Tips and recommendations on a trip to Colombia

Safety situation in the country is very ambiguous. On the one hand, Colombia has been holding a sad record of the country with the highest kidnappets of people for many years. On the other hand, many foreign citizens live in this country, completely without fear of their lives, and the journey in many areas of Colombia is not more dangerous than in most countries of Southeast Asia, for example. The fact is that most of the partisan groups abducts people on political and economic considerations, so there is no prose from the abduction of foreigners. However, employees of large transnational corporations known locally by the presence of certain funds from them may well become a victim of attacks, but the usual teacher or journalist (and what prevents them?) It is unlikely to cause their interest.

To ensure personal safety when traveling around the country is usually recommended not to leave the territory of the city, especially at night, and also do not move around the country on the evening (night) buses. When traveling around the city in the evening, it is better to use the services officially licensed taxis. All locations of the people and street manifestations should be avoided. Drugs, especially cocaine and its derivatives, are freely distributed throughout the country, so it is necessary to avoid at any cost "Gifts" from strangers in the form of beverages or cigarettes, since they can be stuffed by drug-containing substances or "Borrachero" – sedative preparation, often used to sleep victims in order to rob.

However, the main risks for the tourist are not so much armed robbers as theft and fraud. In the largest cities of the country, Bogota and Cali, the situation is particularly complex. Pockets occur even at the International Airport of Bogota, where they are waiting for tired after a long flight flight. Walking around the city is not recommended to carry valuable things, documents and large amounts of money. It is better to leave all this in the hotel’s safe.

Unfortunately, armed rabies also happen, in connection with which, traveling through this country, high attention should be exercised and caution. Most often, robbery occur in the largest cities, but they can take place anywhere. Conventional robbery scenarios look like this: either a tourist in "Isolated" Situations when he turns out one on a deserted street, or a tourist catches a taxi and he stops not a taxi driver, but criminals who take it into dysfunctional area and rob, threatening with weapons. It should be returned to return to the hotel with the onset of darkness, as the locals do: Colombian cities after 7-8 pm absolutely deserted.

Since the beginning of the XXI century, the country’s government is making an ever-increasing pressure on the groups of rebels and drug carriers, which has slightly stabilized the situation in many, previously very tense, provinces. The army patrols all major roads (on many of them, the gears are located at least 10 km), all important objects are protected, there are quite a few police officers in civilian clothes on the streets, and many street gangs, previously just terrorizing cities ruthlessly destroyed. However, due to the many years of war with drug addicts and various partisan groups, the role of the army has greatly increased, which makes it some difficult to communicate with representatives of the rule of law (however, on a frank conflict with foreign tourists, they are extremely rare).

Electricity

Voltage in the power grid is 110 V, 60 Hz. Standard are American-type sockets with two pins. In large hotels there are also 240 or 220-volt sockets.

System of Mer

Metric measures and weights system.

Tips

Tips in bars and restaurants usually make up 10-15% depending on the level and location of the institution.

In most hotels, additional payments are often inclusive. Swiss, guides, maids and hairdressers await tip in size $ 0.5-1 or 500 peso. Taxi drivers usually do not expect tips, but it is recommended to leave them up to 10% of the cost of the trip – this is noticeably reduces the risk of not there and not in time.

Price level

Reviews and studies of trips

"In search of Eldorado", Colombia

Advertising tour "In search of Eldorado", Colombia, April 11-22, 2016. Know the world. Original nature other than their environment of people, their customs, morals, shape of clothes. Read more →

Vladimir Antonov | April 2016

Practical Panama and a little Colombia in the form of Bogota

Popular question about this trip: Why Panama? Why not? The country has two coasts: the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. Lovers of the sea there exactly have something to do. Read more →

donz ru | October 2015

What to carry from Colombia and Ecuador

While we deal with the luggage after a three-week trip to Galapagos, in Quito and in Bogota, I want to tell you that we brought from souvenirs and that it generally makes sense to carry from these countries. Read more →

Dream catch me | Summer 2015

The best airports

In continuation of the topic about bad airports, let’s talk about the best airports. In our ranking at the first places are three airports – San Paulo, Medellin and Hong Kong. Read more →

Colombia – CON MUCHO GUSTO! Tale about how we were robbed in Colombia

Despite all the terrible stories about South America, and about Colombia, especially, our one and a half-month journey proceeded calmly and without any excesses. Read more →