Official travel advisories warn against non-essential travel here. Political freedoms are limited and travellers should be mindful of local sensitivities.
Regional breakdown
Risk in Colombia varies sharply by region. The official advisory guidance warns against all but essential travel to wide areas near the Venezuelan border. That includes all of Norte de Santander Department, the city of Cúcuta, and most of Arauca Department outside the capital. Travellers are told not to use any land crossing into Venezuela. A 5km strip along the Venezuelan border is also flagged. The Ecuadorian border has a similar 5km buffer, with the Rumichaca crossing and Ipiales city as the only exceptions. The Pacific coast carries its own warnings. Most of Chocó Department is restricted, though Quibdó, Nuquí, Bahía Solano and Capurganá are carved out. Western Valle del Cauca, including the port city of Buenaventura, is on official advisory guidance's no-go list, along with Jamundí municipality just south of Cali. Central departments are also affected: most of Guaviare, parts of Caquetá and the Ariari region of Meta sit in restricted zones. Caño Cristales remains reachable, but only by air from La Macarena with licensed operators. Main tourist hubs sit outside these zones. Bogotá, Medellín, Cartagena, the coffee region around Salento, and Popayán are not subject to official advisory guidance advisories against travel. Though official advisory guidance still flags Cauca and Valle del Cauca outside Popayán and Cali.
Recent advisory changes
The official advisory guidance page was last updated on 7 April 2026. It keeps in place the advice against all but essential travel to the border zones with Venezuela and Ecuador. The Pacific coast restricted areas, and parts of the central departments listed above. The official advisory guidance also warns that travel insurance can be invalidated if travellers ignore this advice. There is no ordered departure in place. The official advisory guidance reissued its Colombia advisory on 31 March 2026 at Level 3, Reconsider Travel. It cites crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping and natural disasters. Within that, it marks Arauca, Cauca (except Popayán). Valle del Cauca (except Cali) and Norte de Santander as Do Not Travel. Along with a 10km strip along the Venezuelan border. The US buffer is wider than the UK's 5km line. Both governments single out the same broad geography: border departments, the southern Pacific coast, and pockets of the central south. Neither has changed its headline level in the past month, and the wording on kidnapping and armed groups has been carried over from earlier reissues.
What travellers should know
Street crime is the most common risk for visitors, even in cities not flagged by either government. Both official advisory guidance and official advisory guidance warn that robbery can turn violent quickly. Phones, watches and bags are common targets. Registered taxis booked through an app or hotel are a better option than hailing on the street. Scopolamine drugging at bars and through dating apps is reported in Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena. And travellers are told to watch drinks and be careful about meeting strangers from apps. For travel between regions, internal flights are the standard way to avoid overland routes that pass through restricted zones. Bus journeys through Cauca, Nariño and Norte de Santander cross areas official advisory guidance and US warn about. Travel insurance with medical evacuation cover is recommended by both governments, and visitors are pointed to the their home government's traveller alert programme enrolment programme. Demonstrations can flare up in city centres and sometimes turn violent, so travellers should give protests a wide berth. Anyone planning to visit Caño Cristales, the Amazon around Leticia. Or remote nature sites should book through licensed operators and confirm the route does not enter a restricted area.