Colombia:
Although Colombia is well known as one of the most dangerous countries in the world, there are parts of the country where tourists can have a holiday and remain unscathed by the violence that mars most of Colombia. The coastal resorts, in particular Cartagena with its beaches and colonial architecture, are safe to visit.
The war between the guerillas and the government has claimed 30,000 lives since 1990. In the winter of 1999, a Canadian businessman was released after months in captivity; he was kidnapped by the guerrillas, who use this method to raise funds for their forces. The paramilitary right wing death squads have complicated matters by getting involved in the killing game as well. Car bombings, assassinations, slaughtering of villagers, and armed robbery plague Columbia. The murder rate is higher in Colombia than anywhere else in Latin America. In January 1999, there was a devastating earthquake in five provinces, and it killed at least 2,000 people.
Adventurous types do travel through Colombia, however, and report that many parts of the country seem peaceful and safe. If Colombia ever sorts out its political and social problems, it could become an excellent ecotourism destination, as more than half of the country lies in the Amazonian rainforest, and the Andes mountains run through the middle of the country.
Please note that if you are travelling in the north of Ecuador, most Ecuadoreans will tell you it's safe to travel over the border into southern Colombia. However, this advice should be taken with a grain of salt. For instance, in December, 1999, five people were killed and 26 were injured when a car bomb exploded in a town called La Hormiga, which is close to the Ecuadorean border.
Books: The Fruit Palace, by Charles Nicholl
This page last updated September 23, 2000.