In July 2026, I went to Colombia for the first time, for a month, with my Colombian girlfriend to visit her family.
When I told the people around me I was going to Colombia, the first thing I heard was: “Aren't you scared of going there?”
To which I replied: “Why should I be scared?”
Here's what they said: “You know Colombia has a dark past with drug trafficking, with Pablo Escobar at the head of the network. Since then, it's still an unstable country, with guerrillas and a lot of insecurity!”
Before leaving, I'll admit I had stereotypes based on what people had told me about Colombia: drug trafficking, Pablo Escobar, beautiful women and safety, to name just a few.
But this trip was my chance to really get to know the culture, the people and the customs of the country in depth. And almost nothing I experienced there matched what I had been told.
I'm going to list and explain each of these clichés along with what I learned on the ground, and show you that Colombia is a beautiful country that deserves to be seen with fresh eyes.
Colombia and drug trafficking
It's probably the first image people have of Colombia.
Even though Colombia does still produce cocaine, it's only a tiny part of the picture, and it happens in the most remote parts of the country. The cartels operate mainly outside tourist areas, and the risk of running into them is close to zero if you follow the locals' advice.
At the same time, if the cartels keep producing it, it's because there are still consumers buying it. Otherwise, the country would have stopped long ago. Those consumers are mostly abroad, mainly in the United States and Europe.
Personally, I never came across anyone selling drugs on the streets in Colombia. Don't imagine it's everywhere and that strange people will approach you every second.
On the contrary, Colombians view drug trafficking and drug use very negatively. If someone is seen with drugs, it's immediately frowned upon.
Colombia wants to move on from the heavy past it went through during that dark period by gradually changing its image. The past stays in the past; now it's time for the present, which is about sharing real Colombian culture.
Colombia and its relationship with Pablo Escobar
Following on from drug trafficking, many people associate Colombia with Pablo Escobar.
The Netflix series Narcos doesn't help how people see the country, since it mostly shows the positive things Pablo did for his community. But reality is completely different: “Don Pablo”, as he was nicknamed, is above all known for the crimes he committed against his own people for almost 10 years.
While it's true the country is closely linked to him, Colombians don't like him at all.
If I had one piece of advice, it would be: don't bring him up, or you'll be frowned upon. People will immediately see you as just another tourist who came to Colombia with that one cliché, without trying to understand the painful past they went through or real Colombian culture.
Pablo Escobar never had a place in people's hearts. He mostly did them enormous harm by spreading terror in his own country. Mass killings, kidnappings and hostage-taking are the last things they want to remember.
Colombia and safety
Insecurity exists everywhere in the world, even in countries where you think there's none (Japan, for example).
In Colombia, insecurity does exist, I won't hide it from you. It mostly depends on where you go, and at what time.
The only things I saw on the streets were people asking for money, or slightly pushy touts wanting you to come into their restaurant or shop. That's as far as it went.
In Bogotá, for example, it's recommended not to go out late at night in certain areas, especially if you're alone.
Having gone out at night with my girlfriend and her cousin, I can tell you that if you stick to busy places, nothing will happen to you.
Depending on the city, some working-class neighbourhoods are best avoided because things are more likely to happen there. The easiest thing is to ask locals which areas to avoid, as they know their neighbourhoods very well.
But overall, everywhere I went, I didn't have a single safety issue. Very often, I even felt safer in any Colombian city than in Paris.
If you have any doubts, check out my Colombia guides, where I list all the interesting places to visit in Colombia without exposing yourself to risk.
Colombia is a poor country
It all depends on what we mean by poverty in a country. Are we talking from an economic point of view, or in terms of natural wealth?
Economically, if we look at this chart showing the % of the population living on less than one dollar a day, it stood at 7.7% in 2023. With Colombia's total population at 54 million, that's about 4 million Colombians living on less than $30 a month.
Of that 7.7%, almost half come from rural regions where work relies on agriculture.
These figures show that a large part of the population lives below the poverty line. And given today's cost of living, it's clear that many can't make a decent living.
When I was in Colombia, I saw for myself the price of essential products (fruit, vegetables, meat), and the least I can say is that you can hardly buy anything for less than $1, apart from a bottle of water.
On top of that, Colombia faces corruption, which has a huge impact on its people.
After watching the documentary “Sumercé” (which I really recommend you watch on Vimeo), you understand that farmers very often have to stand up to government authorities to avoid being expropriated, even though the land belongs to them.
The film also shows that regional elections very often favour the wealthy, who pay bribes to win people over to their cause, leading to unfair outcomes in who gets elected.
BUT Colombia has unrivalled natural wealth that few countries can boast, and in recent years its infrastructure, transport and urban planning have been developing more and more.
Colombian land is rich in minerals and very fertile for growing fruit and vegetables.
Thanks to its many climates, farmers can grow coffee, cocoa and potatoes in the highlands, for example. But they can also grow mangoes, papayas and coconuts in tropical areas.
Finally, let's not forget that more and more tourists come to Colombia precisely to discover this natural wealth. Eco-responsible tourism is attracting even more visitors and helps protect ecosystems that are vital to the country's biodiversity.
In my view, Colombia has a wonderful future ahead of it, thanks to its cultural and natural wealth, but above all thanks to its warm people, who want to promote a better image of their own country.
Colombia and its hot climate
If you look closely at a world map, Colombia sits just above the Equator.
You might think it's hot all year round and only pack light clothes. Big mistake!
The climate in Colombia works differently. The higher the altitude, the colder it gets. And the country is known for its several mountain ranges, which means you'll go through areas with a mild, dry climate (high altitude), then areas that are hotter and more humid (low altitude).
In some parts, like the Caribbean coast or the Amazon, it is indeed hot and humid.
However, if you're in the Cundinamarca region (which includes the capital, Bogotá) or in Boyacá (a beautiful region I recommend for getting off the beaten track), the climate will be cooler, with temperatures that can drop to 10°C in the evening!
High altitude can also give some people headaches or a feeling of breathlessness, a symptom known as “soroche” in Colombia, but your body gets used to it after a few days. Normally, if you're in good shape, you won't feel these symptoms.
So for a first trip, I strongly advise you to bring warm clothes (jackets, jumpers, trousers, a rain jacket) so you can always adapt to the different climates.
Colombia and its beautiful women
Women in Colombia have a reputation for being both sexy, with curvy figures, and more expressive in the way they approach people.
One thing is certain: Colombian women are beautiful, I won't hide that. It's true that many of them are curvy, especially around the hips. That's the case with my Colombian girlfriend, for example.
But you shouldn't generalise either. I also came across Colombian women who don't match that image at all.
I saw with my own eyes many different types of women.
My girlfriend has rather Western features and a curvy figure. Other women have more mixed features, closer to Indigenous people, with more or less pronounced curves. On the Caribbean coast, I saw many women with African features and curvier figures.
Either way, wherever you are in Colombia, you'll find nothing but beautiful women!
As for Colombian women seeming more forward, you need to understand Colombian customs in more detail.
In Colombian culture, men and women are generally expressive, in the sense that they express their emotions and love for those around them more easily.
It's common to hear Colombians on the street calling each other very strong words like “My love”, “My princess” or “Handsome”, as this is considered affection rather than a declaration of love.
These expressions are completely normal in Colombia, and you'll need to get used to them. So if a woman or a man says these words to you, don't take it personally or as an attempt to flirt, but rather as a warm way of welcoming you!
Colombia only produces coffee
Colombia is indeed a coffee-producing country, ranking 3rd behind Brazil and Vietnam.
We know this image well because we often see bags of coffee from Colombia in supermarkets and coffee shops.
It's also why I absolutely wanted to see with my own eyes how coffee is grown there.
There are several regions where you can learn about coffee on “fincas”, which is what farms are commonly called in Colombia. I went to a very well-known one in the Quindío region: La Recuca. If you're comfortable with Spanish, it's one of my recommendations!
But Colombia is far from being just about coffee.
Know this: the country could live entirely off its own agriculture, since it produces not only coffee but many varieties of fruit and vegetables, most of them exotic products we don't have at home.
Cocoa, corn, cassava, mango, avocado, papaya, banana and many more are grown in Colombia. Just head to a local market to see the sheer range of what you can find.
Thanks to its terrain and a climate that varies with altitude, as well as very fertile soil, it's very easy to grow almost any edible plant.
That's why it's really interesting to see Colombia as a nature reserve: not only can you taste all kinds of fruit and vegetables, but you can also admire stunning landscapes ranging from paradise beaches and tropical jungles to arid deserts and rugged mountains.
Colombia and its mostly mixed-race population
Thinking that the whole country is mixed-race is wrong. It's through the generations since Spanish colonisation that we now find a diversity of Colombians with different skin colours.
Proof of that: my girlfriend isn't mixed-race; she has fair skin with Indigenous and Spanish heritage.
Originally, Colombia was home to Indigenous peoples, with several ethnic groups spread across the territory. They had darker skin and features similar to Asian peoples.
From the 16th century, the Spanish colonisation of Colombia was a major turning point, as this is when mixing began: with the arrival of enslaved Black people, the persecution of Indigenous peoples and domination by Spanish soldiers, the demographics would eventually change.
So you find mixes between Spanish and Indigenous people, as well as between Spanish and Africans, and Indigenous and Africans. That's why mixed heritage is so present in Colombia today.
If you walk the streets of Bogotá, for example, you'll certainly see many mixed-race people with darker skin, but you'll also see people with fair skin. Meanwhile, in other regions like the Caribbean or the Pacific coast, you'll find many Afro-Colombians with dark skin.
Conclusion
We all have stereotypes about Colombia that skew our perception of reality.
Looking at all these misconceptions, I realise that many people around me are scared of travelling to a country that is so beautiful from the inside.
After a month in Colombia exploring different regions, I came away with wonderful memories, because I was lucky enough to travel with my Colombian family and learn a lot about their culture.
I now know how to make the most of Colombia on a future trip if I come back, which will almost certainly happen given how many places I still have to discover!
If you follow my recommendations and advice, your future trip to Colombia will only be better, without having to be constantly on your guard because someone told you a certain place is dangerous.
