Is Bogotá Safe?

Is Bogotá Safe?

One of the big questions for travelers is the security of the country or city they want to visit, in the particular case, Bogotá has notably improved its security levels, being a reborn city from a past marked by war and terrorism. Being the capital of the country, it’s an access point and connection for travelers to other cities in Colombia and to other South American countries.

Security in Bogotá is similar to other cities in South America, with problems of common crime and violent acts. Despite the fact that homicide and crime rates have fallen dramatically in the last decade, certain precautions must be taken and a lot of common sense should be used.

Usually, the tourist places are very safe, as the wealthy neighborhoods, however, we suggest you take in mind the following recommendations and tips that may be useful:

Public Transport

Bogotá has many public transport alternatives, among them are Transmilenio, SITP, taxis and, car and motorcycle service through applications. Regardless of which option you choose, it’s important to consider:

• If you take Transmilenio or SITP, take care of your personal belongings, bags, and backpacks. Don’t show your valuable items such as cell phone, watch, or camera.
• If you take a taxi from the street, it’s advisable to write down its license plates and send them to someone you trust, however, it’s safer to ask for taxi through an application to minimize the risk of high fares, express kidnapping, or millionaire ride.
• Currently, there are many safe applications that you can use such as Uber, DIDI, or Beat.

Tips

• As in any big city, there are bad neighborhoods that you shouldn’t visit because they are dangerous and because they are not a tourist attraction, avoid dangerous areas especially to the south of the city.
• Bogotá is not a night city during the week, so from 10:00 p.m. There are usually not many people on the streets so it can be dangerous depending on the area you are in.
• If you need to withdraw money from an ATM, it is recommended not to do it late at night or in places with little traffic. It is preferable to look for an ATM in a shopping center or in bank branches, thus avoiding card cloning and computer theft.
• If you are going to walk around the city, do not expose yourself to dangers, take precautions and use common sense, take care of your belongings and avoid answering the cell phone without hands-free when walking. Don’t know papaya! In other words, don’t be the easy focus for thieves.
• If you are going to walk around the city, don’t expose yourself to dangers, take precautions and use common sense, take care of your belongings and avoid answering the cell phone without hands-free when walking. Don’t give papaya! In other words, don’t be an easy target for thieves.
• If you become the victim of a robbery, don’t resist, the material objects are recoverable, not your life.

Following the recommendations and using your common sense, security will not be an impediment to enjoying this wonderful city.