Is Bogotá Safe? What the US, Canada and UK Advisories Say (2026)

Next check: Nov 6, 2026, or sooner if the US Embassy posts a Bogotá alert.

As of Oct 30, 2026, every recent US Embassy alert about Bogotá is a protest alert. None is a security alert about attacks or crime in Bogotá. (A country-wide tsunami alert on Oct 9 concerned the coasts.) (US Embassy in Colombia, alerts, read Oct 30, 2026)

• Oct 10 and 12, 2026: planned protests near the US Embassy.¹
• Oct 14, 2026: a day of protests in central Bogotá. The Embassy expected traffic disruptions, road closures and public transport delays in La Candelaria, Santa Fe, Teusaquillo and Usme.⁴
• Oct 19, 2026: an anti-fracking march at the US Embassy, with possible disruption in Teusaquillo.⁵

The Alcaldía publishes a weekly protest calendar. For Oct 26 to 31, 2026 it lists sit-ins, marches and cultural events in Santa Fe, Chapinero, Teusaquillo and San Cristóbal, including a sit-in at SENA headquarters (Calle 57 with Carrera 8, Chapinero) and a Universidad Distrital march from its Macarena campus.⁶ New weeks are posted at bogota.gov.co/tag/marchas.

The Embassy's advice in each alert is the same: avoid crowds and protests, keep a low profile, don't resist a robbery, and leave extra travel time.

None of the three governments puts Bogotá on its highest-risk list, so the city falls under each country's general Colombia advice.

Sources: travel.state.gov, Colombia Travel Advisory (read Oct 30, 2026 through the State Department's OSAC copy, because travel.state.gov blocked our request); travel.gc.ca, Colombia; GOV.UK, warnings and insurance; GOV.UK, safety and security.

The country-wide warnings (taxis, ATMs, kidnapping, terrorism) apply in Bogotá too. Our Medellín safety guide walks through what the US advisory says about them.

The Alcaldía doesn't publish a rate per 100,000 people in its latest release, but the main categories fell in 2026, according to the Secretaría Distrital de Seguridad, Convivencia y Justicia. Its balance for January to September 2026, compared with January to September 2025⁷:

The release gives percentages only, not case counts or rates per 100,000 people. A falling number also says nothing about how Bogotá compares with your home city.

The UK is the only government we found that names a Bogotá neighborhood for crime: "British nationals have been robbed at gunpoint in the Candelaria area of Bogotá." (GOV.UK, safety and security, read Oct 30, 2026)

La Candelaria and neighboring Santa Fe are also where many protests happen. Both appear in the US Embassy's Oct 14, 2026 protest alert and in the Alcaldía's protest calendar for the last week of October.⁴⁶

If you visit La Candelaria, the GOV.UK advice for city streets applies: take extra care after dark or when you're alone, and don't carry much cash or wear expensive-looking jewelry or watches.

No US, Canadian or UK advisory names Chapinero, as safe or unsafe. The only official mention we found this week is a protest: the Alcaldía lists a sit-in at SENA headquarters, Calle 57 with Carrera 8, in Chapinero, between Oct 26 and 31, 2026.⁶

We haven't verified crime data by barrio or localidad from the Policía Nacional or the Secretaría de Seguridad, so we don't rank Bogotá neighborhoods. Rent and listing data for Chapinero and other areas is on Living in Bogotá.

All three governments advise extra caution after dark, country-wide. Canada says to avoid travelling alone after dark. The UK says take care on city streets after dark or if you're on your own. The US says travel only during daylight hours.²⁸⁹

For Bogotá, Canada adds one specific warning: the city is among those with the most reported drugging cases, and the UK gives the same drugging warning country-wide. These happen in bars, nightclubs and taxis, often set up through dating apps. Criminals work in teams, put scopolamine or other drugs in food, drinks or cigarettes, then rob the victim. Canada reports deaths from overdoses. Don't leave drinks unattended, don't accept anything from new acquaintances, meet dates in public, and don't bring them back to where you're staying.²⁸

No advisory gives Bogotá-specific guidance for women. Canada's country-wide advice says women traveling alone may face harassment, that sexual assaults have been reported, particularly in tourist areas, and to avoid walking alone at night.² The drugging warning in the section above, which names Bogotá, applies to everyone.

At El Dorado International Airport, only authorized taxis may pick up passengers at the terminals.²⁸ The UK describes them as yellow, with white license plates and the plate number on the doors and roof, and the driver's details shown inside. It also says well-known taxi companies can be booked through Uber and Cabify.⁸

Canada's advice is to arrange pickup in advance through your hotel or travel agency. In the city, Canada and the UK say don't hail taxis on the street; book through an app, your hotel or a reputable company. US government employees in Colombia aren't allowed to hail street taxis or use public transport.²⁹

The UK warns that criminals posing as police operate in Bogotá. They may ask to inspect your money to check if it's counterfeit. If that happens, ask them to take you to the nearest police station, a CAI (Centro de Atención Inmediata).⁸ Canada gives the same advice country-wide: don't hand over money or documents unless you feel threatened, and offer to show them at a police station, your hotel or another public place.²

No government ranks the two, and we haven't compared official crime rates. On paper they're treated alike. Neither city is on a US, Canadian or UK no-go list. Canada names both for dating-app and drugging incidents, and the UK names both for street crime.²⁸ What the advisories say about Medellín is on Medellín safety.

Bogotá sits at about 2,600 meters above sea level. Canada warns that high-altitude illness can be life-threatening.² The US advisory lists landslides as a risk in mountain cities such as Bogotá and Medellín.⁹

Canada also reports that the magnitude 7.4 earthquake near San José de Palmar, Chocó, on Aug 10, 2026, about 280 km west of Bogotá, caused damage in several cities including Bogotá, and that aftershocks could cause more.²

Call 123 for police or medical emergencies anywhere in Colombia.

US citizens can enroll in STEP to get Embassy alerts, including the protest alerts above, by email.⁵

• US Department of State, Colombia Travel Advisory (Level 3, issued Mar 31, 2026; Level 4 list; demonstrations common throughout Colombia; landslides in Bogotá and Medellín; staff barred from street taxis and public transport): https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/travel-advisories/colombia.html (HTTP 403 on Oct 30, 2026; read through OSAC: https://www.osac.gov/Content/Report/f6f0e8ba-b558-4980-80de-29c2c09ac5c4)
• US Embassy in Colombia, alerts archive (latest item Oct 19, 2026; Bogotá protest alerts Oct 9, 13 and 19, 2026): https://co.usembassy.gov/category/alert/
• US Embassy in Colombia, "Demonstration Alert: Planned Protests in Bogota October 14" (posted Oct 13, 2026): https://co.usembassy.gov/demonstration-alert-planned-protests-in-bogota-october-14/
• US Embassy in Colombia, "Demonstration Alert: Planned Protest Near the U.S. Embassy – October 19, 2026" (Embassy phone; STEP): https://co.usembassy.gov/demonstration-alert-planned-protest-near-the-u-s-embassy-october-19-2026/
• Government of Canada, Colombia travel advice (last updated Oct 14, 2026; risk levels; dating apps and scopolamine naming Bogotá; El Dorado taxis; altitude 2,600 m; Aug 10, 2026 earthquake; 123; Embassy of Canada): https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/colombia
• GOV.UK (FCDO), Colombia travel advice: warnings and insurance (updated and still current Oct 30, 2026; areas FCDO advises against): https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/colombia/warnings-and-insurance
• GOV.UK (FCDO), Colombia travel advice: safety and security (street crime incl. Bogotá and La Candelaria; police scams in Bogotá; El Dorado authorized taxis): https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/colombia/safety-and-security
• Alcaldía de Bogotá (Bogota.gov.co, from Secretaría Distrital de Seguridad, Convivencia y Justicia data), "En Bogotá varios delitos siguen disminuyendo" (published Oct 15, 2026; Jan to Sept 2026 changes): https://bogota.gov.co/mi-ciudad/seguridad/2026-10/en-bogota-varios-delitos-siguen-disminuyendo-lea-y-conozca-cuales-son
• Alcaldía de Bogotá (Bogota.gov.co, from Secretaría Distrital de Gobierno), "Marchas y manifestaciones en Bogotá del 26 al 31 de octubre de 2026" (published Oct 26, 2026): https://bogota.gov.co/mi-ciudad/gobierno/2026-10/marchas-y-manifestaciones-en-bogota-del-26-al-31-de-octubre-de-2026