How does Colombia (Medellin) compare to Brazil (SP and Rio) in terms of safety? I went to Brazil and had no issues, but by no means does that make it a safe place to be. Countless reports of robbery (or worse).

What is Colombia like? If you follow the basics, should you be fine? Or is it like Brazil? Where you are strongly encouraged not to even use your cell phone in public.

Specifically asking about Medellin, but answers about Colombia as a whole are useful too.

They are comparable, it really depends on the barrio and the time of the day how safe you are. Simply don't take anything with you that you could not afford to loose and know when to fight and when to hand it out if you get robbed.

Colombia is not safe at all in my opinion. If you doubt it at all read all the posts about robberies and drugging, its not overstated, trust me.

And no I wouldn't walk around with my new Iphone talking about. I haven't been to Brazil but I have heard that the security situation isn't great there either so probably comparable.

If your looking for somewhere safer that is decent to visit I would recommend Mexico (which I have found surprising safe). Chile is probably by far the safest in Latin America though.

^^^Chile is the one country in South America where if you try and bribe the police you actually get in more trouble. They are professionals... all things considered.

i had a gun stuck in my face last week in a favela in rio. i wasnt robbed though. drug dealers can be suprisingly professional.

Quote: (09-14-2017 08:38 PM)Road_Less_Taken Wrote:  

Colombia is not safe at all in my opinion. If you doubt it at all read all the posts about robberies and drugging, its not overstated, trust me.

And no I wouldn't walk around with my new Iphone talking about. I haven't been to Brazil but I have heard that the security situation isn't great there either so probably comparable.

If your looking for somewhere safer that is decent to visit I would recommend Mexico (which I have found surprising safe). Chile is probably by far the safest in Latin America though.

I've been writing about safety issues in Colombia for years on here but some guys still don't get it and still dar parpaya, as the locals stay.

Both countries aren't the safest, but in my opinion, Brazil is even worse by a significant magnitude.

Quote: (09-14-2017 09:44 PM)Travel Museums Wrote:  

i had a gun stuck in my face last week in a favela in rio. i wasnt robbed though. drug dealers can be suprisingly professional.

What were you doing in the favela?

Actually, Brazil is way worse than Colombia with regards to crime.

Check those stats:

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/region_rank...region=005

Many cities in the US are just as dangerous as Colombia. The difference is if you live there you're more familiar with your surroundings and know where to go and where not to go. One of my friends where I grew up told me not to go to Colombia because it's not safe and I sent them a crime comparison showing my home city in the US was actually more dangerous than Bogota.

I haven't been to either (yet), but the people from Brazil I speak with (mostly from Rio) claim that that things have gotten worse in the last few years in regards to crime and safety.
Get in touch with Ringo, he's Brazillian and lives in the country.

Quote: (09-15-2017 03:53 AM)Shimmy Wrote:  

Many cities in the US are just as dangerous as Colombia. The difference is if you live there you're more familiar with your surroundings and know where to go and where not to go. One of my friends where I grew up told me not to go to Colombia because it's not safe and I sent them a crime comparison showing my home city in the US was actually more dangerous than Bogota.

lol...do you think the daily street robberies/muggings in Colombia get reported to the police? It's part of daily life in Bogota... you get robbed you move on.

Probably not, do you think they get reported in the US ghettos though?

Quote: (09-15-2017 03:53 AM)Shimmy Wrote:  

Many cities in the US are just as dangerous as Colombia. The difference is if you live there you're more familiar with your surroundings and know where to go and where not to go. One of my friends where I grew up told me not to go to Colombia because it's not safe and I sent them a crime comparison showing my home city in the US was actually more dangerous than Bogota.

Colombia has a homicide clearance rate of 2%... with that type of number do really think most crimes are reported to the police?

Colombia is reasonably safe if you are sensible but unforgiving if you do stupid shit like getting wasted in an environment you are not familiar with . Medellin (apart from Centro) is pretty safe, Bogota is fine if you are not buying drugs off strangers (best to get some Colombian friends to help you with that). Cali is the only city in Colombia where I did not feel safe walking round by myself at night but the nightlife there seemed to be fairly centralized so if you take a taxi I can`t see this being a problem. I met a guy running a language school that was stabbed there whilst pulling up to the lights on his motorbike and another who almost got shot during a shootout between gangs .Im sure others on this forum have had more positive experiences and would disagree. Consensus seems to be that Brazil is more dangerous but honestly if you don`t act naive you are unlikely to have problems.

I just got into this debate with a full on libtard at my work here in Bogota......Crime in USA cities vs Colombia.....I know stats can say this and that....what I will reference is my daily life and the daily lives of people I work with.....(going on 5 years in Bogota)

To be fair I also work with a large group of Colombians and Foreigners here in Colombia from all stratas. Lets just say I don't have enough fingers or toes to count on the amount of people in my work that have been robbed, drugged, had a family member shot or killed, know someone in there family or close to them that has been kidnapped or a person in there building like a maid/doormen set them up or blatantly steal from them. We are constantly updated with security issues and concerns from our security department.

In the states I will use that same sample having worked in large cities in the West Coast and Midwest with all types of classes and races.....I could count maybe 1-2 incidents in all those years of something criminal occurring to a work colleague....before someone tries to slam this....I know this is not scientific....this is again just MY experiences take it for what it is worth!

The point being in MY WORLD there is no comparison that Colombia is way more dangerous than the states.

On the issue of Colombia vs Brazil......going off my visits and impressions....Brazil had a much more RAW and intense vibe to it as it pertains to crime. I could just sense that at any moment someone could and would rob you, I felt everyone else on the streets was on guard and aware of this as well....I don't feel that intense raw crime vibe so to speak here in Colombia as I did in Brazil.....hope this helps!

The homicide rate is a fairly good indicator of overall crime:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_co...icide_rate

If you want to push the boat, try your luck in the most violent city in the world, Guatemala City. If my mind serves me, with the current stats 1 in 8 residents will be done in in their life time.

Colombia is not safe. Brazil is even worse.

Better to err on the side of being slightly paranoid than not, to minimize your risks of getting into a bad situation.

Quote: (09-15-2017 09:41 AM)gework Wrote:  

The homicide rate is a fairly good indicator of overall crime:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_co...icide_rate

If you want to push the boat, try your luck in the most violent city in the world, Guatemala City. If my mind serves me, with the current stats 1 in 8 residents will be done in in their life time.

but if you would have for example a civil war or a gang war in the country ...then the statistics would be a bit messed up .
A good indicator would be the percentage of armed robberies but I don't know how exact are those statistics .

Yes.

This is trouble:
I was making a movie. Some Rio favelas have been pacified; in the last decade the govt started a program. There's really only one or two favelas first time tourists can roll to safely on their own. The one at the bottom of two brothers hike is ok but most tourists just take the moto straight to the trail. Racinhah does daily tours as well. Both are out west.

Rio has gotten worse in the last several years. The Olympics money was total corruption. The civil employees likebus drivers and cops aren't being paid.

Today I took a photo in Botofogo Mall with my date. She told me the suitcases full of cash simulating the 50 million found in one of the ex presidents apartments rented just to store his dirty cash. What an asshole. Can't politicians steal from people the good old fashioned American way by pumping tax dollars into the defense budget and other retarded projects? I mean really...

I was depressed for a week that Rio isn't a city I'm going to get to know every nook and cranny of. It's just not safe to wander around and certainly not at night. My date wouldn't even walk in Flamengo Park at sunset because she's seen so many people jumped. (I stupidly walked the entire deserted park end to end last weekend from sunset.)

However outside Rio I haven't felt unsafe. São Paulo is fine. You can't wonder into favelas. I wandered around the suburbs aplenty there. Traveling along the SP & Rio coast for a month I hitchhiked everyday and never felt unsafe once.

So to say BRAZIL is unsafe is kinda true but it's really just Rio and probably parts of other cities. The average Brazilian isn't scheming to rip you off. In fact they're super nice and helpful people who go out of their way for tourists.

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Yes, provided you aren't giving Papayas or other tropical fruits out.

After 6 months living there, and plenty dodgy areas walked through, I realised that you have to really watch your back, and look shady cunts in the eyes as they pass you.

In the end, I didn't even get targeted as a foreigner. After a night out dancing with my parceros (3 Paisa guys), we were walking back near Floresta station on the road parallel to the river when three thugs come out with knives to rob us at like 1am. We got away fine (although they took my mate's shit phone). But the guy ripped my shirt as I punched him and ran.

The lesson, be stingy with those Papayas.

Thats a pretty crazy story, getting robbed at knife point you have some balls to punch the guy!

I think Syria is safer than Rio right now.