Zippy Tour Comuna 13 — Local services in Medellín

Having had the privilege of experiencing Esteban's Comuna 13 tour, I feel compelled to share how profoundly impactful this journey was under his exceptional guidance. Esteban isn't just a tour guide - he's a passionate historian, cultural ambassador, and master storyteller who transformed our walk through Medellín's vibrant streets into a moving tapestry of collective memory and human resilience.

What truly sets Esteban apart is his authentic approach to sharing Medellín's complex history. He didn't simply recite dates and facts, but wove personal narratives with historical context in a way that made the city's transformation palpably real. His nuanced explanations about Comuna 13's evolution from conflict to creativity were delivered with both intellectual depth and emotional sensitivity, revealing layers of social history often missed in conventional tours.

Beyond his impressive knowledge, Esteban's genuine humanity shone through every interaction. He patiently answered our group's endless questions with thoughtful responses, often sharing poignant personal anecdotes that connected us to the community's heartbeat. His service excellence was evident in small thoughtful gestures - whether adjusting pace for elderly members, recommending perfect photo spots, or sharing insider tips about local eateries.

The tour's highlight was witnessing Esteban's heartfelt connections with community members. Shop owners greeted him like family, street artists paused to chat, and children waved with bright smiles - clear testament to his authentic engagement with Comuna 13. This wasn't a performance, but a meaningful cultural exchange facilitated by someone who truly cares.

For anyone seeking more than just sightseeing - who wants to understand Medellín's soul through the eyes of someone who lives its story daily - Esteban's tour is essential. His rare combination of professional expertise and warm humanity doesn't just show you a city, but helps you feel its enduring spirit. This experience didn't just educate me about Medellín's past - it fundamentally changed how I understand urban transformation and...

The tour with Stiven was spectacular. For me, the tour was perfect in every way. We spent the majority of the time learning about the context of Comuna 13 in terms of history and all of the complicated social dynamics in Medellin. Stiven was a phenomenal educator. I’ve been living in Colombia for 8 months and it’s been hard to wrap my head around the tangled web that is the armed conflict. Stiven was able to ground us in a general picture of how the conflict connects to the violence in Medellin, each Comuna in Medellin, etc. One of my favorite parts of the tour is that Stiven educated us without glorifying “P.E.” or without even using his name, since he didn’t want people to walk by and hear his tour giving attention to his name. This is something that I loved because Medellin is full of foreigners pursuing P.E. tours, which practically makes me nauseous. I spent 6 days in Medellin and I was generally disappointed with a lot of the overly-touristy experiences. Comuna 13 would have also been a disappointment if I just showed up to the neighborhood, walked around, and didn’t understand anything. It would have been an especially bizarre experience since I came on the Good Thursday holiday before Easter when it was overly packed with tourists, and we could barely walk it was so crowded. Stiven, I can’t thank you enough my friend. The tour was a special experience that I will never forget. I hope that the future is bright for you and all of the other loving people in Comuna 13 who I was...

We did a private all day tour today and it was PERFECT! We booked thru Zippy Tours. Our guide was Esteban. I would request him if possible. Perfect English. Incredibly knowledgeable!

We were able to start at 11 am since our flt the nt before didn’t get us to our hotel until midnight. He also picked us up at our hotel so we didn’t have to navigate city/public transport.

Our tour was 11-5’ish. We met in our hotel lobby to go over what we like/don’t like. We requested:

Comuna 13

City highlights but don’t linger

Minimal on history and old bldgs

Parks

Street markets

Tram/cable car ride

Authentic….Want to learn the local life, not tourist life

He nailed it! He also managed to make several stops for us to sample street vendors. We did this in lieu of lunch. We really rolled 4 tours in to one:

City walking tour

Comuna 13 grafitti tour

Tram tour

Street food tour

$200 for 2 people included everything…..tram tkts, pkg fees at attraction stops, snacks, etc. Only thing not covered was tip of course if you so choose and souvenirs.

Perfect day!!! After seeing the group walking tours around town today we were even happier we opted for private. They were crowded, hard to hear, moved slow, etc.

Lots of walking though with steps, hills, etc. fyi

They will also do private day trips to Guatape but we we doing a group tour instead with...