Solo female travel in Medellin??!  Isn’t that too dangerous?!  After all, Medellin is synonymous with Pablo Escobar, cocaine, & drug trafficking.  Anyone who’s watched “Narcos” knows all about that.  But the heyday of Escobar is long past, & after having visited Medellin twice, & spending nearly a month there: I feel as safe there as I do in my adopted hometown of Portland, Oregon.  In fact, I’d actually take Medellin over Portland in terms of safety, these days.  There’s no question that right now, I’d feel safer in Medellin.

In this post, I’d like to look at actual crime statistics combined with my personal experiences, to give you an idea of what it feels like to visit this vibrant city that’s currently experiencing a huge resurgence.

Parque Berrio is the heart of downtown Medellin, & located just a few blocks from the famous Botero Plaza.

Is Medellin, Colombia Safe?

Does Colombia still have issues with drugs?  Yes, or as you’d say in Spanish: “Si, claro.”  Colombia is still the world’s leading producer of cocaine, which has to be transported from the jungle up to where people pay top dollar for it: the United States.  What made Colombia so dangerous back in the 80’s & 90’s was major drug violence, which Escobar often used as leverage against the police & his competitors.  Innocent bystanders were affected by this violence ~ not just those involved in the drug trade.  This is when Medellin was known as the “Murder Capital of the World.” 

My friend Eileen in 2018, in what used to be the most dangerous neighborhood in Medellin: Communa 13.

When you visit today, they’ll show you where the cartel used to dump bodies in the river (the metro line runs right along that river, today).  The history of violence is still present in the city: but today’s Medellin is vastly different, & far safer.  Instead of being the “Murder Capital,” it’s now labeled as the “Most Innovative City.”  Medellin’s current crime rate is 20 violent crimes per 100,000 people.  By comparison: Cleveland, Ohio has 1,334 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2018.  In St. Louis, Missouri ~ it’s 1,817 violent crimes per 100,000. 

So, statistically speaking: you are nearly 100% safer in Medellin in 2019 than you are in Cleveland, St. Louis, Chicago ~ or many of America’s largest cities.

• I’ll never forget the discussion I had with a volunteer at the Museo Casa de la Memoria, a museum that explains the history of violence that has affected Colombia for so many years.  Visiting this museum is a MUST if you want to understand this city.  After watching video interviews, I told her how moved I was, particularly by the strength of Colombia’s women: for the traumas they had survived, & their willingness to stand up to the cartels, in spite of very real, very grave danger.  Rather than be afraid, they instead were fighting & demonstrating for peace in their country: standing up to the cartels.  I found this extremely moving.
• I struck up a conversation with a young man playing with his dog at the top of Pueblito Paisa, a famous place to watch the sunset in Medellin.  I felt nervous asking him to take a photo of me at first, because of warnings about people trying to steal my phone.  But after watching him play with his dog, instinct told me he was the right person to ask.  He was, & the brief photo session turned into a conversation about our dogs, both black labs. 
  

  Pueblito Paisa is one of the most gorgeous sunset spots in Medellin, because here you’ve got 360 degree views of the city.

• A wonderful taxi driver ~ the best of the best ~ gifted me one of his favorite Latino CD’s after I introduced him to the song, “Roses,” by The Chainsmokers.  I can still feel his excitement & insistence that I take the CD in spite of my protestations.  “No – you must have it!  You must take something to remember our country!”
• I still recall the faces of the boys I encountered near Parque Biblioteca Espana, the library perched on the side of a cliff in Communa 13 ~ the district once controlled by Escobar.  I walked all throughout this colorful area, not once feeling afraid.  Rounding a street corner, I was approached by a group of boys with big smiles, who asked me in perfect English: “Where are you from?  Are you from America?  Do you like to play soccer?”  I smiled & began chatting with them.  In these young faces I saw smiles.  Hope.  And mostly, curiosity.  And all this in what used to be the “most dangerous” ghetto in Medellin, where no tourist would have been caught dead (pun intended) in the 80’s.
• More invitations to join soccer games: this time, outside the beautiful Medellin castle called El Castillo Museo y Jardines.  The men in the photo below asked me if I wanted to join their game…& little did they know, I LOVE playing soccer.  The warmth of the Colombian people is evident everywhere, not necessarily by their words, but by their actions.
  

  These guys outside of one of Medellin’s most famous castles asked me to join them for a game of soccer…or rather, “futbol.”