Safety in Colombia: what overland travellers should know

Our summary of the country advice published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Viaggiare Sicuri) on 29 April 2026.

Safety

Regions to avoid — Independent, unorganised travel is advised against in the remoter parts of the country: Cauca and Valle del Cauca outside the main towns, and the departments along the Ecuadorian border, meaning Nariño except the city of Pasto, Putumayo, Cauca including the port of Buenaventura but excluding Popayán, and Caquetá. The same goes for the departments on the Venezuelan border, Arauca, Norte de Santander, Cesar and La Guajira, for the Panamanian border area of Urabá antioqueño and Chocó, and for the coca enclaves of Nudo del Paramillo, Catatumbo, southern Bolívar and Guaviare. In the Caribbean resorts of Cartagena, Barranquilla and Santa Marta and in the Eje Cafetero, stay on the patrolled tourist routes and keep out of isolated outskirts.
Armed groups and mines — Organised armed groups such as the ELN, FARC-EP dissidents and the Clan del Golfo control territory where the state is weak, and they fight each other and the security forces, at times with explosive devices. This is concentrated in Valle del Cauca, Cauca, Nariño, Arauca, Norte de Santander, Meta, northern Antioquia and southern Cordoba and Bolívar. Anti-personnel mines are scattered through the conflict areas, to the point that rural and indigenous communities are sometimes stuck in their settlements for long spells.
Do not travel alone — The ministry asks you not to travel independently and to use official agencies instead, given how widely organised crime is spread, the presence of armed dissidents and paramilitary groups, and the hostility of some indigenous groups to outsiders on their land.
Sudden road blocks — Clashes between the Colombian army and the armed group ACSN in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta can close roads without warning in the Magdalena department.
Drugged robberies — Gangs are increasingly using scopolamine or ketamine, in liquid form or sprayed, to leave victims passive for 24 to 48 hours and then rob them, and some cases have ended in the victim's death from the dose. They approach tourists in hotels, bars, restaurants and through dating apps, above all in Bogotá, Cartagena, Santa Marta and Medellín. Kidnappings for extortion, including short so-called express kidnappings, have also increased.
Earthquakes and volcanoes — Colombia is among the countries most exposed to natural disasters, starting with earthquakes. Of 21 active volcanoes, five are considered at risk of eruption: Galeras, Puracé, Nevado del Huila, Nevado del Ruiz and Machín. Tsunamis can hit the Pacific coast and violent cyclones the Caribbean side, the San Andrés archipelago included.

Before you rely on this

This is our summary of advice written by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Italian travellers, published on 29 April 2026. We summarise in good faith, but we cannot guarantee it is accurate, current or complete, and we take no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of it. Rules change without notice and are applied by officials at the border, not by websites. Always read the original source and the travel advice your own government publishes for Colombia before you travel. GuideMeet has no way of checking whether an individual guide meets any standard mentioned here — ask them directly.

Source: Viaggiare Sicuri — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updated 29 April 2026. Last checked by GuideMeet on 2026-09-20.