Colombia is not what it used to be

A lot has changed, it might be useful for your plans...

It’s crazy to think that Colombia 30 years ago was a completely different country, full of cartels, guerrilla, paramilitaries and delinquency. Now I go around Bogota or Santa Marta and see tourist from all over the place enjoying the best that Colombia has to offer.

I understand why Colombia is an attractive tourist destination, compare it to a place where winter can reach -30 degrees celsius, there is not too much nature and you can find fresh food everywhere. Thats a main attraction for tourist.

And I think to myself, is Colombia prepared to continue to offer tourism for the long term? I thought about this because of what happened in Ecuador, a sudden wave of criminality rises up, back there is also full of cocaine traffic and criminal bands. I was amazed by how sudden everything happened.

Overall, right now Colombia is a really safe country for tourism. Not the same kind of security you can get in a country like Sweden, we are a latin American country were insecurity still happens and you need to keep precautions. But in general, tourist can travel through the country, rent nice hostels in major cities, go around the city and party.

It’s crazy that 30 years ago it wasn’t like that, not even for Colombians. in the 90’s when my father traveled by road, all the family got worried and even try to disuade him to not to do it. Now traveling by road is safe.

And I believe the basic and most important thing the government needs to worry in this context is to provide security. Once it can do that, problems like what is happening in Ecuador will rise.

For that I believe Colombia is and will be for a long time a great destination for tourism and people to plan to move here. As I said, problems of insecurity here exists but in general with the right mindset and attitude you can navigate through those problems without an issue. Problems arise when you act too naive or stupid, is better to always be aware of how to act and behave in order to avoid problems.

I do believe the country still have issues to work, but overall I can see how attractive Colombia is becoming, for tourist and people wanting to live here is a great destination because of the nature, freshness, weather and simple lifestyle.

My main advice is to always make sure to know what to expect and always have the right mindset when coming here, if you are planning to come here or want more guidance about your stay you can book a personal consultation with me here: