hkskyline's 2018 in Medellin, Colombia
 

Thanks. Columbia really intrigues me in how it has gone from one of the least safe places to travel, to a very popular tourist destination.

Wow. Did you go by yourself? Would you recommend it?

Yes, I joined a walking tour locally to get my bearings, but it was safe to roam around the city centre during daylight.

Looks way more appealing than Bogota. I wonder if Colombia appears/feels more or less developed than Mexico (latin country I am most familiar with).

Nice pictures! It reminds me of San Jose, Costa Rica, which is the only Latin American city I've been to.

You got guts dude.

Thank you very much hkskyline! I have a good colombian friend who lives here in Québec City. He wants to convince me to visit Colombia but I'm too afraid for many reasons.
I have never travelled of my life outside of the western world. I know Colombia is beautiful and interesting but as a Canadian I am not confident to get there. It's easy to spot me as a tourist...and as someone that is coming from a ''Rich'' country, I believe I should take special cares to not show that I'm wearing ''expensive'' things, such as clothes or a watch etc... Is it that dangerous?

Just tell me what you think. Am I wrong? What special cares/measures should I take if I'm ever visiting ?

Thanks.

Well, all the news reports over the years had my skepticism alarm ringing when Colombia was brought up as a vacation destination. But with safety in numbers and extra vigilance, things were OK even though I carried my SLR around quite prominently. We avoided venturing out after dark, but it was fine in certain areas of the city where there were bustling restaurants and good food.

Medellin had a crazy history but things have been cleaned up tremendously. Locals are very friendly to tourists, who see them as a sign of the city's revitalization. They go out of their way to help you see what they have got.

I think I'm going too!

Awesome!

What time of year did you go?

March, but the altitude keeps the city relatively cool despite being near the Equator.

Awesome tour! :cheers:

I can't decide whether to go to Argentina (Buenos Aires) or Colombia (Medellin, Bogota, etc) for travelling...! It will be around New Year's Eve. Any suggestions about which is better?

I've seen a good part of South America and always bypassed Colombia. Just to see the Botero sculptures would be worth it alone. And I love cities with steep hills with the housing crawling up the hillsides. And sometimes it's damn hard to remove a stain from a city, i.e, drugs, drug lords, etc. I would probably prefer Medellin and Cali to Bogota, as I now have COPD and question whether or not I could handle the 8600 feet in altitude.

You do realize the seasons are reversed when you get that far south in Buenos Aires, so you'll be experiencing July type weather, could be very hot and humid, as there's no altitude in BA.

Cali/Medellin sits at roughly 4000 feet, and from what I've heard, nice weather year round.

I always look at the altitude factor to where I'm traveling. 9450 feet in Quito, 12,000 feet in La Paz, Bolivia.

I'm in Sydney.