

jimmysoda

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

June 27, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://turismoantioquia.travel/gomez-plata/
  • https://www.epm.com.co/site/epmmexico/home/conoce-nuestra-casa-matriz/historia-de-epm/historia-energia
  • https://www.revistacredencial.com/historia/temas/la-central-hidroelectrica-guadalupe-i
Salto de Guadalupe
Guadalupe
Colombia
6.788025, -75.232122

Nearby Places

Guatapé

Guatape, Colombia

miles away

El Peñon de Guatape

El Peñol, Colombia

miles away

Parque Arvi

Medellín, Colombia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Colombia

Colombia

South America

Places 93
Stories 24

Nearby Places

Guatapé

Guatape, Colombia

miles away

El Peñon de Guatape

El Peñol, Colombia

miles away

Parque Arvi

Medellín, Colombia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Colombia

Colombia

South America

Places 93
Stories 24

Related Places

  • The view from the end of the tunnel to the platform

    Niagara Falls, Ontario

    The Tunnel at Niagara Parks Power Station

    A tunnel that brings more than a century of history to life from the deepest parts of the Niagara Gorge.

  • Overhead photo of the viewing deck

    Phoenix, Arizona

    Arizona Falls

    A historic hydroelectric power plant serves as the unusual backdrop for a public park.

  • Jägala Waterfall

    Koogi, Estonia

    Jägala Waterfall

    The widest natural waterfall in Estonia is a sight to see in all seasons.

  • Iceland

    Glymur

    A rugged hike leads to a breathtaking waterfall, once thought to be the tallest in Iceland.

  • The cable car is one of two in Europe that crosses open ocean.

    Ireland

    Dursey Island Cable Car

    Ireland's only cable car once carried livestock across a treacherous strait.

  • Small statues of Buddha line the path to the top of the mountain.

    Hiroshima, Japan

    Mitaki-dera

    A mountaintop Buddhist temple with panoramic views of Hiroshima.

  • Pack your inflatable tubes.

    Gatlinburg, Tennessee

    Greenbrier Area

    Waterfalls, rapids, and top-notch swimming spots await in this densely forested corner of the Smokies.

  • Chaoui, Lebanon

    Baatara Gorge Waterfall

    Surrounded by natural bridges, this picturesque waterfall drops hundreds of feet into an underground cave.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.