Welcome to the TravelPod forums

[Smacker]

I am planning a small trip to South & Central America. Is it possible to travel directly from Chili to Mexico without travelling through any dangerous countries?

I was told Colombia was really bad and yet I found some places in Colombia to be quite safe so I'm looking for actual traveller feedback.

Thx,

Smacker

[zzz_Jonboy]

if you are talking about going overalnd the entire way, that is impossible due to the Darien Gap. Honduras has been getting more dangerous and there are obviously areas in Columbia that you don't want to visit but by and large you should be OK.

[whereshegoes]

I am in South America at the moment and have heard great feedback. I as well wanted to make this trip but from Argentina up....I have met many people who have been and are now in the 'danger area' reporting extrodinary people and experiences. Not to mention that almost every Columbian I have met travelling are kind and warm. I think you need to take the usual care but there are heaps of people who have already done and are currently doing what you plan. You will not be the first or the last. Get out there and have fun!

[Mark]

Am in SA at the moment and have met people both before and during my trip who have travelled throughout the whole of Central and South America and all listed Columbia as their favourite country. Am now having to change my plans to be able to to take it in. The best advice is to check out the latest security situation to find out which parts of the country you should avoid. Generally speaking at the moment it seems the part of the country east of Bogota is to be avoided but dont take my word for it it. Check out the UK Foreign Office or the US CIA website for the latest info or better still speak to travellers who have been there. Its advisable that you get your Spanish up to scratch as it will make it much easier to deal with any problems. Given that you might (as Im now doing) want to leave it towards the end of the trip so you have a chance both to get it up to scratch with the lingo as well become more streetwise to traveling in SA.

You should avoid taking any pictures of Police, milatary, paramilatary. Also (a tip from someone who just came from there) dont take photos of political propoganda billboards. Luckily for her she was a flunent Spanish speaker and managed (just) to charm her way out of what could have become a very sticky situation. But lets get some perspective here. There are many are potential dangers everywhere. Just because your in a supposedly safe country doesnt mean you can let your guard down. In my hostel in Quito there have been four mugins, 1 knife attack in the last week and a half. In all cases the people involved were drunk or on drugs and walking alone in the early hours of the morning instead of getting a taxi. Basically they all got careless becuase they thought Ecquador to be a safe country as its such a backpacker mecca. By contrast all the people I met in who had been to Columbia experienced no problems at all. Infact they said they felt safer in Columbia than they did in Ecquador which says it all really.

[Guest_John]

I just returned from Colombia with my girlfriend and another couple and we all had a wonderful time. Colombians are extremelly hospitable and warm, the country is beautiful, the insfrastructure in large cities is as good as in any developed country, and, more importantly, we never felt in danger or threatened in any way.

We found Bogota to be very sophisticated and beautiful; Cartagena is a gem with nice beaches to boot. I recommend to all readers not to avoid Colombia. If we all believed everything the State Department's website says about every country we'd never leave our houses. Pack up and go!

[lucky]

John, thanks for the post, I'm planning on heading to South America next year.

Although I am not one to believe the travel advisories and have been to alot of dodgy places, I've heard tons of nasty stories about Colombia and it's safety, not just from the news but from other travelers as well.

Is there any activities or regions you would avoid to stay safe?

Did you hear of anyone else having problems?

Thanks.

[Dospollos]

Do not miss Colombia!

We are travelling this proposed route in reverse (Mexico to Chile) at the moment, and are currently in Peru.

We have been to every country so far, and Colombia is easily our favourite.

I'm planning to go back already, actually considering looking for work out there, as I met a few people from the UK working over there in Cartegena and Bogota.

Check out my travelog if you want some more info:

http://www.travelpod.com/members/dospollos

We decided to fly from Panama City to Cartegena, but you can go overland if you fancy a days walk along a beach. Check the current status before you do it, that region has its ups and downs

The other option is to take a boat, which works out more expensive than flying sometimes, and can take up to a week with stopovers, but you do get the opportunity to check out the San Blas islands of Panama if youre lucky