Introduction
The land of coffee and rhythm, Colombia is a great place to enjoy the Latin culture and its rich biodiversity. It is easy to travel around, there are flight connections to the different cities, not just that, also there are plenty of bus connections, and driving in Colombia is not so complex.
Its currency is colombian pesos, and you can easily exchange cash or withdraw money, but not carry much money with you and keep an eye on your bag, there are many pickpockets around.
This part of my journey was a solo woman’s trip. Many people were surprised when I told them I was alone. But I met a different girl during this trip, and they were doing the same.
Is Colombia safe for a solo travel
Depends on your Behaviour. While I was travelling in there only few times I felt I was in dangerous, mainly because it was getting dark and I was’t in the right place.
It is true, in this country you need to be careful where you go, what you carry with you and the time of the day, but I think is not so bad as many peolple believe.
From my experience, and I did a week almos alone, solo travel in Colombia is fine. And if you feel that is too dangerous for you you can also find company in hostel of make new friend when you go for tours.
My itinerary
it started crossing the border from Venezuela, and there are different ways to do so. I had contact with someone that offers this service, so from Merida, I went to Ureña, and crossed the bridge towards Cúcuta.
The Border was reopened not long ago, due to the tension between the 2 countries.
Cúcuta is a good place to start a trip. I decided to spend a week in Colombia, so I prefer to fly to Bogotá.
I spent 3 days in Bogotá, where I explored the city, museums, parks, food, and dancing. The city is vast and transport works very well, traffic could be terrible sometimes. Joining a walking tour is a great experience to start in Bogotá and meet new people to hang out with if you are doing solo travel.
From Bogotá, there are plenty of organized tours to go to Villa de Leyva, but I decided to use public transport, it is cheaper, and you can also feel more local. Villa de Leyva is wonderful, you feel for a moment in the past, walking on cobblestone streets surrounded by colonial houses. If you like cycling you could go to the lakes and the fossil museum renting a bike in the town.
I reached my next destination by taking a night bus, so I didn’t have time to go to the airport. I got in the morning to Medellín and immediately got a bus to Guatape. This fantastic place is like a dream, probably better to stay at least one night. There are a few small towns to see, but Guatape is the most famous.
My last destination was Medellín. Many people love it, but I think it has some problems with drugs and prostitution. Probably Bogotá has the same concerns, but in Medellin, they were visible everywhere. What I enjoyed most was Botero Square, probably because it is public art.
My days in Colombia ended with the desire to go back, for me, this trip was just a tiny taste of what I could live next time.
Tips to travel in Colombia:
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- SIM cards are easy to buy. You can buy them anywhere. They are quite cheap, and you don’t even need a document.
- You can exchange dollars in the main cities and withdraw everywhere.
- Taxis get the number from your hotel or use Uber.
- Public transport is quite good in Colombia, use it.
Tips for Staying Safe in Colombia
I’m going to essentially describe my behaviour when I travel alone in a place like Colombia
Accommodation, make sure you read reviews. This is significant because if it is not a secure location, you will find out through them. A locker is required if you book a hostel.
Valuables, leave some of your documents, cards, and money in the hotel.
Public Transport, in Colombia is quite good, but pickpockets love those places so keep your belongings in front of you, phone away from windows and hold them with two hands.
Bags, I personally wear two, one under my clothes for documents or some money and one large for everything else.
Phone, if you need to check the map or call a taxi on the street, go inside a pub or a shop.
Clothes, don’t dress up in expensive clothes; you can be a tourist, but if you look like a tourist, people will notice.
Money, don’t keep all of your money in oine place.
Walking, keep an eye out for people following you and enter a store or change streets if necessary.
Small towns are generally safe, so you can be more relaxed.
If you are robbed, do not resist and instead hand over the bag containing the things with less valuable items.
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