Bogotá — Uncovering the Narrow Streets and Dark Reputation of Colombia’s Capital

We spent the thirty-five minute flight from Medellín to Bogotá sitting next to a forty-ish year old American crypto investor named Chet, who claimed he’d spent the past 20 years living outside the States, and—when we told him Kira used to live in Virginia Beach—asked us if that’s “in the main part or somewhere in the middle?”

I honestly thought (and still think) the dude is kind of an oddball. But I’ll do what I can to get information from anyone, so I asked him if he had any recommendations for us while we’re visiting Bogotá. Between stories about a really cool mall and a luxury park, I managed to ask if he thought it was still a dangerous place to visit.

“Oh yeah, this city can be super sketchy,” he said. “Definitely avoid La Candelaria, the old part of the city, at night.”

That’s good, I thought. Since that’s where we’re staying.

Leaving the airport, I tried to find the bus that would supposedly take us to the city center. I saw a ton of the blue Transmilenio buses, but none of them seemed to have the correct route number that I’d found on Google Maps. Exasperated, I found a nice-looking woman that was probably a few years older than me, and asked her if she could help us find our way.

When I told her where we were going, she shook her head. Don’t trust anyone there, she advised me in Spanish. She made the motion of a pistol and held it to her neck. Apparently she’d been robbed at gunpoint in the neighborhood where we’d booked our hostel.

We decided to take a taxi.

•••

Tell a friend you’re planning to travel to Colombia, and, probably thanks to what even most Colombians will admit was a pretty good Netflix show, eyebrows are instantly raised. Someone will inevitably ask if you’re worried about the danger of visiting a place that just twenty years ago was home to some pretty violent people. And, admittedly, a lot of those violent people are still hanging around, they just aren’t actively trying to overthrow the government, at least not at the moment.

I honestly think the majority of the stories about Americans getting into dramas while outside the States are over-exaggerated. In places where tourism money is a key source of income for a huge segment of the population, it’s bad business to do the kinds of things that scare the tourists away. I also think most tourists can be pretty stupid, and I generally abide by the rule that you should never be drunk or alone in an unfamiliar place, no matter whether it’s Iraq or Indiana.

But with everything I’d heard and read about Bogotá, from the robberies and muggings to the million dollar taxi rides, where sketchy drivers take you around to a bunch of ATMs and force you to withdraw cash until your bank cuts off your debit card, I’ll admit even I was a little nervous about this one.

The hostel didn’t make me feel any better. Our taxi driver stopped outside a plain, heavy wooden door. Google Maps told me we were in the right place, but it took me a minute to find the tiny sign that read “Villacandelaria Hostel,” hidden next to the top corner of the door frame. The door was locked. After several hard knocks, a buzzer sounded and we were allowed in. We crammed ourselves into the tiny, dark entryway. Any further progress was barred by a heavy steel gate. A middle-aged man, the sour expression on his face hidden by his white surgical mask but still apparent in the eyes behind his glasses, stood on the other side, asking if we had a reservation. I saw a nightstick on the desk at his side, within easy reach. He only let us in after I showed him the email confirming our reservation, holding my phone up to the bars.

At least the security was good.

•••

As the trip progressed, and I got my bearings in yet another new neighborhood, I learned that, like in most places, in Bogotá it’s possible to make your own luck. We explored the incredible Museo del Oro, discovered a phenomenal little Italian restaurant, and enjoyed as much fresh mango from street vendors as possible. We even did things that, according to the blogs, should have gotten us mugged—like walking from La Candelaria to Monserrate, a mountaintop chapel overlooking Bogotá. Along the way, I’ll admit that we were more careful than we normally are when traveling. We left most of our electronics “safely” in our hostel room, and carried as little cash as possible when exploring the city. We didn’t stay out late, and we didn’t catch random cabs off the street. But, like everywhere else we’ve been in Colombia, every person we interacted with was friendly, helpful, and seemed genuinely happy that we were there to explore their neighborhood, city, and country.

Chet, our friend on the flight from Medellín, compared Bogotá to New York City, and I think in some ways he’s right. It has the grittiness and the edge that you find in stories about NYC set in the 80s. But I think that comparison is incomplete. It implies a cosmopolitan feel that, honestly, I didn’t find. I also think it’s a little bit lazy to make that comparison. Any city with heavy traffic and occasionally brusque residents can be “like New York.”

Instead, I think Bogotá is sort of a blend of Denver and Washington, DC. It has the mountains, much like Denver, except here they’re in the east instead of the west. It has the same earthiness and sprawl of a city that only recently exploded in population, and isn’t quite sure what to do with its newfound size. Yet, thanks to its universities and government institutions, it has the same haughty self-importance and busyness of DC. Unfortunately, much like Denver, lots of travelers complain that Bogotá isn’t a “destination” city, but is instead just a gateway to everything else Colombia has to offer. I don’t think that’s a fair assessment—Bogotá might not be Cartagena, or Medellín, or Santa Marta, but it’s still a cool city, with a thriving cycling community, beautiful architecture, excellent street food, and some really cool places to drink a beer. Comparing Bogotá to those other more tourist-friendly cities is less of an insult to Bogotá than it is a compliment to Colombia’s diversity and wealth of phenomenal travel destinations.

To miss out on exploring Bogotá is to skip a key part of the Colombian experience. Maybe I only believe this because it’s the way I explored the country, but I think of Cartagena as a pretty simple tourist destination, at least on the surface. It’s a great city to dip your toes into traveling Colombia, and Latin America in general. Medellín is more real, and you can feel in its energy a place that would be just fine without foreign tourist dollars; but it still has a robust tourist industry and pretty much everyone speaks better English than your Spanish. Bogotá, on the other hand, is a graduate-level Colombian city. It’s a place where, most of the time, you aren’t practicing Spanish—you’re just speaking Spanish, because that’s your only option. It’s a place where, even on a walking tour or visiting a museum, it’s rare to meet another American. (Interestingly, lots of Dutch people though.) And it’s a place where the warmth of the average Colombian citizen continues to shine through, even if they have a slightly harder exterior than you may be used to somewhere else.

•••

As I’ve written before, I’m not a big fan of travel guides. I’ve used them to plan some trips, and I even wrote a short one for Cartagena, but I’ve never wanted to be the guy that’s wandering around a city with a five thousand page book like the nerdy kid in Eurotrip. I prefer to learn about a place from locals, but unfortunately that knowledge can be hard to earn, and it takes time that unfortunately not everyone has. So here are a few tips for anyone interested in visiting Bogotá.

Where to Stay

I honestly think La Candelaria is safer than it seems on the surface, I just wouldn’t recommend that anyone stay at the hostel we did. Saving money is awesome, but with a leaky roof, non-functioning WiFi, and hot water that only lasts for about twenty seconds, it’s not even worth the $18 per night we paid. Instead, if you want to stay in Bogotá’s oldest neighborhood, check out the Selina hostel in the area. I’ve had really good luck with the Selina brand of hostels so far, and despite the increased risk of crime, I think it’s probably still worth it to stay in La Candelaria and be within walking distance of the key historical attractions in the city.

If you want to stay in a more upper-middle class part of Bogotá, the neighborhood surrounding Parque 93 seems really nice. There are several name-brand hotels in the area, and upscale restaurants, bars, and coffee shops are everywhere you look. You’ll need to take a cab or public transportation to the historic part of the city, and the drive can range anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes depending on Bogotá’s notoriously bad traffic.

What to Do

I’ll keep my picks here short, because I think it’s cool to find your own way in a new city. But there are a couple musts, and then one that’s a cool option:

Museo del Oro — Housing an incredible collection of pre-Columbian gold artifacts, this museum does a phenomenal job of explaining the culture, traditions, and lifestyle of the various indigenous Colombian groups that lived throughout the country between roughly the birth of Christ and the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. The highlight of the museum is on the third floor, where an incredibly intricate golden raft artifact confirms the legends surrounding Lake Guatavitá, on which the story of El Dorado was based. Also, entry is free on Sundays. Just make sure you have a copy of your passport and Covid vaccination card to get in.

Monserrate — Overlooking Bogotá to the east, there are two peaks. One houses a small version of the Christ the Redeemer statue, and the other is home to Monserrate, a small Catholic Church and some associated street vendors and restaurants. You can ride a small train (called a funicular) that reminded me a little bit of the tower of terror, or take cable cars, or hike to the top. I would’ve preferred to hike the roughly three-quarters of a mile to get there, but unfortunately the path was closed when we went due to a Redbull mountain biking competition. However you get to the top, the views of Bogotá are amazing and totally worth the trip.

Cooking steaks at El Imperio, Santiago’s ranch outside Bogotá.

Horseback Riding in the Andes — This might not be for everyone, but after spending a couple weeks in cities and on beaches, I felt an itch to get some fresh air in the mountains. We were incredibly lucky to find Santiago and his ranch nestled in the foothills of the Andes. We spent just under three hours riding his small, spirited Colombian horses down the dirt roads of his ranch, and then enjoyed an incredible array of food and snacks, and learned to play a pretty cool local version of cornhole. Throughout the day we spent with him, Santiago taught us some of the history of Bogotá and Colombia, and provided us with more recommendations than we could fit into our short time in his city. If you’re planning a trip to Bogotá and want to do something a little different while you’re there, I highly recommend you consider booking his experience.

Getting There and Getting Around

Multiple airlines offer direct flights to El Dorado International Airport (code BOG) from multiple US cities. Skyscanner, Scott’s Cheap Flights, and Google Flights are your friends here.

Since Kira and I were only in Bogotá for a few days, and we were within walking distances of the main tourist attractions, we didn’t take advantage of Bogotá’s public bus system the way we used the metro in Medellín. Instead, we mostly used Uber to get around. Unfortunately that comes with a caveat. Due to the taxi companies’ monopoly, Uber is technically illegal in Bogotá. You can use it, and for the most part it’s the same as it is in the States, you just ride in the front passenger seat and pretend your driver is actually your cousin. If you get caught by the police, the unfortunate reality is that nothing will happen to you, as a tourist. Feign ignorance and you’ll be fine. Your driver will probably have to pay a hefty fee.

This may turn some people off from using Uber, but my philosophy is that people should generally be allowed to earn an income any way they choose, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. I’m also not a big fan of monopolies in general, especially since taxis have such an unsafe reputation in Bogotá. If you are going to take a marked taxi, it’s a good idea to find one of the police officers or private security guards that seem to be standing on every street corner and outside every major hotel or business catering to tourists, and ask them to help you find a trustworthy driver.

Safety — And Pablo Escobar

This section isn’t necessarily specific to Bogotá, but since much of this post has focused on safety, I think it’s worth talking about a simple trick I use to keep us as safe as possible when we’re traveling.

First—if you’re an AT&T customer, do a little bit of research into their International Day Pass service. (Non-AT&T people…sorry, but I know nothing about your carriers.) For $10 per day, you’ll have access to international mobile networks with the same plan you have in the United States. That means unlimited phone calls (expect some lag in the connection, and occasionally dropped calls, but the functionality is really impressive) and, most importantly, unlimited data. The best part of this service is that it caps out at ten daily fees per billing cycle, so if, like us, you’re traveling for an entire billing cycle, you’re basically paying $100 for a month of unlimited international mobile coverage.

Admittedly, this isn’t as affordable as it would be to travel with an unlocked phone, buying local SIM cards along the way. However, I don’t have a spare phone laying around, and even if I did, I’d still want to carry my new (carrier locked) phone for the upgraded camera and storage. I chose to budget for the international coverage while on this trip, and so far it’s been 100% worth the price.

Now, you’re probably wondering why I’m so hyped on international mobile access. Isn’t the whole point of a trip like this to unplug and see the world without the distractions of home? And what does this have to do with safety?

It’s more about situational awareness than anything else. With an LTE connection and Google Maps, you can pretty much navigate anywhere in any major or even mid-sized city, anywhere in the world. By using your phone to navigate, ditching the guidebook or the tourist map, and wearing normal pants and shoes instead of denim jorts and hiking sandals, you might not look like a local but you definitely won’t look like (as much) of a lost, clueless tourist. You make yourself less of a target, and that’s the key to avoiding pickpockets and other petty criminals. You don’t have to completely outrun the bear, you just have to be a hard meal to catch.

You can also use Google Maps to keep your taxi and Uber drivers honest. Before you get in a taxi (this really only applies to official marked cabs, since Uber provides the route within the app, even in Latin America) show the driver where exactly you want to go. Don’t hand the driver your phone, keep it securely in your hand, but make sure everyone is on the same page for your destination. Then negotiate the fee, again before you get in the car, and if you’re confused, type the price into your calculator and show it to the driver as confirmation. (Again, obviously, the fee negotiation doesn’t apply for Uber rides.)

Once you’re in the car and driving to your destination, use Google Maps for turn by turn directions, the same as if you were the driver. If your driver starts to make wrong turns, you’ll know; most of the time they’re probably just avoiding traffic, but it’s pretty easy to tell when things start getting sketchy. I’ve taken, at this point, probably thousands of cabs and Ubers, and I use this trick every single time, even in the States. Only once have I gotten weird vibes from a driver, and all it took was a simple, “why are you turning here, we’re going to the airport,” and we were back on track. I don’t know if the guy was just lost, or if I narrowly avoided losing my life savings via ATM withdrawals, but I’m happy that I didn’t have to find out the hard way.

•••

Finally, to close out this Colombia series, I think I probably have to discuss Pablo Escobar, even though I really don’t want to. I’ve tried to take the same approach to talking about Escobar as current residents of Medellín—most of them do their best to avoid the topic. He’s part of the past, and modern Medellín wants to focus on the future. But, much like Che Guevara, people that don’t know the impact of his criminal actions have decided his mugshot looks cool on t-shirts. And, I have to admit, it kinda does. But that doesn’t do justice to all of the damage his actions did to Medellín and Colombia as a whole.

A horse named Picasso. Way cooler, and more photogenic, than Pablo Escobar.

Criminals aren’t heroes. Regardless of how Narcos makes him look, the fact is that Escobar blew up parks filled with dancing people. The scars are still there. People like Germán, my walking tour guide in Medellín, lost elementary school classmates in car bombings and drive by shootings. Escobar’s gang, and the violence that he orchestrated, directly contributed to decades of instability in Colombia. To me that makes putting his mugshot on t-shirts seem way less cool.

Germán, with his curly hair and massively animated storytelling, put it best. Escobar is Colombia’s Voldemort, but luckily he’s gone for good. And to immediately relate Colombia to a criminal that was killed almost 30 years ago is to vastly oversimplify an incredible, diverse, beautiful country.

You can find danger in every corner of the world. I’ve been to three war zones, but the most scared I’ve ever been was walking to get a cup of coffee in New Orleans early one morning, when a homeless man wearing a cooking pot for a hat and waving a butcher knife chased me down a street. I never experienced anything close to that feeling in Colombia. I don’t think you will either. I think instead you’ll find friendly people, incredible food, and beautiful landscapes. And I hope when you do, you’ll tell me all about it.