Is Colombia safe for tourists? or dangerous? that’s a question that is asked frequently when you talk about this South American country. Is traveling there a risky business? what about guerrilla fighters? and Narcos? plastic surgery? And then, my friend, how about mischievous drugs?
Is Colombia safe for tourists? Or do I have to wear a bulletproof vest ?
I spare you all the effort. The short answer is yes, Colombia is safe for tourists. Having said that there obviously are some things to clarify.
I think that, for people aged 40 and over, Colombia is linked to bloody images of dead bodies on the street, footballers killed because of betting and kidnappings (Ingrid Betancourt and many others. By the way, this makes me think of the film with Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan “Proof of life“). If you have you ever heard of the “war on drugs” or the FARC, well, Colombia was the center of it all. More or less like Mexico today.
Newspapers, news broadcasts, and the press, tend to report news from a distant country only if something bad happens (think about it. Heard anything about Ethiopia before the last plane crash? about Burkina Faso or Kenya before the kidnappings of Italian tourists?). That’s why to get an idea of how it could be to travel/live in a country through the media is not the best solution. To put it simply, it doesn’t give you a realistic picture (negative bias).
Of course, it would be absurd to deny that, until recently, the dangers in Colombia were all there. And I’m not just talking about Escobar (who died in 1993, 2 years ago by the way) and the other infamous protagonists of Narcos, or the paramilitary/guerrilla groups (right and left). I’m talking about common street crime that affects all major cities of the world: small assault, robberies, thefts, etc …
Safety in Colombia. Bogotà and Candelaria district
So, in 2019 and in 2020, as I already mentioned, the short answer to the question “is Colombia a safe country to travel to ?” is yes. But.
Speaking to several travelers, especially women, some told me that they were robbed or assaulted in the historic center of Bogotá. That same Candelaria district where I found myself walking again and again, even at night. The problem exists, even today, and most of the people will say that the Candelaria district, especially at night is not a safe district.
I get it but it would be wrong to give to the actual situation a different dimension than what it really is. In the Candelaria district, there are people committing a series of terrible crimes that can happen to anyone in almost any large metropolitan center (Rome, London, New York, I have friends who could tell terrible things about Chicago).
If you want to talk about Colombia you have to start from the borders
Even today the Lonely Planet advises against crossing the Colombia/Ecuador border in San Miguel/Lago Agrio (have a look at Colombia – Ecuador border of San Miguel here). On the LP you can read “The area is notoriously a land of smugglers and guerrillas“. Where do you think I crossed the border? And it’s not that I’m in the mood to look for strong emotions since my stomach has already given me a few moments to remember.
I heard from locals that it’s from 2014 that in this border area there are no problems for tourists. Yes, I imagine that, as in every border, there are all kinds of traffics and strange situations, probably also some guerrillas and more than a few forbidden goods going in and out, but none of these things will touch a tourist who only tries to get to Lago Agrio or Mocoa. To argue that the border is per se dangerous is a clamorous fake that perpetuates the image of a Colombia armed to the teeth and at war, with invisible enemies that jump out of the jungle and kidnap unfortunate tourists.
So is everything all right? No, unfortunately not but everybody knows that if you want to play 100% safe you don’t have to leave your bedroom. As mentioned above, if you walk in the Candelaria, the historic district of Bogotà, you must always keep your eyes open.
What about the Peace process?
If we want to address the question about how safe is Colombia for tourists we cannot avoid talking about the political landscape. The peace process with the FARC has more or less come to a positive end, but now comes a really difficult part: the integration of political leaders and simple guerrillas in Colombian society after 60-years civil war.
Timoleon Jiménez, Timoshenko, head of the FARC, is now a presidential candidate of Colombia with a party that is the political successor of the guerrilla group. His campaign was obviously the subject of attacks (I’m not an expert of Colombian politics but it seems to me that the transition from guerrilla to politician was too sudden and those who have relatives who died because of the guerrilla must not have taken it very well). Several rallies (Cali, Armenia) have been suspended. In addition, more than a dozen guerrillas have been murdered in the last few months (about 120 from the peace signature), some from right-wing groups, some from left-wing groups, some from unknown groups.
Add to this that the ELN (Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional) has not yet signed a peace agreement and indeed continues its attacks (also very recent, see article here). I don’t want to delve into a more complex political analysis because I don’t know that much about it but, you know, I’m more than open for a discussion if you like.
So, what should I do?
In short, the situation is fluid and complex, but those few who have reached the bottom of this article really think that these things can affect a normal tourist? Of course, the possibility is not zero, something could happen, but the probability that we find ourselves involved in an armed confrontation or in front of a camera to implore those who have the opportunity to pay a ransom, while in the background you can see masked men with Kalashnikovs is, to put it mildly, rather remote. And if you go somewhere where there may be risks, ask the Colombians for information before taking your bus tickets.
If you want my advice, again, Colombia is a safe country to travel and you will have to worry more about the noise, car sickness, traffic and the ever-present reggaeton music than Marxist guerrillas with fake D&G T-shirts. From the bottom of my heart, bring earplugs, they will be the most useful thing of your entire baggage.
Is Colombia safe for tourists. First update march 2019
When in this post I talk about elections and politics I was talking about the 2018 elections. The winner was Ivan Duque Marquez, right-wing politician of the Centro Democratico. In the end, Timoleon Jimenez retired from the political race before elections.
Is Colombia safe for tourists second Update Sept. 2019
If you plan to travel to Colombia keep an eye on the news or, better, hear what the local has to say about the area where you are going. It seems that Ivan Marquez (Timochenko) has left his civilian clothes and FARC could be prone to start a collaboration with the ELN group (probably responsible for a car bomb in Bogotá in Jan. 2019).
It’s not the place to say why the FARC could still embrace weapons and I really don’t know if Uribe (ex Colombian president) is partially right in saying that the FARC is to blame because terrorists will remain terrorists. As always I think the reality is much more complicated than a tweet.
Probably most of the tourist destinations will remain safe but better safe than sorry you know…
Second update May 2021
As of this moment, May 2021, Colombia is witnessing a series of strikes and protests on the streets met by the local and state police with an exceptional and disproportionate force. As of this moment, 19 people are dead and the streets of Bogotà, Medellin and Cali are not so safe. Colombia is plagued by the obvious Coronavirus crisis and on top of this a controversial tax reform was pulled when protesters hit the streets on April 28th.
The fact is that Colombia is a complicated country, we know that and with the tax reform the situation hit a boiling point for the unpopular right-wing government of Ivan Duque. The killing of social leaders and retired FARC members, persisting violation of civil rights by the police, unequal distribution of wealth, a coronavirus crisis that obviously has hit the poor much more than the rich. Let’s hope for a real change in Colombia’s politics and economic and social life. I’m sure that these people in the street can bring this change.
This post on “Is Colombia safe for tourists?” is now at the end. If you are stubborn and you want to hurt yourself, I can suggest a few other articles:
Here you go with Nicaragua: safe or not?
5 reasons to travel to the Caucasus
