Bogota, Colombia?
Posted by RichBeautiful5156@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 20 comments
Cheap flights from the USA to Bogota, but am concerned about what there is to do and how safe it is. Me and my gf (gay) would both be going. Any advice much appreciated. Our budget is 1k/person. Found tix for 400/pop.
seamallowance@reddit
Buy a ticket from Bogota to Santa Marta. Once you arrive, stay overnight in a nearby hotel with a free shuttle. Next morning, catch a flight to Santa Marta, a taxi over to Taganga and stay here: https://divangahosteltaganga.com/
Bitter-Advisor-2898@reddit
if you are a city person, youll likely like bogota. It has everything every major city has and there's many cool things to do. In terms of how safe it is, just take any precaution that you would take in any major city. You probably would not be walking at 2am in a dark alley in nyc so maybe dont do that in Bogota and you should be fine.
Gabrielredux@reddit
Go to Montevideo instead
JohnRusty@reddit
Safety is always hard to talk about because people’s ideas of what “safe” is vary a lot. What are examples of places you’ve felt unsafe?
RichBeautiful5156@reddit (OP)
LOL yes, i would be. I have been to CDMX, Oaxaca, Costa Rica. But i would feel unsafe in ghetto places. Like I lived briefly in Detroit and it was icky, etc. some parts of new orleans
JohnRusty@reddit
It definitely has sketchy parts and you’ll want to take relatively standard LatAm precautions, but that’s the case with CDMX too. More to the point, I’m not convinced it has a ton to do as opposed to somewhere like Medellin
wanderlust_m@reddit
I've been to both and found a lot more to do in and around Bogota than in Medellin (and I like Medellin)
wanderlust_m@reddit
I certainly feel safer and less "icky" in Bogota (any parts a non-local would possibly go) than on Bourbon St in New Orleans
missmcbeer@reddit
I haven’t been to either but do you feel safer in Juarez than Detroit? Or is Juarez less icky than Detroit? Genuinely curious
RichBeautiful5156@reddit (OP)
Juarez is not as scary as detroit it’s so ghetto lol
Artimusjones88@reddit
Why choose a place if you haven't read up on it?
RichBeautiful5156@reddit (OP)
I have mixed reviews though on what it’s like
AppetizersinAlbania@reddit
I’m leaving for Columbia in a week. I’m taking care of some business in Bogotá and then heading to the Caribbean coast. The temperature is in the 90’s there and the 60s in Bogotá! I’m skipping Cartegena (Easter week, no bunnies in Columbia, but evidently it’s a huge week-long holiday for many Colombians). I’ve heard good things about Medellín. I’m avoiding the areas near the Venezuelan border. I did a lot of research on the internet to get recent information and recommendations for places to go and things to do that I found interesting. Note that internal airlines are similar to the USA budget airlines, prices get more $$$ the closer to booking. Also, some places might be closed as a result of the Easter week holidays. I did book a hotel across the street from the airport for my departure at 6:00 a.m.
Emergency_Fly_119@reddit
Because OP has some bucks and wants to explore
Emergency_Fly_119@reddit
This speaks to me as a type B traveler
Goodnight_April@reddit
It's hardly a one stop destination, unless you are really into latin cities. It's usually visited as part of a bigger itinerary in Colombia. And it's not safe by European standards, but is in line with South American cities like Sao Paulo, Lima, Quito etc.
wjpell@reddit
La Catedral de Sal was pretty interesting.
ember539@reddit
I landed late in Bogota (I can’t remember the exact time but I think it was 10:30 or 11) and couldn’t believe how busy the airport was at that time. The arrivals pickup area was still packed.
I didn’t find bogota very exciting. If you could do a couple of days there then move on, there are many fantastic areas in Colombia and it’s normal to take a quick budget flight because the roads through the mountains can take forever and be unreliable.
Curried_Orca@reddit
^ have done same it was like a beehive.
lucapal1@reddit
I like the city, it's quite interesting.
There a reasonable amount to see and do there, depending on your interests.
It's safe enough.. you need to take usual precautions, like in any place you don't know...no more than that.
You can take a taxi at night or get someone from your hotel or hostel to pick you up at the airport.