The Safest and Most Dangerous Colombian Cities/Regions

[Lucas88]

I have a lot of interest in Colombia recently. I'm absolutely infatuated with the country and colombianitas have always been among my favorite Latinas.

I know that there has been another recent thread about the alleged trend of tourists being drugged in Colombia and doubts about the safety of certain parts of the country but I see that that thread has now devolved into discussions about US Black crime and the supposed correlation between dick size and criminality and so I would like to make a more serious thread about the safety of Colombia and hope that it will remain on topic.

First I would like to ask: Does anybody know of any objective data about the level of safety of the various Colombian cities/regions (assuming that objective data is even possible concerning this topic)?

I don't mean simply homicide statistics. I'm talking about studies that investigate all areas of crime and attempt to analyze the overall safety of a given location.

I found a website called NUMBEO which gives both a "crime index" and "safety index" for many cities around the world. However, the indices are based on data submitted by travelers in the last year and half and so any data could be skewed by each individual traveler's subjective ideas of what is safe and dangerous.

Here is the NUMBEO page for the whole country of Colombia, although there are also pages for most Colombian cities:

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/country_re ... y=Colombia


I also found this other website (travelsafe-abroad) which uses the same method:

https://www.travelsafe-abroad.com/countries/

https://www.travelsafe-abroad.com/cities/



Here are the data for some of the better Colombian cities:

Medellín

According to NUMBEO, Medellín has a crime index of 55.56 and a safety index of 44.44 (both out of 100 respectively).

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Medellin

At the same time, travelsafe-abroad ranks the safety of the city as 52 (again out of 100).

https://www.travelsafe-abroad.com/colombia/medellin/

Medellín is said to be on the safer side by Colombian standards although I've heard conflicting reports from travelers. According to the websites cited above, Medellín is actually safer than many US cities.

@kangarunner, you're in Medellín right now. What do you think about the city's level of safety as someone from the US?


Pereira

Pereira is often described as a "little Medellín" situated about 200km to the south.

According to NUMBEO, Pereira has a crime index of 38.74 and a safety index of 61.26. It is therefore safer than Medellín.

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Pereira

That's safer than the nearest city to my hometown in the UK which, according to the same website, has a safety index of only 51.98. Some major UK cities like Leeds and Manchester are also apparently less safe than Pereira with Leeds at 57.16 and Manchester at 44.76.

I've heard a lot of good things about Pereira and the quality of life that it has to offer.


Manizales

Similarly, Manizales, another highland city situated in the country's Coffee Triangle, has a crime index of 40.73 and a safety index of 59.27.

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Manizales


Armenia

Armenia is somewhat less safe than the previous two cities. It has a crime index of 52.68 and a safety index of 47.32.

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Armenia-Colombia

Not terrible. And slightly better than Medellín.


Ibagué

Ibagué, which lies between Pereira and the capital of Bogotá, is a little worse. It has a crime index of 58.35 and a safety index of 41.65.

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Ibague-Colombia

That's slightly worse than Medellín.


Tunja

Tunja is an extremely high-altitude Andean city (2,820m) situated east of Medellín and northeast of Bogotá. It is said to be very safe by Colombian standards. NUMBEO gives it a crime index of 36.52 and a safety index of 63.48.

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Tunja-Colombia

That's slightly safer than Pereira but I wouldn't like to deal with the extreme cold at that altitude.


Bucaramanga

Bucaramanga, which is situated not too far from the Venezuelan border, has also been mentioned as one of the safest Colombian cities on this forum.

However, it doesn't seem to be as safe as some of the Colombian cities included in this post, although it's not terrible either.

Crime Index: 53.49
Safety Index: 46.51

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Bucaramanga


Cartagena

The popular Caribbean touristic destination Cartagena shares an identical crime and safety index with Medellín at 55.56 and 44.44 respectively.

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Cartagena


Conclusion:

From what I've studied, the area of Colombia which stretches from Medellín in the north, down to Armenia in the southwest and across to Ibagué in the southeast seems to be the best part of Colombia to live. Pereira and Manizales are said to be quite safe. Tunja to the east is also safe but the altitude and climate would be too extreme for most people.

[Lucas88]

The following cities/regions are said to be quite dangerous (I love Colombia but we've gotta take the negative with the positive):

Bogotá

According to NUMBEO, the high-altitude capital of Bogotá has a crime index of 66.02 and a safety index of 33.98.

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Bogota

Meanwhile, travelsafe-abroad gives Bogotá a score of 46 for safety.

https://www.travelsafe-abroad.com/colombia/bogota/

Now we are moving towards the lower side in terms of safety. I've read that in Bogotá certain districts are much worse than others. The municipality of Soacha just to the south of the capital is said to be a complete no-go zone with gangs running the joint and police unable to enter certain areas. Drug addiction and drug-related crime are rife.

Is Bogotá really bad? Which districts are relatively safe and which are places to avoid? If I remember correctly, @zacb is based in Bogotá. Maybe he could share some insight on the crime and level of safety of the capital and its surrounding municipalities.


Cali

Cali has been described as one of the most dangerous cities in Colombia. NUMBEO gives it a crime index of 70.23 and a safety index of 29.77.

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Cali

However, travelsafe-abroad gives Cali a safety index of 52, warning us that we should be okay as long as we don't flash too much cash and expensive items.

https://www.travelsafe-abroad.com/colombia/cali/

Cali was once a hotbed for cartel-related crime and the drug trade with the infamous Cali Cartel. Some people say that today crime levels are decreasing but it still seems quite bad.

Anybody been to Cali?


Popayán

Popayán, which is located in the highlands south of Cali, is also said to be unsafe. NUMBEO gives it a crime index of 75.49 and a safety index of 24.51.

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Popayan-Colombia


Villavivencio

Villavivencio, situated southwest of Bogotá and where the Andes meet the plains of Los Llanos, also seems to be quite an unsafe region. NUMBEO gives it a crime index of 72.83 and a safety index of 27.17.

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Villavicencio-Colombia



Other regions where safety is a major concern:

I've read that some of the Pacific port cities - especially Buenafortuna and Tumaco - are considerably dangerous due to their involvement in the drug trade, as is the border region between Colombia and Panama.

Also the regions which border Venezuela and especially Arauca are said to be extremely unstable. This is because they are populated by guerilla fighters and illegal militias. Colombia still has a terrorist problem.

Some border regions have also been negatively impacted by the Venezuelan migrant crisis.

[zacb]

The following cities/regions are said to be quite dangerous (I love Colombia but we've gotta take the negative with the positive):

Bogotá

According to NUMBEO, the high-altitude capital of Bogotá has a crime index of 66.02 and a safety index of 33.98.

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Bogota

Meanwhile, travelsafe-abroad gives Bogotá a score of 46 for safety.

https://www.travelsafe-abroad.com/colombia/bogota/

Now we are moving towards the lower side in terms of safety. I've read that in Bogotá certain districts are much worse than others. The municipality of Soacha just to the south of the capital is said to be a complete no-go zone with gangs running the joint and police unable to enter certain areas. Drug addiction and drug-related crime are rife.

Is Bogotá really bad? Which districts are relatively safe and which are places to avoid? If I remember correctly, @zacb is based in Bogotá. Maybe he could share some insight on the crime and level of safety of the capital and its surrounding municipalities.


Cali

Cali has been described as one of the most dangerous cities in Colombia. NUMBEO gives it a crime index of 70.23 and a safety index of 29.77.

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Cali

However, travelsafe-abroad gives Cali a safety index of 52, warning us that we should be okay as long as we don't flash too much cash and expensive items.

https://www.travelsafe-abroad.com/colombia/cali/

Cali was once a hotbed for cartel-related crime and the drug trade with the infamous Cali Cartel. Some people say that today crime levels are decreasing but it still seems quite bad.

Anybody been to Cali?


Popayán

Popayán, which is located in the highlands south of Cali, is also said to be unsafe. NUMBEO gives it a crime index of 75.49 and a safety index of 24.51.

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Popayan-Colombia


Villavivencio

Villavivencio, situated southwest of Bogotá and where the Andes meet the plains of Los Llanos, also seems to be quite an unsafe region. NUMBEO gives it a crime index of 72.83 and a safety index of 27.17.

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/in/Villavicencio-Colombia



Other regions where safety is a major concern:

I've read that some of the Pacific port cities - especially Buenafortuna and Tumaco - are considerably dangerous due to their involvement in the drug trade, as is the border region between Colombia and Panama.

Also the regions which border Venezuela and especially Arauca are said to be extremely unstable. This is because they are populated by guerilla fighters and illegal militias. Colombia still has a terrorist problem.

Some border regions have also been negatively impacted by the Venezuelan migrant crisis.

Sadly not based there (yet), but working on it and trying to buy a place there, and debating when to say f it. Have been there about 7 times. Never felt unsafe. Below Santa Fe is iffy but a friend and I went there in 2016. I like Bogota. Medellin seems superficial and Bogota seems more chill, but that is just me. Need to get out of the general area more. Worst issue I had was people overcharging. Feel kinda at one with Bogota and makes me wonder when enough money is enough and need to get my ass down there. Still debating. Also working on my side project but might have to postpone due to immigration BS.

[MrPeabody]

The problem with Bogota is it rains all the time and gets cold at night. Otherwise it would be a great location, and because it is the capital it attracts women from all over Colombia. I met my ex wife in Bogota.