by Advtraveler » Wed Mar 20, 2013 1:30 am
Bogota is perfectly fine to travel to. It's a plain vanilla trip if you choose to make it such.
I would estimate that 15% of Bogota is perfectly nice and very safe. It's just like the USA, except that they speak Spanish. Not much difference between US Benetton vs Bogota Benetton stores.
Then you have 85% sketchy Bogota, and about 25% is legitimate ghetto where you really need to watch your back.
Unfortunately, if you like to explore, you probably will not be happy with staying in the 15% section. And you might end up being chased down by 4 dudes with knives like myself. Even the hostels in Bogota have double entry doors and security cameras, which should give you an idea of how sketchy it can be. And while I was there, despite these security measures one of the hostels was literally invaded by criminals and everyone who was inside at the time was robbed.
The big problem I have with Bogota is that the exchange rate is not what it used to be. Your money will not go that far there. Accommodations are overpriced. It's a city of 8 million with amenities of 100,000 city. PIA to get anything done. For me, it's just not interesting enough to be worth it. I might skip down there again for a few months of intensive Spanish lessons, but I wouldn't call this city as much of a draw.