Focus on Safety in Colombia (and we’re in the NY Daily News!)

We at the Colombia Travel Blog were extremely excited to find this article in the NY Daily News. Running with the headline ‘Bogota, Colombia’s exciting capital, is leaving its dangerous reputation far behind’, the article outlines what we’ve been trying to communicate for a while now:

Mention Colombia’s mountainous capital, Bogota, and some imagine a place resembling the urban war zone pictured in the opening credits of Colombiana… Twenty years later, while the Colombian government has restored safety in its major cities and tourist destinations, the Andean nation of 43 million has had a harder time rehabilitating its image and reputation.

But it’s making progress.

It’s great seeing an article like the one written by Monika Fabian because she’s reinforcing what us and many other blogs like us have been saying for a while now: Colombia is moving forward and isn’t the same, dangerous place it’s often depicted as. Not only that, but the article also sings the praises of one of my favourite cities in the world: Bogota.

Quoting our friends at ColombiaReports.com, the article suggests (correctly) that Bogota is just as safe as any other South American major city, and that the precautions taken should be the same as when travelling anywhere else in South America. There are areas of Colombia you shouldn’t travel too, but rest assured, these are firmly away from the tourist trail.

So what are these precautions?

Way back in 2010 Marcela, our esteemed leader, suggested the following:

• As opposed to other countries in the third world, when you see the army and police on the streets doesn’t mean trouble, it means safety.
• You should be ineligible for kidnapping unless you’re worth at least a couple of million dollars but we’ve had a visit from Billy Gates and he quite liked it! In all seriousness, you won’t get kidnapped just for being a “gringo” or for ideological reasons.
• You can travel by bus or drive all over Colombia. As an advice, stick to driving during the day, is not only safer but would also give you the chance to actually see the beautiful and colourful landscapes. Many routes are, however, completely safe at night. Be sure to ask.
• Guerrillas: They are secluded to deserted areas some which don’t even have roads. Every day there are more guerrilleros that are leaving the jungle and joining the government re-socializing programs. Obviously, you should avoid those areas.
• Use your common sense, as you do when you travel to any other foreign country. Try to blend in and take care of your personal belongings.
• It goes for all  Latin countries…Learn a bit of Spanish as a sign of respect to the locals and to help you enhance your experience.
• Relax and enjoy.

Sound advice (as always). We also covered some more tips in this post on safety in Colombia. Now we don’t want to keep retreading the same old ground, since the message is that travel to Colombia is rewarding, awe-inspiring and safe, but we also appreciate that if you’ve heard something bad about a place repeatedly, you’re going to form an opinion – fair or not. With this in mind we appreciate that new people are becoming interested in Colombia all the time, so here are some updated tips for the curious/concerned:

• Try to call taxis (especially at night) rather than hail them on the street. Once in the taxi, lock the doors. Something happening is very unlikely, but at the very least this shows the taxi driver you know what you’re doing, and you’re going to get a fair price.
• Don’t wander the streets at night alone. Generally there are security guards and police in the built up areas, but still you greatly reduce risks by being in a group.
• Speak to locals. They know the no-go areas, and the safe areas, so trust them.
• Keep an eye on your personal belongings. As with many big cities, if you’re foreign, you’re a target. Try not to wear shorts with big pockets that people can easily get into. If you are in a busy area (public transport, for example) keep your hands in your pockets.

As I’ve said before, these are common sense precautions and I’d advise the same to a traveller in New York, London, Buenos Aires or just about anywhere. Most importantly, have fun, because Colombia is waiting for you with open arms.

Any more tips? Please let us know.

Paul