Hacienda Nápoles is tied to one of the most violent periods in Colombia’s history. Thousands of Colombians were killed in the drug-trafficking violence of the 1980s and 1990s. This short history is here so you know what you’re visiting, not to glorify anyone.
Quick answer: Pablo Escobar and his cousin Gustavo Gaviria put the estate together in 1978 by joining several properties into one estate of about 3,000 hectares. After Escobar was killed in 1993, the state took the property, and since 2007 its central core has been the Hacienda Nápoles theme park in Doradal (Puerto Triunfo).
The private estate (1978–1993)
Pablo Escobar and his cousin Gustavo Gaviria put the estate together in 1978 by buying several properties, which were joined into one estate of about 3,000 hectares. They built houses, internal roads, swimming pools, artificial lakes, a gas station, an airstrip, heliports and hangars. Escobar also built a private zoo with exotic animals, among them elephants, giraffes, zebras, camels, ostriches and hippos. Many were brought into Colombia illegally. A replica of a small Piper plane still sits on top of the entrance gate.
During the Medellín Cartel’s peak, the estate was a meeting and resting place for Escobar, his associates and other members of the criminal organization. Escobar himself valued it at 4,500 million pesos in 1983. After the assassination of Justice Minister Rodrigo Lara Bonilla in 1984, the Escobar family fled for a time to Panama, and the estate was partly left unattended.
Abandonment and seizure by the state (1993–2005)
Colombian police shot and killed Escobar in Medellín in 1993. The estate was then abandoned and looted. Many of the animals went to zoos around the country, but the hippos stayed and started to breed.
The state took the property through asset forfeiture (extinción de dominio). A ruling of February 16, 2004, confirmed by the Antioquia High Court on August 12, 2004, covered about 3,000 hectares. Part of the land went to the national prison institute (INPEC), which built a medium-security prison there. The central core of the estate went to the municipality of Puerto Triunfo in December 2005.
From estate to theme park (2007–today)
In late 2006 a Medellín company proposed a theme park on part of the old estate, and work began in 2007. The park was first presented as a symbolic transformation of the property, with the slogan “Triunfó el Estado” (“The State Triumphed”). A memorial museum dedicated to the victims of drug-trafficking violence, based on press archives of the time, was set up in the ruins of the old mansion and stayed there until the structure deteriorated and collapsed. Since then, the park has added water attractions, trails, life-size dinosaur replicas and wildlife areas.
The hippos today
Escobar kept four hippos on the estate. With no natural predators and plenty of water, they spread through the Magdalena River basin. Colombia’s Ministry of Environment calls them an invasive species introduced illegally in the 1980s. It estimates about 200 animals, which could reach 1,000 by 2035 without control. In April 2026 the government launched a control plan that includes translocation, sterilization and, as a last resort, euthanasia.
How to visit Hacienda Nápoles from Medellín
Today Hacienda Nápoles is a theme park. If you want to go from Medellín, we offer private round-trip transport from Medellín to Hacienda Nápoles: 7:00 am pickup, your driver waits all day, from 1,430,000 COP per group (sedan, 1–4 people).
Hacienda Nápoles history FAQ
How big is Hacienda Nápoles?
The estate Pablo Escobar and his cousin Gustavo Gaviria put together from 1978 covered about 3,000 hectares, according to Spanish Wikipedia. The 2004 asset-forfeiture ruling also covered about 3,000 hectares. The theme park uses only part of that land.
When did Pablo Escobar buy Hacienda Nápoles?
In 1978, when he and his cousin Gustavo Gaviria bought several properties and joined them into one estate.
What happened to Hacienda Nápoles after Escobar died?
After his death in 1993 the estate was abandoned and looted. The state took it through asset forfeiture; part went to the national prison institute (INPEC), which built a prison there, and the central core went to the municipality of Puerto Triunfo in December 2005. Work on the theme park began in 2007.
How many hippos are there today?
Colombia’s Ministry of Environment estimates about 200 animals, which could reach 1,000 by 2035 without control.
Sources
- History of the estate, the state seizure and the theme park (Wikipedia, Spanish)
- Escobar’s hippos and the plane on the entrance gate (Wikipedia, English)
- Hippo population estimate and action plan (Ministry of Environment, Sept. 21, 2026)
- Government hippo control plan (Ministry of Environment, Apr. 13, 2026)
