So, you are travelling to Colombia.
Excellent choice.
You are about to explore colourful cities, Caribbean beaches, enormous mountains, coffee plantations, tropical rainforest and some of the most spectacular landscapes in South America, you will probably drink excellent coffee.
You will almost certainly eat too many arepas.
And at some point, somebody may invite you to dance.
Whether you are remotely qualified for this activity is apparently irrelevant.
But like every country, Colombia has a few things travellers should avoid doing.
Some involve basic travel etiquette.
Others involve personal safety.
And several simply involve not behaving like the tourist everybody secretly wishes would go back to the hotel.
Colombia is a welcoming and fascinating destination, but sensible preparation is important. Current travel advice warns of crime and security risks in parts of the country, with some regions subject to specific travel warnings.
So, before you confidently march into your Colombian adventure armed with sunglasses, a phrasebook and absolutely no idea what you are doing, here are 10 things you should not do as a tourist in Colombia.
1. Don’t Assume Everybody Speaks English
🗣️ English may be spoken in some hotels, hostels, restaurants and major tourist attractions.
But Colombia speaks Spanish.
And once you move beyond heavily visited tourist areas, English may become considerably less common.
Standing in front of somebody and repeating the same English sentence increasingly loudly is not a translation technique.
It is just louder English.
💡 Travel Tip: Learn a few basic Spanish phrases before travelling.
Greetings, numbers, directions and restaurant vocabulary can make everyday situations considerably easier.
Even if your pronunciation is imperfect, making an effort is usually far better than expecting everybody else to adapt to you.
Your Spanish does not need to be beautiful.
It needs to successfully obtain lunch.
2. Don’t Flash Expensive Valuables
📱 Your expensive watch is lovely.
Your jewellery is impressive.
Your new smartphone takes spectacular photographs.
The entire street does not necessarily need to know.
Petty theft, mugging and armed robbery are concerns in major Colombian cities and tourist areas, so travellers are advised to avoid displaying expensive jewellery, watches, electronics and large amounts of cash.
This does not mean spending your entire holiday behaving as though everybody around you is suspicious.
It simply means being sensible.
💡 Travel Tip: Carry only what you need and use your phone discreetly, particularly around busy streets, nightlife areas and transport hubs.
Keep spare cash and backup payment methods somewhere separate from your main wallet.
Your smartphone can absolutely visit Colombia.
It does not need to announce its arrival.
3. Don’t Hail Random Taxis From The Street
🚕 You need a taxi.
A taxi appears.
Perfect.
Not necessarily.
Official travel guidance recommends using pre-booked, licensed or app-based taxi services rather than hailing taxis from the street because robberies, assaults and express kidnappings involving unlicensed or street-hailed taxis have been reported.
That makes transportation one area where spontaneity is perhaps slightly overrated.
💡 Travel Tip: Ask your hotel or restaurant to arrange a taxi or use a reputable app-based service where available.
At airports, use authorised taxi services and official collection points.
Check vehicle and driver details before getting inside.
Your Colombian adventure should involve surprises.
Your taxi driver does not need to be one of them.
4. Don’t Accept Food Or Drinks From Strangers
🍹 Colombians are generally known for being friendly and welcoming.
Unfortunately, criminals also understand that travellers enjoy meeting new people.
Drug-assisted robberies have been reported in Colombia, including incidents where substances such as scopolamine have been used to incapacitate victims. Travellers are advised not to leave food or drinks unattended or accept them from strangers.
This is particularly important around bars, clubs, nightlife areas and encounters arranged through dating apps.
💡 Travel Tip: Keep an eye on your drink and avoid accepting food, cigarettes or drinks from people you do not trust.
Be cautious about going somewhere private with somebody you have only just met.
Meeting people while travelling can be one of the best parts of the experience.
Just allow common sense to attend the party too.
5. Don’t Joke About Colombia’s Drug History
🚫 Colombia has worked enormously hard to move beyond the stereotypes created by decades of drug trafficking and violence.
So constantly making jokes about cocaine, cartels or famous drug traffickers is not particularly clever.
Yes, television has produced plenty of programmes about them.
No, this does not mean every Colombian wants to discuss them with you.
Imagine somebody visiting your home country and immediately reducing its entire history and culture to its most notorious criminal.
Conversation may become slightly awkward.
Also, Colombia has severe penalties for possession, use and trafficking of illegal drugs.
💡 Travel Tip: Show curiosity about Colombia’s actual culture.
Ask about food.
Music.
Coffee.
Football.
Regional traditions.
History.
Art.
There is considerably more to Colombia than the stereotypes you encountered on television.
Much more.
6. Don’t Wander Into Remote Areas Without Research
🌿 Colombia contains extraordinary countryside.
Jungle.
Mountains.
National parks.
Remote beaches.
Tiny villages.
And plenty of places where you should not simply wander off because Google Maps displayed an interesting-looking road.
Current official travel advice warns against travel to specific parts of Colombia because of armed groups, crime, kidnapping and other security concerns. Remote regions can also have limited mobile coverage and reduced access to assistance.
The shortest route is not automatically the sensible route.
💡 Travel Tip: Research routes before travelling into remote areas and check current official travel advice.
Ask accommodation staff or reputable local tour operators about conditions.
For remote hikes and attractions, use experienced guides where appropriate.
Adventure is wonderful.
Accidentally wandering towards somewhere everybody else deliberately avoids is less wonderful.
7. Don’t Participate In Political Demonstrations
📢 You are walking through Bogotá.
There are crowds.
Flags.
Music.
People chanting.
Interesting.
Perhaps you should investigate?
Perhaps not.
Political demonstrations occur regularly in Colombia and can begin at short notice. Some have become violent and roadblocks can cause significant disruption to transport. Official advice recommends avoiding protests, strikes and demonstrations.
You are on holiday.
There is no requirement to accidentally become part of breaking news.
💡 Travel Tip: If you encounter a demonstration, move away from the area and follow local advice.
Monitor local news when major protests or political events are taking place.
Allow extra travel time if road closures are expected.
That museum you planned to visit will still be interesting without a dramatic journey through a protest to reach it.
8. Don’t Take Photographs Everywhere Without Thinking
📸 Colombia is ridiculously photogenic.
Colourful Cartagena streets.
Medellín’s mountains.
Bogotá’s architecture.
Coffee plantations.
Caribbean beaches.
Your camera is going to be busy.
But not everything should be photographed.
Taking photographs of military or strategic government sites is illegal in Colombia.
And beyond legal restrictions, basic courtesy still applies when photographing people and local communities.
Not everybody wants to become part of your holiday photo album.
💡 Travel Tip: If you are unsure whether photography is permitted, ask.
Respect signs and restrictions around military, government and security locations.
When photographing people closely, particularly in smaller communities, ask permission first.
Sometimes the best photograph is the one you politely did not take.
9. Don’t Carry Bags Or Packages For Other People
🧳 Somebody asks you to take a package through the airport.
They seem friendly.
They explain that it is completely harmless.
Excellent.
Still no.
Colombian authorities take drug trafficking extremely seriously and official guidance specifically advises travellers to pack their own luggage, keep it secure and never carry items for other people.
You are responsible for what is inside your baggage.
“I was helping somebody” is not the airport conversation you want to have.
💡 Travel Tip: Pack your own luggage and keep control of it throughout your journey.
Do not transport packages, bags or unidentified items for strangers or casual acquaintances.
Lock your luggage when appropriate and report suspicious interference.
Your suitcase has one job.
Transporting your questionable number of holiday outfits.
Keep it that way.
10. Don’t Rush Through Colombia
☕ This one is considerably less frightening.
But equally important for enjoying your trip.
Do not try to see Colombia in six days.
Bogotá.
Medellín.
Cartagena.
Salento.
Tayrona.
San Andrés.
The Amazon.
Perfect.
Assuming you have discovered teleportation.
Colombia is a large, mountainous country and travelling between destinations can take considerably longer than distances on a map suggest.
Trying to squeeze everything into one trip can leave you experiencing Colombia primarily through airports, bus windows and hotel reception desks.
💡 Travel Tip: Choose a realistic number of destinations and experience them properly.
Spend time wandering through neighbourhoods.
Sit in cafés.
Visit markets.
Talk to people.
Take a day trip you had not originally planned.
Spend an unnecessary amount of time deciding which Colombian coffee you prefer.
This is important research.
You do not need to see everything.
You simply need a reason to return.
✨ Final Colombia Thoughts
Colombia is a spectacular country filled with extraordinary landscapes, fascinating cities, brilliant food, rich culture and enormous regional variety.
Travelling responsibly does not mean being frightened of everything around you.
It means understanding your destination.
Use sensible transport.
Keep valuables discreet.
Avoid demonstrations.
Research unfamiliar areas before travelling.
Respect local people and culture.
And please resist making your first conversational contribution another joke about cocaine.
Colombia has heard it.
Probably several million times.
Most importantly, arrive with curiosity rather than stereotypes.
Explore Cartagena’s colourful streets.
Drink coffee in the mountains.
Discover Medellín.
Try Colombian food.
Learn some Spanish.
Listen to local music.
Take your time.
And order another arepa.
Actually, definitely order another arepa.
Nobody has ever improved a holiday by unnecessarily reducing the number of arepas involved.
Colombia is a country that rewards travellers who arrive prepared, stay aware and give themselves enough time to experience it properly.
Follow those simple principles and you can concentrate less on what you should not do and considerably more on everything Colombia has waiting for you.
Which, fortunately, is rather a lot.
