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Threat assessment · Colombia
Cartagena
Our rating, plus the advisories, health notices, emergency numbers and crime data behind it, from official sources checked Oct 20, 2026.
Nepsis threat assessment
Cartagena
Reviewed Oct 20, 2026. Scored with our published method; never below the State Department level.
Crime and scams sets the level.
Top actions
- Keep your phone and wallet out of sight on the street, where pickpocketing and mugging occur.
- Use registered taxis or app rides from CTG instead of accepting offers from strangers.
- Review the current CDC Level 2 travel health notice for Colombia before you go.
Know before you go
In Colombia, dial 123 for police or ambulance and 119 for fire; a CDC Level 2 health notice is active.
Official advisories
What governments say right now.
Checked Oct 20, 2026. We link every source so you can read it yourself.
| U.S. State Department | Level 3: Reconsider travel (updated Mar 30, 2026) Read it → |
|---|---|
| UK Foreign Office (FCDO) | Last updated Oct 15, 2026. Latest change: New information about the 2026-2027 El Niño weather event (‘Safety and security’ page). Read it → |
| CDC health notices | Level 2 - Yellow Fever in Colombia (Oct 15, 2026) CDC travel notices → |
| Emergency numbers | Ambulance: 123 · Fire: 119 · Police: 123 |
| Main airport | CTG |
Crime and scams
What the UK Foreign Office advises.
Excerpt from UK FCDO travel advice, lightly trimmed for travelers outside the UK. This advice covers all of Colombia, not only Cartagena. Full FCDO safety advice →
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Drugs, organised crime and terrorism are inextricably linked in Colombia. There’s evidence of high levels of coca cultivation in:
- Nariño Department
- Cauca Department
- Putumayo Department
- Caquetá Department
- Meta Department
- Guaviare Department
- the Catatumbo region in Norte de Santander Department
- northern Antioquia Department
- southern Bolivar Department
There’s a risk to your safety in any area where coca, marijuana or opium poppies are cultivated and near to cocaine processing labs.
Illegal armed groups and criminal gangs are active in all of the departments where coca is cultivated, processed or transported, as well as in many cities. The risk is particularly significant in:
- rural areas near to the borders with Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador
- the Parque Nacional Natural de La Macarena in the Department of Meta
- the port towns of Buenaventura in the Department of Valle de Cauca, Turbo in the Department of Antioquia and Tumaco in the Department of Nariño
Money laundering, extortion and prostitution rackets are all part of organised crime activity.
Street crime
Be vigilant in public places used by foreign nationals or near official buildings. Take care on city streets, especially in deprived areas of cities, after dark or if you are on your own. Do not carry large amounts of money or wear expensive-looking jewellery or watches.
Criminal kidnapping
Short-term opportunistic abductions known as ‘express kidnappings’ are common in Colombia. Criminals – often posing as taxi drivers may track and select a target victim, often from around ATMs and often at night. They also attack at random. The kidnappers force the victim to empty their bank account by making multiple transfers, or drive them to ATMs and force them to withdraw cash. Normally victims are quickly released, but there have been incidents where those who have resisted the kidnappers’ demands have
What this page is
Built on official data.
Our rating above is built on the official government and police data on this page, checked Oct 20, 2026. It does not replace your government's advisory. Planning a trip here? A Nepsis kit turns it into an arrival plan you can carry. See the kits.