Practical Information for visiting Colombia

Colombia uses the peso (COP). Cards are accepted in cities, hotels and larger restaurants; markets, taxis, small towns and rural areas run on cash.

Use ATMs inside banks or shopping centres rather than on the street, and be discreet withdrawing.

A voluntary ten per cent service charge is often added and you will be asked whether you wish to include it; saying no is acceptable and common. Otherwise tipping is modest.

Coverage for mobile networks is good in cities and along main corridors, limited in the Amazon, the Pacific coast and los llanos. Local SIMs are cheap and widely sold; eSIMs avoid the registration step.

Wi-fi is standard in accommodation. Domestic flights are inexpensive and often the sensible choice, because the three mountain ranges make road journeys far longer than the distances suggest.

Colombia's safety has improved dramatically since the 2016 peace agreement, and the main tourist circuits — Bogotá, Cartagena, the Coffee Region and Santander's colonial towns — are visited by millions each year without incident. But the regional variation is real and large, and the country still carries some of the strongest advisories in South America for particular departments.

Where the lines are drawn. All travel is advised against in Arauca, Caquetá (excluding Florencia), Cauca (excluding Popayán), parts of Cesar, Chocó (excluding Bahía Solano, Capurganá and Nuquí), and in broad border strips — within 50 km of Venezuela (excluding Cúcuta), within 100 km of Panama, and within 50 km of Ecuador (excluding the Ipiales crossing) — because of kidnapping and violence by illegal armed groups. Non-essential travel is advised against in Guainía, Guaviare, Putumayo, most of Nariño, parts of Amazonas, Antioquia and Meta, and the cities of Cúcuta, Florencia, Ipiales and Popayán. Illegal armed groups carry out bombings and finance themselves through extortion and kidnapping, and attacks often result in casualties. San Andrés and Providencia, by contrast, carry only normal precautions.

Scopolamine and other incapacitating drugs. Scopolamine temporarily incapacitates victims, leaving them disoriented and unable to make clear decisions for 24 hours or more, after which they are robbed or assaulted. It is put into drinks, food, gum, cigarettes and paper, and administered in nightclubs, bars and restaurants, on public transport including taxis, and on the street. Criminals often work in teams, with women easing the victim into a false sense of security, and incidents are most frequent in Bogotá, Cartagena and Medellín. Accept nothing from a new acquaintance and never leave a drink unattended.

Express kidnapping is frequent and happens in affluent and tourist areas as well as poor ones: the victim is taken from the street or a taxi and forced to withdraw cash, sometimes held overnight for a second withdrawal. Express kidnappings and assaults often occur in unlicensed taxis — do not hail on the street. If armed criminals threaten you, stay calm and do not resist; criminals will not hesitate to use weapons on victims who refuse to co-operate, and robbery occurs on streets, buses, taxis, in restaurants and in shopping malls.

Fake police. Individuals posing as officers approach foreigners to verify documents or foreign currency with the intent to rob. Do not hand anything over unless threatened; ask to do it at a station, your hotel or another public place.

Dating apps are used to identify and lure foreigners travelling alone, often over several public dates before the robbery.

Which taxi to get into, and the rest of the practical side of moving around, is on Getting Around.

On buses. City and rural buses are frequent targets for theft, and there have been incidents of passengers being drugged and robbed. Keep bags on you rather than overhead or underfoot, and treat food or a drink offered by a fellow passenger the way you would in a bar.

Petty theft follows the pattern of any large Latin American city — keep valuables out of sight on public transport and in crowded parts of Bogotá and Cartagena's Old Town. Use ATMs inside banks and shopping malls, avoid walking alone in isolated areas or after dark, and keep electronics out of sight.

Altitude is a real, non-criminal consideration: Bogotá is at 2,600 metres, high enough that some visitors feel it for the first day or two, and altitude illness can be life-threatening.

Emergency number: 123 nationwide, for police, fire and medical.

Yellow fever is a risk in Colombia; vaccination is recommended for the Amazon and some lowland areas and may be required for onward travel. Hepatitis A and typhoid are commonly advised, and hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for all travellers.

Altitude is a genuine medical consideration, not an inconvenience. Bogotá is at 2,600 metres, and altitude sickness is a risk there and in parts of the departments of Cundinamarca, Boyacá, Nariño and Antioquia. High-altitude illness can be life-threatening and may require immediate medical evacuation. Learn the symptoms before you fly, take the first day gently, and go down if things are worse than a headache.

Water. Tap water is treated and safe in Bogotá and Medellín; treat it as unsafe elsewhere.

Mosquitoes. Dengue and other mosquito-borne illnesses occur in the lowlands, and the dengue mosquito bites during the daytime, particularly around sunrise and sunset — the opposite of the dusk-only pattern most people plan for. Use repellent through the day.

Medication. Bring sufficient quantities, keep it in its original container, pack it in your carry-on and carry a copy of your prescriptions.

Private healthcare in the main cities is good and inexpensive by North American standards; insurance is still important, particularly for remote regions where evacuation is the realistic option.

Drug offences carry severe penalties and Colombia is emphatically not a place to take risks with them, whatever the country's reputation implies. Buying cocaine also funds the violence Colombians have spent decades enduring, and locals will tell you so.

Know the fake-police move. Individuals posing as police officers approach foreigners to verify their documents or foreign currency with the intent to rob them. Do not hand over money or documents unless you feel threatened, and ask to provide them at the nearest police station, your hotel or another public place.

Dating apps are a documented risk here, not a general caution. Criminals use them to identify and lure foreigners travelling alone and looking to meet local people. Victims often build a virtual relationship and attend several dates with the same person, in public places, and are robbed once trust is established. Incidents concentrate in Bogotá, Cartagena and Medellín.

The local phrase no dar papaya — do not give an opportunity — governs everyday security: keep phones and valuables out of sight in public, dress down, and leave the watch at home.

Dual nationals: if you hold Colombian citizenship, immigration will allow you to enter on a foreign passport but will stamp it to record that you must leave using Colombian documents.

Some border and rural areas remain subject to strong travel advisories; check current guidance rather than assuming the whole country is either safe or dangerous.

Greetings matter, and entering a shop or a room without acknowledging people is rude.

123 is the national emergency number for police, fire and ambulance, and works across the country.

On the road: dial 767 from your mobile for the Colombian Highway Police information line and advice on current road closures (Spanish only).

English-speaking operators are not guaranteed. In the main cities, private ambulance services attached to hospitals are often faster, and your insurer will usually direct you to a specific clinic.

Tourist police operate in Cartagena, Bogotá and other visitor centres and are the practical contact for theft and lost documents. If someone in plain clothes or uniform stops you to check documents or currency on the street, ask to do it at the station instead — impersonation is a known robbery method here.

Altitude. Bogotá is at 2,600 metres and high-altitude illness can be life-threatening and may require immediate medical evacuation; descend and seek help rather than pressing on.

Roads and regions. Several departments and border strips carry avoid-all-travel advice for armed-group activity, and attacks often cause casualties. Check current advisories before leaving the main circuits, consult local media, and follow the instructions of local authorities.