One of the greatest dangers in Bogotá is falling in love with the city and wanting to stay. It’s what happened to me and it’s why I’m currently going through the process to buy property here in Bogotá.
With that said, like any big city Bogotá has areas that are very safe and some areas that are quite sketchy. Bogotá isn’t just a ‘big’ South American City. Bogotá is actually the fifth largest city in the Americas.
Here’s what you need to know about safety in Bogotá Colombia.
Is Bogotá Colombia Safe To Visit?
Is There Violent Crime In Bogotá?
Bogotá sits just behind New York in terms of population. And just like you wouldn’t wander around alone at night in unknown parts of New York, you shouldn’t wander around at night in unknown parts of Bogotá. The same dangers you face in cities like New York are present in Bogotá.
Bogotá (like the US) has quite a sizeable homeless population. And large numbers of homeless and near homeless people are addicted to alcohol and drugs. The drunks are less of a problem when it comes to violent crime. Particularly as far as tourists are concerned.
Yet the drug addicts can turn violent when in need of money to fund their habits. Violent crimes and robberies involving knives are quite common in Bogotá. And the robberies are most often conducted by drug addicts.
Violent crimes and robberies involving firearms are much less common. You won’t need to worry about drive-by shootings. The penalty for carrying illegal firearms is much higher than for carrying knives. And most petty criminals and drug addicts will carry knives.
To completely avoid encountering petty criminals with knives and to reduce the risks of robbery, choosing to always travel in an Uber or other ride-sharing option (particularly at night) will reduce your chances of robbery to near zero.
Criminals are opportunistic and if you remove their opportunity to rob you, you reduce your risks. You can never completely eliminate the chance of robbery in any big city. But you can reduce the opportunities to be robbed and in turn reduce your risks.
Are There Armed Robberies In Bogotá?
Armed robberies involving knives are quite common in Bogotá. That doesn’t make Bogotá Colombia unsafe. It’s just that you need to be aware that these things do occur and take precautions to avoid finding yourself in this type of situation.
If you do find yourself getting robbed, even if you haven’t seen the weapon, just hand over everything you have in your pockets. Criminals in Bogotá don’t want to hurt you. So just hand everything over to the robbers and they will leave.
In order to minimise the risk of armed robbery you should dress like a local. That means wearing long pants (no shorts) and a jacket. Avoiding flashy clothing and watches, carrying large amounts of cash and having things like big digital SLR cameras strung around your neck.
If you are going to walk alone at night you should walk with purpose and like you know where you’re going. Tourists meandering around unknown areas staring at Apple Maps on their big glowing iPhones are a target.
If you don’t know where you’re going or are unsure of the area in which you’re walking, take an Uber directly from one destination to the other. Don’t take public transport like the TransMilenio or random taxis at night.
Also ensure that you do have comprehensive medical insurance coverage when visiting any foreign country. Not just Colombia; because as I’ve learnt over the years you can plan and take all the right precautions but sometimes, s**t just happens.
Are There Drugs In Bogotá?
There are drugs in Bogotá. Not because it’s Colombia but because it’s a large city on the South American continent. All big cities in Latin America have drugs. It’s a fact of life.
Yet unlike cities in Peru for example, you’re much less likely to encounter drugs if you don’t go looking for them. In places like Lima or Cusco everyone you walk past will try to sell you cocaine. That’s not the case in Bogotá or even the rest of Colombia.
Drug dealing in Bogotá is conducted quietly. If you don’t go looking for drugs you will likely not encounter them. But if you do go looking for them remember, the people selling drugs are criminals and you’re willing inviting criminals into your life.
Is There Organised Crime And Cartels In Bogotá?
If you watch the news in Bogotá you can’t help but hear about organised crime. Yet the chances of a tourist ever encountering organised crime in Bogotá or being harmed by them is incredibly low.
Stay out of bad neighbourhoods and any business that might be conducted by organised criminal syndicates and cartels and you won’t have a problem. Unless you get involved in their business ventures you won’t see or hear about them and you won’t have a problem.
Don’t worry about organised crime when visiting Bogotá. But do worry about the taxis, particularly at night. The taxi’s drive so badly in Bogotá the GPS doesn’t give directions, it prays.
Are There Kidnapings In Bogotá?
Express kidnappings or ‘Millionaire rides‘ (Paseo Millonario) as they’re referred to locally are almost a thing of the past. They’ve been on the decline for years. Probably due to the cities increasing security and the security afforded by electronic payment methods and ride-sharing apps.
What used to happen is that unsuspecting people would get into taxis at night and be taken on a ride from one ATM to another to withdraw money. Often held at gunpoint until all their money was withdrawn from their accounts.
Now with ride-sharing mobile applications the companies like Uber know who the driver is and have in app panic buttons that send the police to your location. Also, banks can detect weird activity like going from one ATM to another in the middle of the night in Bogotá and they will lock your accounts and call the police.
Express kidnappings or ‘Millionaire rides‘ are fast becoming an unprofitable and dangerous enterprise for the criminals. And as such they are fading into the dustbin of history in Bogotá Colombia.
Do I Need Travel Insurance For Bogotá Colombia?
You should never travel to any foreign country without comprehensive medical insurance coverage. I could rant for days about friends, family members or myself experiencing unexpected events ranging from snowboarding accidents, car accidents through to attempted armed robberies.
You can be the most experienced traveler and still find yourself in a bad situation. Sometimes s**t just happens.
One such occurrence for myself in Bogotá was dealing with a knife wielding drug addict and getting stabbed. The second time I’ve been stabbed in Latin America.
It’s the types of situations that you cannot predict which are my own rationale for always having medical insurance coverage when I travel. I don’t leave home without comprehensive medical insurance coverage. And I get all my policies from visitorscoverage.com
Visit visitorscoverage.com or use the widget below.
Where Can I Get More Information On Bogotá?
I’ve made my Bogotá Colombia City Guide available on this website. And I would strongly advise you to read it before traveling to Colombia. It will help you navigate Bogotá and Colombian society.
My Bogotá Colombia City Guide will save you a lot of time and a significant amount of money on your trip to Colombia. Colombia is not the sort of destination in which you can just arrive unprepared.
Read the Bogotá Colombia City Guide here.
