Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why anyone would vacation there.

Same

If something happened to someone, they would likely not be posting on this forum. The state department currently has a travel advisory for Colombia. You should look at that.

Anonymous wrote:We have plans to go to Colombia for spring break this year but now I'm wondering if it's safe- we're flying into Cartagena and out of Medellin. Is this a good idea? And any suggestions for things to do. places to stay?

What kind of question is this? Safe as opposed to when? What has significantly changed since you booked your trip? Ugh.

A girlfriend and I went Cartagena in 2009. It was great. I speak Spanish, we are well traveled, and everything was fine.

Wow, I've heard so much about Colombia as a vacation destination in the past 6 months, more so than I had in the last 25 years. My only knowledge is from news reports in the 90s, so that if some one had said Medellín a few years to me, my subconscious mind would have instantly supplied the word "cartel" in response.

Glad to hear that things are/have been good there. How long has this been the case?

I visited Medellin and surrounding villages and it was lovely and totally safe.

Anonymous wrote:
If this was asked about of curiousity instead of willful ignorance it might be acceptable but you should really go read up on the many many beautiful and interesting places to visit in Colombia, from the coast to the highlands

Good response! I plan on visiting Barranquilla soon. Leticia would be crazy.

First of all, I hate when people ask this question because safe is such a general and broad term that it encompasses an infinite number of different explanations. 320 million Americans each have a different perspective on what safe is.

Anyway, I'm a 40 year old man. I've been to Colombia three times in the last three years, alone, and nothing has ever happened to me. I have only maybe once or twice had fleeting concerns about whether a neighborhood or a situation was safe or unsafe. Colombia is a beautiful country with beautiful and friendly people and unless you get into prostitutes or drugs, it's extremely unlikely that you would be the victim of a violent crime.

I've spent roughly 16 days in Bogota and six in Medellin over the years. I just got back from Medellin a month ago.

Bogota is amazing. It's so affordable, it's easy to get around as a tourist with BRT and cheap cabs. Wide variety of ethnic food. North side of Bogota around Parque el Virrey and Parque de la 93 are some of the nicest neighborhoods in the Western Hemisphere. Medellin is fun too but is a little rough around the edges with a lot of visual poverty.

Gringos do stick out in Colombia, so get used to having people constantly asking you for money in the big cities. Other than that, it's a real shame that Colombia has such a negative reputation among ignorant Americans who have been brainwashed with what they see in movies and on TV.

We went to Cartagena last year and did the city and a few islands. It felt safe other than the driving only because some of the roads were pretty bad.

We had a great family trip this summer to Colombia. Mostly stayed in Bogota. Has to be careful, but it felt reasonably safe. Really enjoyed the views, the architecture, the art, the culture, food.

yes - less of a murder rate than Baltimore

Just got back from Bogota, my third trip there. Everything was fine. Cartagena is on my list, along with the surrounding islands.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why anyone would vacation there.

If this was asked about of curiousity instead of willful ignorance it might be acceptable but you should really go read up on the many many beautiful and interesting places to visit in Colombia, from the coast to the highlands

I went to Cartagena last year. Super safe but driving is questionable. Food was fantastic. Affordable art if you’re into that. Super cheap.

I don’t understand why anyone would vacation there.

We have plans to go to Colombia for spring break this year but now I'm wondering if it's safe- we're flying into Cartagena and out of Medellin. Is this a good idea? And any suggestions for things to do. places to stay?