Practical Information for visiting Bogota

Coverage for mobile networks is good across the city with 4G and expanding 5G from Claro, Movistar and Tigo.

Local SIM cards are very cheap and easy to buy with a passport, and data bundles cost little. This is worth doing on arrival, since ride-hailing apps are the main way of getting around.

Wi-Fi is standard in hotels, hostels and cafes, and Bogota has a substantial remote-working and startup scene with plenty of co-working space.

Signal is reliable throughout the urban area and thins on Monserrate’s far side and in the paramo.

Power cuts are uncommon; the supply is 110 volts on flat two-pin sockets, the American standard.

Bogota is far safer than its reputation and considerably safer than it was, but street crime is real and requires attention.

• Do not display valuables. The local phrase is no dar papaya — do not give an opening. Keep your phone away on the street, carry little, and use an inside pocket.
• Use apps for taxis, never hail one on the street. Express kidnapping from hailed cabs, though much reduced, has not disappeared.
• TransMilenio at rush hour is the main pickpocketing location.
• Scopolamine: drinks and offered cigarettes or sweets can be drugged, most often around nightlife districts. Never accept anything from a stranger.
• Areas: La Candelaria empties and becomes unsafe after dark; parts of the south and west should not be entered without local knowledge.
• If robbed, hand it over without resisting.

Altitude is the first thing to plan for. At 2,640 metres many arrivals feel breathless, headachy or unable to sleep for the first day or two. Rest on arrival, drink water, go easy on alcohol, and do not fly straight in and then climb Monserrate on foot.

Bogota has excellent private clinics and is a medical tourism destination; costs are low by Western standards but paid upfront, so insurance matters.

Vaccinations: routine cover plus hepatitis A and typhoid. Yellow fever is not needed for Bogota itself at this altitude but is recommended if travelling on to lowland Colombia, and a certificate may be required.

No malaria or dengue at this altitude — a genuine advantage of the city’s height.

Sun is intense; burning happens fast in cool air.

Tap water is safe to drink in Bogota, which is unusual in the region.

Emergency number: 123 across Colombia for police, fire and ambulance. Operators are unlikely to speak English.

Medical. Private clinics in the north of the city are excellent and used to foreign patients; payment is expected at the time and claimed back from insurance. Pharmacies are widespread and dispense broadly.

Altitude: hotels can arrange oxygen, and pharmacies sell it. Symptoms that worsen rather than settle after two days need medical attention.

If robbed, report it at a CAI police post or the tourist police for the report your insurer will need.

Protests and marches are frequent and can close main avenues and the TransMilenio at short notice; avoid them rather than observing.

Most countries maintain embassies in Bogota.