Job Discussion Forums

[AdiBoo]

Hey All,

So I'm traveling north through South and Central America, and am soon to travel from Ecuador through Colombia to the coast, where I'll try to grab a boat to Panama (Colon).

My question is yet another about safety issue in Colombia, namely regarding intercity travel. While I know that this question has been asked and answered a thousand times over on forums such as these and the Lonely Planet page, I always find the answers unsatisfying. To explain:

I feel that there are more or less two approaches to traveling safety... there is one camp that always recommends taking precaution, the kind of people who say that you should never take intercity buses in any latin american country at night, the kind of people who recommend going on night walks alone no matter where you are, etc. And then there is the other camp which completely throws caution to the wind... it is these people who tell you walking around piss drunk in the outskirts of Georgetown, Guyana at 2 AM is no problem because my friend Ned from Melbourne did it once.

Anyway, the whole thing leaves me feeling rather distrustful of both groups, and what I'd really like to know is where I can find actual UP TO DATE statistical data on Colombia safety. As in: how many kidnappings happen per year, what roads those kidnappings happen on, the circumstances of the robberies (international businesspeople, tourists, domestic, etc.), and so on and so forth.

I have a little bit of wiggle room in terms of cash, so I'm willing to take an intercity flight or two if the risk seems substantial, but I'd rather avoid it. Of course, I'd also rather avoid calling my parents from some guerilla station in the jungle telling them to send down thousands upon thousands of dollars...

If anyone knows a good source of this information, I'd aprpeciate it. It would certainly help me come to a more informed decision that was my own.

Cheers,
Adam

[lozwich]

Adam,

With the exceptions of places like Buenaventura and the Darien Gap, this information can change fairly rapidly. I would suggest you update yourself as you travel, by asking the locals and other people travelling. The Lonely Planet Thorn Tree has very current reports of people travelling in the area.

For statistical data, try Googling the US and UK state department websites and the CIA site. I personally don't believe this information is any more or less trustworthy than the other sources you cited, all of it is based on the experiences of foreigners, not locals, who are just as likely (if not more so) to be kidnapped.

A lot of your personal safety in Colombia depends on you. I keep myself up to date on where not to go, and then apply some good sense and feel fine living here.

Happy travels,
Lozwich.

[TravellingAround]

Lozwich - How about the safety in the cities rather than travelling? What has been your experience of that?

[lozwich]

[TravellingAround]

Thanks for the info lozwich. Just one more question - I'm more likely to be in Cartagena or Barranquilla - have you been around those much at all?

[lozwich]

Like I said in my last message, I didn't have any problems in Cartagena. I haven't been to Barranquilla.

I did forget to mention about the bombs. Sometimes there are bombs. Not bombs on a large scale, but sometimes there are. I think the US state department website details intelligence about that, but they're usually directed at political figures, or around election times.

From my personal experience of the London bombings, I don't think there's much you can do to avoid them. If you're there you are, and if you're not, you're lucky. A few years ago there was a bombing planned here that went wrong, missed its target and blew up some homeless people a few streets away. I believe that comes under the "but for the grace of God go I" category.

Oh, and er, if you're near a university and there's protests, try to avoid the teargas.

But in spite of all that Colombia's a wonderful place! And like the sticky says in this forum, don't be scared away.

Lozwich.

[John Hall]

I would avoid Ciudad Colon in Panama. A few years ago, that place had a nasty reputation. Lonely Planet just used to tell travellers not to set foot there unless they were looking to get mugged. Perhaps it has changed now, but I would still check it out...

[little bear]

I found that travelling on buses inter-city in Colombia, which I did between Bogota and Medellin (twice), Bogota and Villa de Leyva (again, twice) and Bogota and Cali was not dangerous. However, I'm quite lucky because I look vaguely Colombian so who knows maybe because no-one heard me speaking they assumed that I was local and less worth robbing. But I never found the atmosphere in any of the bus depots or on the journeys to be threatening or dangerous and I never saw anyone acting suspiciously. Also the busses are heavily used and it's hard to mug someone with all those people around (and security/police in the depots). In the end if you're going to feel really stressed about it, maybe it's not worth doing, but I certainly didn't find a reason to be too concerned

[Tiger Beer]

So Abidoo,

How was your time in Colombia?

[john_n_carolina]

Tiger Beer, yearning to come back to L.America from the Far East??

my wife and I are heading your way, but more in the south near Gyeongju or Daegu or Busan

[Tiger Beer]

[john_n_carolina]

....check out the "Teaching In Cuba" post...in the General Latin Forum
a few weeks back

being a man of well-travelled, taught, time in L.America, what's your
take on Cuba??

[Tiger Beer]