“Communa Trece – Medellin Day Trips”

This half day tour to Communa Trece (Commune 13) with Andres of Medellin Day Trips was both educational and fascinating. The commune is located on a hillside overlooking Medellin. It was formerly a dangerous place ruled by violent competing gangs. This has all changed dramatically for the better due to progressive steps taken by the government including an escalator which eliminates several hundred vertical feet of climbing. It is now a safe and interesting place to visit. My wife and I saw many groups of foreign tourists traveling with guides as well as many visiting on their own. Our local guide Manuel was raised in the commune and gave a very good presentation in Spanish. If you don’t speak Spanish, don’t worry. Andres speaks excellent English and interprets everything for you. Be sure to bring your camera. Of particular interest are the murals painted by locals and visiting artists from many other counties. Most murals represent the artist’s vision of an event or sense of the current and previous history of this commune. I suggest you bring comfortable shoes in case you want to wander along the recently built road near the top of the hill where you can find great views. I highly recommend this tour and especially our guide Andres. The tour ends with a “hands on” experience at the community center. We had the opportunity to create our own personal graffiti “tag” on a blank wall (paper) with a paint spray can. Andres was raised in Medellin and is very well educated in all aspects of the city and surrounding area. He was also very attentive to our needs and has a pleasing personality. We booked him to do all of our tours (four in all) during our visit.