"Forget narcos!" How Colombia is reinventing itself - and wants to get rid of Pablo Escobar
The conquistador Rodrigo de Bastidas (1445-1527) reached the bay of Cartagena in 1502. At that time, the region was inhabited by various indigenous peoples. The Spaniards called it Cartagena, perhaps because of its close resemblance to the Spanish city of the same name.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Traces of the Spaniards can be seen everywhere in the city.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Fruit and juices are available everywhere in Colombian cities - including here in Cartagena.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Beautiful houses in the old town. These are in high demand on the real estate market.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Street food can be found on every corner. Typical stall in Cartagena.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Cartagena can be quite busy.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
An Insta spot is also a must.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Party bus, Colombian style.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The historic center is surrounded by eleven kilometers of these imposing stone walls, which are complemented by fortifications and bastions. They served as a defense against pirate attacks.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The streets can be flooded by ships.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The La Serrezuela shopping center was built in 1893 as a bullring.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Had enough of the bustling streets of Cartagena? Then there are numerous Caribbean islands just outside the city where you can relax.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Including animal inhabitants.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The conquistador Rodrigo de Bastidas (1445-1527) reached the bay of Cartagena in 1502. At that time, the region was inhabited by various indigenous peoples. The Spaniards called it Cartagena, perhaps because of its close resemblance to the Spanish city of the same name.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Traces of the Spaniards can be seen everywhere in the city.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Fruit and juices are available everywhere in Colombian cities - including here in Cartagena.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Beautiful houses in the old town. These are in high demand on the real estate market.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Street food can be found on every corner. Typical stall in Cartagena.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Cartagena can be quite busy.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
An Insta spot is also a must.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Party bus, Colombian style.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The historic center is surrounded by eleven kilometers of these imposing stone walls, which are complemented by fortifications and bastions. They served as a defense against pirate attacks.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The streets can be flooded by ships.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The La Serrezuela shopping center was built in 1893 as a bullring.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Had enough of the bustling streets of Cartagena? Then there are numerous Caribbean islands just outside the city where you can relax.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Including animal inhabitants.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Colombia is considered an exotic and dangerous destination. Wrongly so. The country surprises with the warmth of its inhabitants and a huge variety of landscapes. Only a few scars remain as a reminder of the narco past of cocaine king Pablo Escobar.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Colombia has emancipated itself from its narco past and today presents itself as a diverse and hospitable travel destination.
- In addition to vibrant cities such as Bogotá or Medellin, the country offers unique natural experiences such as the Salento coffee region or the Tayrona National Park on the Caribbean coast.
- Cartagena's old town is a tourist magnet; the historic center is - rightly - a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
"What? Where are you going on vacation? Colombia?", my best friend asks in amazement when I tell her about the planned trip. Colombia is considered an unusual destination that is still not very touristy and dangerous.
Medellín in particular brings back memories of cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar (1949-1993), the head of the Medellín cartel. Ever since the Netflix hit series "Narcos", many people have associated Colombia with Escobar.
But how dangerous is a trip to Colombia? The country has left its narco past behind, with only a few - fading - scars left to remind us of this era. And the inhabitants are doing everything they can to ensure that this shadow is forgotten.
A trip through Colombia is not dangerous, but rather adventurous, as almost nobody speaks English. But those who take the plunge will be richly rewarded. Rarely has the author experienced so much warmth and friendliness in a country.
Bogotá: Swiss engineering, coca tea and boccia
Plaza de Bolívar: The Catedral Primada towers majestically in Bogotá.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The square is one of the highlights in the center of Bogotá.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Locals and tourists bustle around here. Colombians are world champions at inventing jobs. If you don't have one, you stand on the street and sell something. Whether it's boiled sweetcorn with warm butter ...
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
... or corn to feed the birds.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Llama rides are also on offer.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Futuristic bus station in Bogotá. Public transport works perfectly in Colombia.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The free walking tours in Bogotá start at the Chorro de Quevedo square. The La Candelaria district has a few highlights in store.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Alleyways with graffiti art in the city center invite you to explore.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Many artists have immortalized themselves in Bogotá's city center.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
This alley in La Candelaria has been upgraded. The result is an outdoor graffiti museum.
Unfortunately, we didn't find the Grinch on the tour.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
De La Salle University in the city center. One of the city's many universities. Bogotá has countless universities. These are also known colloquially as garage universities.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Paradise for fruit lovers: Colombia offers an incredible selection of fruit. A tasting stop at one of the city's markets is well worthwhile.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Bogotá lies 2640 meters above sea level. Some of the streets in La Candelaria are quite high. If you have trouble with the altitude, locals recommend a tea made from coca leaves.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Monserrate is one of Bogotà's local hills and an attraction for locals and tourists alike.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
View of the city from Monserrate.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Plaza de Bolívar: The Catedral Primada towers majestically in Bogotá.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The square is one of the highlights in the center of Bogotá.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Locals and tourists bustle around here. Colombians are world champions at inventing jobs. If you don't have one, you stand on the street and sell something. Whether it's boiled sweetcorn with warm butter ...
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
... or corn to feed the birds.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Llama rides are also on offer.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Futuristic bus station in Bogotá. Public transport works perfectly in Colombia.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The free walking tours in Bogotá start at the Chorro de Quevedo square. The La Candelaria district has a few highlights in store.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Alleyways with graffiti art in the city center invite you to explore.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Many artists have immortalized themselves in Bogotá's city center.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
This alley in La Candelaria has been upgraded. The result is an outdoor graffiti museum.
Unfortunately, we didn't find the Grinch on the tour.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
De La Salle University in the city center. One of the city's many universities. Bogotá has countless universities. These are also known colloquially as garage universities.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Paradise for fruit lovers: Colombia offers an incredible selection of fruit. A tasting stop at one of the city's markets is well worthwhile.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Bogotá lies 2640 meters above sea level. Some of the streets in La Candelaria are quite high. If you have trouble with the altitude, locals recommend a tea made from coca leaves.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Monserrate is one of Bogotà's local hills and an attraction for locals and tourists alike.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
View of the city from Monserrate.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Colombia is like a big, bulging surprise bag - with different climate zones, different landscapes and an incredible selection of fruits.
There's just one thing you won't find anywhere here: silence. If you're looking for absolute peace and quiet, you'll be hard pressed to find it. Music is an integral part of life and reflects the cheerfulness of the population.
Even on the first cab ride from the airport to Bogotá city, driver Julio sings along to hits from the radio.
Surprisingly, the sound of the hand organ is reminiscent of folk music - with a dash of Latin American rhythms. A glance at the current charts reveals: The star of the hour is Silvestre Dangond. The singer is a kind of folk hero in Colombia, the answer to Francine Jordi, so to speak. His sound is everywhere - at any time of day. And often at full volume.
The pilgrimage church is enthroned high above Bogotá on Monserrate mountain. One of the highlights of the Colombian capital. The perfect place to get an overview. At 3152 meters above sea level, the Cerro de Monserrate offers a fantastic panoramic view of the metropolis with almost eight million inhabitants.
Locals and tourists alike can take the funicular up the mountain and the aerial tramway back down. Swiss engineering skills are involved in both constructions, as the Friends of Latin American Railways write on their website - from the von Roll company to ABB. Incidentally, believers walk the path to the basilica on their knees.
Monserrate is a place of pilgrimage, a panoramic viewing platform and a bit of a fair all in one. Several stalls sell drinks, food and souvenirs of all kinds - from football shirts to hippie backpacks with a batik design.
The city center is easy to explore on foot; free walking tours are offered in Spanish and English (!). A leisurely stroll through the city makes it clear that necessity is the mother of invention.
If you don't have a job in Colombia, you become a street vendor - with boundless creativity: from corn on the cob with butter to go to fruit skewers and llama tours, everything is on offer.
A trip to a tejo hall is worthwhile. Tejo is Colombia's national sport and is played in bar halls. A first try shows that tejo is not child's play. Quite the opposite! Similar to boccia, in the traditional game of tejo you aim at a target with solid metal plates. However, unlike the European version, the aim here is not to get as close as possible to a small ball.
The target in tejo is a circle about 15 centimetres in size, which is set into a slightly sloping, sandy-clay playing surface. At the edge of the circle are small pockets filled with black powder, known as mechas. If one of these mechas is hit by a thrown metal plate, it detonates with a loud bang - a spectacular effect that makes the game a special experience.
A hit in a circle scores one point, aiming at a mecha scores two points. However, if you manage to explode a mecha and place your metal plate inside the circle at the same time, you get three points.
Medellín: Escobar's former cocaine stronghold with metro
"The city of Medellín invests incredible sums in education. We are convinced that in order to leave the narco past behind us, we have to focus on education," explains our guide and art student Samuel from the free walking tour.
Sami, as he calls himself, doesn't like to talk about Pablo Escobar - the city's most famous and notorious celebrity. It is the country's turn to reinvent itself after this period and it deserves a chance. "Forget 'Narcos' on Netflix. The series is full of false information and glorifies Escobar. He was a brutal dealer who turned this city into Sodom and Gomorrah. We are now moving away from that. A good example of this is Comuna 13 and our metro system. Please go home and tell people how beautiful and safe Colombia has become," he appeals.
The tour of the city center is fully booked and takes almost three hours. Medellín won't win any architecture awards, but it is well located on our way through to the Salento coffee region.
Highlights include the Botero Museum, a trip on Colombia's only subway train and a tour of Commune 13 (Comuna 13). This former problem district has been spruced up thanks to political support - Comuna 13 can be explored on the steepest escalator in the city.
A trip on the country's only metro is not only a cheap and fast way to get around, but a real revelation: bright, modern-looking, generously built and very clean. Some European metro systems could take a leaf out of their book.
Salento: making coffee with Don Jaime
A sip of Colombian coffee is - at first - a disappointment. At least for fans of Italian espresso. This coffee is much sweeter and has a completely different consistency.
Don Jaime is the second-generation owner of Lugar Hacienda. He took over the business from his father and has transformed the finca into a natural paradise for organic coffee lovers.
Hummingbirds buzz around his property, he composts himself and knows every plant in his paradise. He proudly explains all the tricks of the trade to guests. Anyone who comes by here can brew their own coffee - step by step. From picking to the various washing processes and roasting to grinding.
"Many tourists consider espresso to be the best coffee in the world. But in my eyes, the bean is roasted to death," says Don Jaime in Spanish, explaining why many people don't like Colombian coffee for the first time.
Don Jaime's specially roasted blend is a delicacy - and a visit to Don Jaime is an experience. His tours are often fully booked.
Cartagena: the party capital
Cartagena is the most European city in Colombia - a party stronghold and tourist magnet in one.
The conquistador Rodrigo de Bastidas (1445-1527) reached the bay of Cartagena in 1502. At that time, the region was inhabited by various indigenous peoples. The Spaniards called it Cartagena, perhaps because of its close resemblance to the Spanish city of the same name.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Traces of the Spaniards can be seen everywhere in the city.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Fruit and juices are available everywhere in Colombian cities - including here in Cartagena.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Beautiful houses in the old town. These are in high demand on the real estate market.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Street food can be found on every corner. Typical stall in Cartagena.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Cartagena can be quite busy.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
An Insta spot is also a must.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Party bus, Colombian style.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The historic center is surrounded by eleven kilometers of these imposing stone walls, which are complemented by fortifications and bastions. They served as a defense against pirate attacks.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The streets can be flooded by ships.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The La Serrezuela shopping center was built in 1893 as a bullring.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Had enough of the bustling streets of Cartagena? Then there are numerous Caribbean islands just outside the city where you can relax.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Including animal inhabitants.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The conquistador Rodrigo de Bastidas (1445-1527) reached the bay of Cartagena in 1502. At that time, the region was inhabited by various indigenous peoples. The Spaniards called it Cartagena, perhaps because of its close resemblance to the Spanish city of the same name.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Traces of the Spaniards can be seen everywhere in the city.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Fruit and juices are available everywhere in Colombian cities - including here in Cartagena.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Beautiful houses in the old town. These are in high demand on the real estate market.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Street food can be found on every corner. Typical stall in Cartagena.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Cartagena can be quite busy.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
An Insta spot is also a must.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Party bus, Colombian style.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The historic center is surrounded by eleven kilometers of these imposing stone walls, which are complemented by fortifications and bastions. They served as a defense against pirate attacks.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The streets can be flooded by ships.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
The La Serrezuela shopping center was built in 1893 as a bullring.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Had enough of the bustling streets of Cartagena? Then there are numerous Caribbean islands just outside the city where you can relax.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
Including animal inhabitants.
Image: blue News/Carlotta Henggeler
On a stroll through the well-preserved historic center, the painted facades, idyllic squares and imposing cathedrals tell of Spanish conquistadors, the colonial era, world trade and much more. Due to these historical influences, the historic center has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.
The Caribbean coast is just outside the city gates and the Tayrona National Park can be reached in four and a half hours by car.
The beaches in the national park can easily compete with the most beautiful in the world. Hikers can explore the attraction on foot, while the more adventurous get on horseback. The park is popular with locals and tourists alike. A hotspot for beach fans - with a dose of Indiana Jones jungle feeling.
Tayrona National Park is one of the attractions of northern Colombia.
Image: blueNews/Carlotta Henggeler
The park can be explored on foot and - somewhat more adventurously - on horseback.
Image: blueNews/Carlotta Henggeler
The beaches in the national park are among the most beautiful in the world.
Image: blueNews/Carlotta Henggeler
The park also caters for small and large appetites.
Image: blueNews/Carlotta Henggeler
Pure Caribbean feeling in Tayrona National Park.
Image: blueNews/Carlotta Henggeler
Fancy a nap? Tayrona National Park is the perfect spot for that too.
Image: blueNews/Carlotta Henggeler
Explored the park on horseback: blue News editor Carlotta Henggeler.
Image: blueNews/Carlotta Henggeler
Tayrona National Park is one of the attractions of northern Colombia.
Image: blueNews/Carlotta Henggeler
The park can be explored on foot and - somewhat more adventurously - on horseback.
Image: blueNews/Carlotta Henggeler
The beaches in the national park are among the most beautiful in the world.
Image: blueNews/Carlotta Henggeler
The park also caters for small and large appetites.
Image: blueNews/Carlotta Henggeler
Pure Caribbean feeling in Tayrona National Park.
Image: blueNews/Carlotta Henggeler
Fancy a nap? Tayrona National Park is the perfect spot for that too.
Image: blueNews/Carlotta Henggeler
Explored the park on horseback: blue News editor Carlotta Henggeler.
Image: blueNews/Carlotta Henggeler
Cartagena is the perfect end to a Colombian adventure. The streets are bustling, with countless cafés, restaurants and bars. Here you can shop for the last souvenirs or souvenirs in the beautiful old town alleyways. For example in the Serrezuela shopping center, a former bullring. Here you can reflect on your trip over an ice cream made from exotic fruits from Crepes & Waffles. The queue is long, the Colombians love the store. But it's worth the wait, I promise.
On the way to the airport, our cab driver sings a ballad to himself. Pure Colombia, right to the end.
This is what the FDFA says about the situation: the crime rate and the propensity for violence are high. The country is confronted with organized crime and other forms of violence. You can find more information here.
