Laureles, Medellin swimming pools
Just a brief note to summarise the (non-hotel) swimming pool situation in the Laureles area of Medellin since it is not easy to find/understand all this information.
There are 3 primary organisation types that are relevant:
- Inder. Run by the mayorality this sports department offers access to many different sports facilities for residents and visitors alike. Swimming can be accessed for free through Inder.
- Liga de Natacion de Antioquia. The swimming league of the department of Antioquia they share access to many of the same facilities with Inder; however they provide paid access to these facilities.
- Private organisations. A third category that runs some pools.
It's worth noting that for all pool types the required swimwear is a swimming cap (even for bald people) and lycra (not board) shorts. There are 2 shops at Estadio that sell these, one near the Inder entrance and the other behind the stairs at the Liga entrance. There may also be a shop at Belen.
Pools
The main pools of interest are the Estadio and Belen sites. Belen has a single Olympic pool (see the private swimming section for details on a second 25m pool in Belen) and Estadio has a range of pools including Olympic, sub-aquatic and many others.
Swimming with Inder
To use Inder pools with a reservation you will need to register with Simon 2.0. Simon 2.0 is the booking platform for various sports facilities including the pools at Estadio and Belen. Once registered you can book access to a pool session for free, however as of Spring 2025 there is high demand and because many pools, including the Olympic pool, at Estadio are currently being refurbished the available reservation slots fill up quickly.
Another approach is to join the queue for entry at the pool in Estadio. Each hour (or outside the hour at the discretion of the ticket office) a certain number of people are let in from the queue for free, again depending on occupancy. I don't have first-hand experience with it but in the week it apparently doesn't take too long if you go early. The non-reservation entry queue may also exist at Belen but I haven't validated this.
You will need your original id, either passport or Cedula (no photocopies), to enter with Inder.
Swimming with the Liga
The Liga de Natacion de Antioquia also operates at the Estadio and Belen locations. They don't seem to be mentioned if you ask about swimming in general at Inder locations.