Think twice.
Colombia sits at a 45/100 sketch score, while the US maintains a level 3 advisory and you face active health notices for dengue, yellow fever, and measles.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Colombia
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Think twice.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Global Dengue
- • Yellow Fever in Colombia
- • Global Measles
Vaccines
Recommended:
From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •Colombia has suffered from a terrible reputation as a dangerous and violent country, but the situation has improved dramatically since the 1980s and 1990s.
- •The security situation varies greatly around the country.
- •Landmines: Colombia is one of the most mine-affected countries in the world.
- •Paramilitaries: There was an agreement in 2005 with the government which resulted in the disarmament of some of the paramilitaries.
Staying healthy
- •Drink only bottled water outside the major cities.
- •The tourism website of Colombia has the current information on COVID-19.
- •Tropical diseases are a concern in lowland parts of the country, and more so outside of major cities.
- •Malaria is a potential problem, so trips outside Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena, and the Andean region warrant use of antimalarials, which can be bought very cheaply without a prescription from…
- •Cases of Zika virus have been reported in Colombia.
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
Real talk
What travelers actually say
Travelers report varying safety levels across Colombia, with cities like Medellín and Bogotá often rated lower than smaller areas like Guatape. Common risks include pickpocketing and opportunistic theft, particularly of high-value items like jewelry and phones, which represent significant financial value to locals. Avoiding risky behavior—such as seeking drugs or prostitutes—is essential, as these activities mark tourists as targets. Practical advice includes using ride-share apps like Cabify, keeping phones out of sight, traveling in groups, and avoiding flashy displays of wealth. While some visitors feel safe during the day, others note high levels of dishonesty and scamming, emphasizing the need for constant situational awareness and caution when interacting with strangers.
“if you are looking for drugs/prostitutes..sure, just keep in mind the people in this business may look at you as a target and to them you are now vulnerable and easy to rob.
— r/travel
“with that being said people do not hesitate to rob you a gold watch, chain, cellphone.. that has value. robbing a 1000$ necklace is almost 3 months work worth to them so you have to look at it like that.
— r/travel
“Even in a group, a few of the girls were pickpocketed. With that being said, the only robbery story I heard was when a girl went out with locals in the middle of the night and they stole all her belongings. She gave papaya…
— r/travel
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
A / B · 120V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 112 / ambulance: 125 / fire: 119
Zoom in
3 Colombia cities on SKETCH.WORLD
Real, resident-submitted Numbeo crime data at the city level — the same national picture above, with crime swapped for what people who actually live there report.
Show the receipts (11 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-07-12
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-07-12
- ca-gac — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-07-12
- cdc-health — observed 2026-07-12
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-07-12
- reddit — observed 2026-07-12
- unodc — observed 2026-07-12
- acled-hdx — observed 2026-07-12
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-07-12