Medellín

Sunday, September 3

The next big adventure has begun! After many amazing weeks in Europe, we decided to leave Europe and flew to South America in September. For the first time in our lives we visited Colombia, where we rented an apartment in the city of Medellín.

Medellín has about 2.6 million inhabitants and is located at an altitude of 1,500 meters surrounded by mountains in the Antioquia region of Colombia. The city is also known as the “City of Eternal Spring” due to its mild climate all year round. During our time there it was actually sunny all the time and we were blessed with spring-like weather every day. There were occasional heavy rains in the evenings and at night though, which didn't bother us because it was quite late and we were always at home at that hour. Due to the rain and the mild but tropical climate, the city is very green and tropical plants can be found everywhere. Right next to our buildings entrance there was a huge mango tree on which many small (still green) mangoes were already hanging. Also in the public parks there were beautiful tropical plants everywhere which we loved!

We had read so many good things about the city of Medellín online beforehand that we decided to rent an apartment there for a month so we could work from there and spend more time in Medellín. We chose Medellín as our home base for our 1-month stay in Colombia because we were so impressed by the transformation the city has undergone in the last few decades.

In the 80s and 90s, Medellín was considered the most dangerous city in the world due to the drug war and rival cartels. Back then, car bombs exploded in Medellín almost every day and people were shot on the street in the middle of the day. Although these attacks were primarily aimed at politicians, lawyers and judges who wanted to take active action against drug trafficking in the country, their family members and civilians who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time were also victims of these attacks and shootings.

Even after the death of the famous Medellín cartel boss Pablo Escobar in 1993 and the dismantling of the Medellin cartel, it still took a few years until the murder rate in the city continued to decline. However, since the early 2000s, Medellín has actively invested in infrastructure, education and libraries and in the expansion of public areas such as parks. There are campaigns against violence and for more security across the city. The abandoned, unsafe squares and districts of the city are being actively used and revitalized again. This all contributes to the fact that the city of Medellín has been considered very safe for tourists for several years now.

The drug trade has not simply disappeared entirely though and still is a big problem throughout Latin America. Nevertheless, the days of car bombs and shootings in the middle of Medellín are long gone and as a tourist it is safe to visit this city. However, because there is still a large gap between rich and poor in most Latin American cities, some neighborhoods are inherently safer than others. As a tourist, you should definitely find out which districts are considered safe before traveling to a Latin American city and book your accommodation there. In most Latin American cities, the greatest danger these days is being robbed and having to hand over your cell phone and money. However, if you stay in the more affluent and safe areas of the city, which are usually also more developed for tourism, you can minimize this risk.

We lived in Medellín in the somewhat more upscale residential area “Laureles”, where we were able to move around freely as tourists and felt very safe.