Yes, Colombia can be safe to travel, but you need to travel consciously and know where you are going. I spent four weeks traveling through Colombia, most of it on my own, and I didn’t experience an unsafe moment. That doesn’t mean there are no risks, but the Colombia I experienced felt very different from the dangerous image many people still have in mind. A little preparation goes a long way. Check the places on your route before you leave, listen to local advice and pay attention to your belongings. For me, traveling safely was never about being afraid. It was about staying aware and then getting on with the trip.
Is Colombia safe to travel?
Colombia is a large country, and the safety situation is not the same everywhere. Popular travel destinations can be very different from remote areas or regions close to international borders. Before you leave, check the latest official travel advice from your own government for the exact places you plan to visit. Do this again during your trip if you change your route or travel somewhere more remote. My route took me through Bogotá, San Agustín, Cali, Salento, Medellín and the Caribbean coast. During those four weeks, I personally never felt unsafe.
Check the exact regions on your route, not only Colombia as one country. Also check whether official travel advice can affect your travel insurance.
My experience in Colombia
Before I went to Colombia, I heard the same questions over and over again. Colombia? Alone? As a woman? Isn’t that dangerous? Of course, Colombia has a difficult history. Drug cartels, armed conflict and violence have left scars on the country and on the people who lived through it. You shouldn’t ignore that history, but you also shouldn’t assume that this is everything Colombia is today. What I experienced was much more normal. People were friendly, helpful and often interested in where I came from and why I was traveling through their country. I traveled by bus, taxi, plane, boat and even horse without a bad experience. That doesn’t mean I stopped paying attention. I asked at my hotels which areas were fine to walk around, kept an eye on my belongings and changed my plans if something didn’t feel right.
Keep your valuables close
You don’t need to leave your camera locked in your hotel room for the entire trip. I certainly didn’t. How else was I supposed to take all those Colombia photos? But there is a difference between using your camera and showing everything valuable you own at the same time. Leave expensive jewelry and watches at your accommodation and don’t carry more cash than you need for the day. Be conscious when you take out your phone too, especially in busy places or streets you don’t know. Put it away again when you are finished instead of walking around with it in your hand. Also be alert if somebody suddenly becomes very interested in distracting you, offering you something or trying to pull your attention away from your bag or phone. Most people you meet are simply friendly, but scams and pickpocketing can happen in busy tourist areas.
I keep emergency money and an extra bank card separate from my daily wallet. If something does disappear, at least you haven’t lost everything at once.
Is Colombia safe for solo female travelers?
I traveled around Colombia as a solo woman and felt comfortable doing it. Being an experienced traveler probably helped, but most of my habits are very simple. Ask your accommodation where you can walk safely in the evening and when it is better to take a taxi. If a street suddenly becomes empty or doesn’t feel right, turn around or arrange a ride. You don’t get a prize for walking the final 20 minutes alone in the dark. The same goes for going out. Have a drink and enjoy yourself, but stay alert enough to know where you are and how you are getting back to your hotel.
Keep your drink with you, don’t leave it unattended and don’t accept drinks or other things when you don’t know exactly where they came from. Unfortunately, people can put substances in drinks, so this is something to take seriously. And please, don’t use drugs in Colombia. Apart from the health risks, drugs make you more vulnerable and can bring you into situations and contact with people you really don’t need during your trip. You want to stay in control, especially when you are traveling alone.
For more tips that I use wherever I travel, read my solo female travel safety tips.
Staying safe on buses and taxis
I traveled a lot by bus in Colombia and found it an easy way to get around. My small bag with my passport, phone, camera and money always stayed close to me. Don’t put your most valuable belongings in an overhead luggage rack and then fall asleep for a few hours. Keep them on your lap or somewhere you can feel and see your bag. I also use small number locks on my luggage and I use AirTags in most of my bags. A lock won’t make your bag impossible to open, but it adds another hurdle. I even lock my larger bag when leaving it in my hotel room for the day. For taxis, use a recognized service, arrange one through your hotel or use a trusted transport app. When you arrive somewhere late or don’t know the area, ask your accommodation what they recommend instead of guessing.
Paying for a short taxi ride at night is sometimes the easiest safety decision you can make.
Where to be more careful
I mainly traveled along an established Colombia route and didn’t explore remote border areas. That is important context when I say that I didn’t feel unsafe during my trip. If you want to travel further off the usual route, do some extra checking first. Ask your accommodation, guide or transport company about local conditions and check the latest official information before you go. Protests, demonstrations and roadblocks can also affect your plans. You don’t need to investigate Colombian politics every morning over breakfast, but stay away from demonstrations and listen to local advice if roads are blocked or plans suddenly change.
Natural risks in Colombia
Safety isn’t only about crime. Colombia is a seismically active country, so earthquakes can occur. You don’t need to spend your holiday worrying about them, but it is useful to know what to do if you feel one. Check the emergency information at your hotel and follow local instructions if something happens. Heavy rain is probably more likely to affect an ordinary travel day. It can cause flooding, landslides and road delays, especially in the mountain areas.
If there has been a lot of rain, ask your accommodation or transport company about road conditions before continuing your journey.
Travel Advice and Insurance
Travel situations change, so use this blog for my experience and practical advice, not as a replacement for official information. Shortly before departure, check the latest travel advice from your own government for your complete route. Check again if you decide to add a more remote destination while you are already in Colombia. Look at your travel insurance at the same time. Make sure you know what is covered and whether official travel warnings can change that coverage. I also keep a digital copy of my passport and important documents somewhere I can access without having my phone. Save your insurance emergency number as well. Hopefully you never need any of it, but arranging it at home is easier than sorting it out after something has happened.
Other safety tips for Colombia
A little Spanish helps more than you might expect. You can ask whether a street is safe to walk, explain where your hotel is and understand when somebody tells you not to go somewhere. I make contact with locals too; they can help if anything happens.
Listen to local people. Hotel staff, drivers and restaurant owners know their own neighborhood much better than you do. If several people advise you to take a taxi after dark, take the taxi.
Walk with confidence and look like you know where you are going, even when Google Maps is secretly doing all the work. At the same time, don’t be afraid to stop somewhere safe and check your route if you are unsure.
Most importantly, don’t spend your entire trip looking for danger. Pay attention, use common sense and then enjoy where you are. The large majority of people I met during four weeks in Colombia were simply friendly people going about their day.
Let Me Inspire You Takeaways
So, is Colombia safe to travel? From my own experience, yes. I traveled through the country for four weeks as a solo woman and didn’t experience an unsafe moment. I did travel consciously. I kept my valuables close, asked locals for advice, used sensible transportation at night and stayed mainly on a route I had researched beforehand. Prepare yourself, stay alert and then let safety move to the background. Colombia has colorful cities, coffee country, mountains, Caribbean beaches and some of the friendliest people I met on my trip. You came to experience that, not to worry every five minutes.
Continue planning your Colombia trip
Want to see how I planned my journey? Continue with my 3 to 4 week Colombia itinerary and use my route as a starting point for your own trip. For everything else you need before departure, including entry requirements, money, health, weather, transportation and mobile data, continue with my Travel tips Colombia guide.
