We're travelling with our 5 year old daughter to South America and have excluded Colombia at this stage due to concerns about our safety.
We're travelling with our 5 year old daughter to South America and have excluded Colombia at this stage due to concerns abot safety. Is Colombia safe to travel around? I understand that Bogota and Cartagena are both great and relatively safe, but can we travel outside those areas or is it too risky?
Reply to this In the last 4-5 years Colombia has been increasingly improving a lot in terms of safety... but it is always wise to be careful, and 'no dar Papaya' (dont give Papaya... the oportunity to be robbed, or expose yourself unnecessarily).
It also relatively safe to go to other places... everybody does so! Just don't go to places where you are told not to (Caqueta, Magdalena Medio, Uraba and other known guerilla areas... dark alleys in the middle of the night, lovely green parks in the middle of the city with not a soul in sight!) Just use common sense and follow recommendations.
The whole area of Boyaca (north of Bogota) is full of lovely towns (Villa de Leyva) and countryside. The Caribbean Coast should also be great (Cartagena, Islas del Rosario, Santa Marta, Parque Tayrona), and the Coffee Region should also be great, with lots of nice towns, and ecological and agricultural theme parks ideal for a 5 year old (lots of farm animals, etc...)
So... like the CNN adverts about Colombia say...'the risk is you might want to stay'.
Go for it!
The way I see it, Colombia is the gate of South America... start here and work your way down.
Reply to this We found Colombia very safe, no worries at all. When we planned our year in SA, Colombia wasn't on the list initially but we met so many people on our trip who told us to go there that we decided to give it a try. And it was well worth it. People are very friendly, and there are some great sights. I think Colombia will become much more touristy and popular in the next few years, so now is a great time to visit. Outside the caribbean coast and Bogota there are relatively few tourists.
In addition to the well known places, I'd recommend towns like Villa de Levya, Barichara and San Gil.
Reply to this Boyaca is beautiful as Danny and Lora have said, also the region of Antioquia for similar reasons (of which medellin is the capital). Santa Fe de Antioquia in particular is the region's answer to Villa de Lleyva, but also Jardin and Guatape.
In the coffee growing region go to Solento and stay at Plantation House - truly stunning views and a lovely owner called Tim who will give you a tour of his farm.
Reply to this I actually felt safer in Colombia than in many other parts of S. America. (That doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful, of course). Moreover, it ended up being one of my favorite places..mostly because of the people.
Adding to the recommendations: Try to get a bit south to Popayán. From there, you can visit the Pre-Inca sites of San Agustin and Tierradentro. Gorgeous countryside.
Reply to this There is also the 'Cañon de Chicamocha' and the region of Santander with beautiful towns such as Barichara and San Gil (oh yeah... barrygahan already mentioned these). And you can also end it up in the Amazon region in Leticia and work your way up the Amazon river to Iquitos and Peru... but if you want to go through Ecuador, then head down Popayan, and Pasto next to the Galeras volcano.
So when are you going? you sent this back in January, and it is June now!
Reply to this Be careful in western Colombia though. I have heard iffy stories about robberies on buses with some international bus companies being in cahoots with the bandits heading down from Cali to the Ecuador border. Also my bus got hijacked on day one in Colombia during a riot in a village just south of Pasto...
Reply to this Colombia. we're 44 millones persons live now here. this weekend i go to "Eje Cafetero" with my wife in my car. 3 days . when come back I comment here.
Happy weekend for all.
Reply to this Medellin is tremendous also and very safe. As with anywhere, don't walk in unpopulated places at night and don't go into the guerilla areas to the west and north-west to be ultra-safe, but the areas around Bogota, Medellin and the Caribbean coast were great and we felt as safe as we have anywhere in Sth America,
Reply to this Colombia is SAFE in general, as long as you take some normal pre-cautions (which even the locals obey): don't flash around with cash or valuables (expensive camera, MP3-Player, etc.), avoid unsafe barrios over night, loop your luggage around an arm or leg in restaurants and on buses, etc. When travelling overland we found that the information provided by army and police was mostly reliable. Uribe stated to pay them o.k., so their dependance on bribery is much lower than before. The people are amazing: helpful, very friendly and they love to share special things about their country. And most are happy to see more foreign tourists...
During our South America trip we felt more "uneasy" in Ecuador (particularly in Quito, where several mates run into trouble) and in Buenos Aires and some other parts of Argentina (Bariloche, Salta, etc.).
Reply to this Colombia is 1 of the friendliest countries on earth.It has its bad people and bad places but so do Melbourne n London ect.If you do wander into bad area ,by mistake, everyone will warn you and point you in the safest direction to leave.
I LOVE COLOMBIA and am currently making it my second home.Always ask your hotel if street taxis are safe in that town as "Express Kidnappings" are still going on here but are alot less than a few years ago.
The US government has spent billions here to establish stability ,and to get a base in socialist Sth America, but it is having the desired affect.Colombia is a completly different country than it was 5 or 10years ago.
The Australian Govt website lists most of Colombia as Reconsider or Do Not Travel areas so when I 1st arrived here I was more nervous than in the rest of Sth Am but within 3days I was in love with this incredible ,beautiful ,friendly country and every other traveller I have met here agrees wholeheartedly.
1 bit of advice I will give you is "check with your travel insurer".I have heard of companies that void your cover if you travel in areas your govt advises against.eg Santander is a "Do Not Travel" area in Aust Govt website but is actually 1 of the friendliest places you'll experience.It is possible you may hurt yourself white water rafting or Absailing ect in San Gil ,Santander, and find out your insurance is invalid.
I hope I've been of some help and any other Qs you have please feel free to message me
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