Is Bogotá dangerous or safe for a tourist? In this post I will give you my second impression on the sprawling capital of Colombia,.
Yes, you read correctly, second impression not first. Second impressions because it is a return to Bogota, after the 2015 experience.
The Colombian capital is a huge city with several interesting neighborhoods, great restaurants and nightlife, an overwhelming number of cars, and exaggerated traffic. But what about danger? well, read on and you’ll know.
Is Bogotá dangerous or safe? Let’s say beautiful and cursed
Speaking of danger, you can only go into details and neighborhoods.
The historic center (Candelaria) is where most of the tourist attractions and hostels are located. Alive and full of people during the day, the downside is that in the evening it can be a bit dark and frequented by characters not really friendly. I have always walked alone everywhere, even in the evening, and I have not encountered problems. I certainly imagine that for a girl things could be different.
In general, tourists avoid the whole area south of Candelaria because it is rightly considered quite dangerous. Unless you are a journalist or you know exactly what you are doing, better stay on the beaten path.
To the north of the Candelaria there are the districts of Teusaquillo, Chapinero, zone G (g stands for gourmet), and then Parque 93, zone T, and finally, about 13km from the center, Usaquen. These districts tend to be chic, generally safe both in the day and at night, and they offer gated residential areas and shopping malls with more than a few designer shops. Anyone who wants to experience Colombian artisan coffee or the latest food trends must necessarily make go in these districts (Catacion Publica in particular).
Having said that, you know better than me that with a lot of alcohol dark corners can always be considered dangerous. Not to mention some occasional robbery out of the clubs.
Is Bogotà dangerous? It’s time to walk
Getting around, even on foot, is quite simple and I love it.
Public transport is more messed up than in Rome and the absence of a subway is kind of dramatic between 18 and 19.30, during the rush hour of traffic. Keep in mind that the number of cars in the city is simply too large for everyone to get around and every day, in working hours, there’s an alternate plaques system in place.
But how much do cherries cost in Bogotà?
Moving on to the more practical aspects, in Bogotà you can get screwed buying cherries. For example, I paid 100gr of cherries 3 euros! I was rusty, not ready for bargaining. That’s something that could definitely happen to you. In Bogotà and in a lot of other countries. As a tourist, you pay much more than the locals. Sometimes it’s ok, sometimes less ok.
When the newspaper El Tiempo opens the front page of Monday with an article on traffic and the average speed of cars (if you are interested in 21km/h on average during rush hour), then it means that the city has left the era of violence and civil war, to enter that of consumerism where time, you know it well, is money.
Negative experiences in Bogotà
Having said that, I must also tell you that in San Agustin I met a Swiss girl who was robbed in broad daylight, in the Candelaria, by a boy who got off a motorbike and pointed a knife at her. Understand that for her the question of whether Bogota is dangerous or not has taken on a slightly different consistency.
I wrote about this story in the article on security in Colombia and here too I repeat it. Keep your eyes open, use common sense and if you are a woman pay even more attention. But the whole thing must not degenerate into paranoia.
If someone wants to tell me their experience you are welcome!
Bogotà dangerous. The car bomb in September 2019
Unfortunately, the hopes of a painless reconciliation between (pseudo) leftist insurgencies and government have, at least momentarily, vanished. Bogotá was hit by a car bomb in front of the Police Academy, in the north of the city, in January 2019. Many prominent members of the left-wing paramilitary groups, who tried to reintegrate into civil society, were killed (we are talking about a few hundred people in 2018), the ELN has not ceased hostilities, other ex-guerrillas, alarmed by the risk of ending up killed, have taken up arms.
Finally, the war on drugs has not achieved almost any results and the farmers in the most isolated areas of the nation (quite a few, believe me) have not seen the benefits of the subsidized conversion programs. The war on drugs obviously is mixed with guerrilla movements, criminal gangs, social justices issues and a loto of other terribly complex themes.
By the way, watch this VOX video, they are much better than me.
In short, is it all bad also for us tourists? no, simply put, things are very complex. If you are an international political analyst there is much to say and discuss, wether the war on drugs was effective or even only helpful.
Having said that, if instead, you are a tourist and want to go to Colombia to discover the thousands of beauties of this fantastic country … don’t be scared. You will most likely not notice anything. Always pay attention, especially to possible snatches and robberies (much more likely than ending up kidnapped or involved in an attack), listen to your instincts, and just go!
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 use of force. As of this moment, 19 people are dead and the streets of Bogotà, Medellin and Cali are not so safe. Colombia is obviously also plagued by the 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.
Latest updates on Colombia and Bogota dangerous: the 2022 elections
The latest update about the political situation in Colombia concerns a rather sensational result in the 2022 general elections: the victory of Gustavo Petro, candidate of the Colombia Humana coalition, a progressive coalition.
Petro is an economist, politician, and former leftist guerrilla and is considered the first true leftist president in the history of Colombia. His election has rekindled the hope of ending the peace process with the guerrilla formations still active and of arriving at a better management of the drug production problem, after declaring that “the war on drugs has failed”.
The post where I tried to answer the question if Bogotà is dangerous for a tourist is nearly finished. If you are still not convinced and you are looking for an answer to the question is Colombia safe for tourists ? click on the link.
And then some of my classics :
Oslo what to see and how to save money
Panama and the Las Tablas carnival
Quito and La Capilla del Hombre
5 reasons why you have to go to the Caucasus
Let’s have a walk in the Peruvian capital. Is Lima dangerous?
