Is Colombia Safe To Travel To? What The Latest Warnings Say

A new Colombia travel advisory is warning U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to parts of the South American country.

Over the last year, Colombia has been steadily growing as a trendy off-the-beaten-path tourist destination: AmaWaterways recently introduced a Magdalena River cruise, and Air Canada Vacations launched Colombia tours last summer.

However, on April 17, the U.S. State Department issued an updated travel advisory for Colombia, advising travelers “Reconsider travel to Colombia due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping.”

Colombia is currently set to Level 3: Reconsider Travel, with specific regions at the heightened “Do Not Travel” advisory level. This includes Arauca, Cauca (excluding Popayán), and Norte de Santander, as well as the Colombia-Venezuela border region.

“Violent crime, like murder, assault, and robbery, is common in many areas in Colombia. In some places, organized crime is rampant. This includes extortion, robbery, and kidnapping,” said the advisory.

Colombia: Yellow Fever Travel Advisory

In Canada, Colombia is set to yellow, “Exercise a high degree of caution”—one step below the U.S. advisory. Canada’s Colombia travel advisory also warns citizens “Avoid all travel” to the Venezuela border area, and “Avoid non-essential travel” to multiple regions due to “drug-related criminal activity by illegal armed groups and other criminal organizations.”

On April 22, Canada added a health notice to its Colombia travel advisory for yellow fever.

Canadian travelers are being advised to get the yellow fever vaccine before entering multiple countries within the Americas, including Brazil, Colombia, and Peru:

“There may be an increased risk of yellow fever in these countries due to the current outbreaks. Yellow fever can be prevented by a vaccine. Getting vaccinated against yellow fever before you travel may be recommended depending on your itinerary, and proof of vaccination may be required.”

Travelers are also being advised to take precautionary measures to limit their exposure to yellow fever, which can be spread by mosquito bites. Such precautions include using bug spray, wearing light, tight-woven clothing, wearing socks, and sleeping under insect netting.