Travel Safety: Colombia
Key Facts
- Alert. The US Embassy in Bogotá, America’s diplomatic mission in Colombia, issued a security warning on 6 November.
- Dates. The Independence festivities run from Wednesday 11 to Monday 16 November; Monday 16 is a national holiday.
- Hot spot. Avoid areas east of Caribe Plaza, a shopping mall, where residents may block roads and demand money.
- Next. The main parade rolls down Avenida Santander on Thursday 12 November, 10 a.m. to noon.
Cartagena is about to celebrate its Independence festivities, and the US government has a warning for visitors. The US Embassy’s alert names one area to avoid, the roads to use and one drug to watch for.
Why the US government Issued the Warning
Cartagena marks its Independence festivities every November, when the walled Caribbean city declared itself free of Spain on 11 November 1811. This year the celebrations run from Wednesday 11 to Monday 16 November, and 16 November is a national holiday that turns the week into a long weekend.
On Friday 6 November the US Embassy in Bogotá published a security alert for American citizens heading there. It lists specific areas, roads and risks.
The Neighbourhoods and Roads to Avoid
The embassy tells visitors to avoid the areas east of the Centro Comercial Caribe Plaza, a shopping mall. It says residents there often set up illegal roadblocks to demand money from drivers and pedestrians.
If a trip through those areas cannot be avoided, the embassy asks travellers to take extra care. The same alert covers the road between Cartagena and Barranquilla, a Caribbean port city to the east, where travellers should stay on the main highways, numbered 90 and 90A.
The Drugging Warning
The alert also flags scopolamine, a drug that can leave a person dazed and unable to resist. The embassy says criminals can slip it into food or drinks, or apply it to the skin, and warns of it especially in crowded areas.
It adds that the method has been used against people who meet someone through a dating app. For solo travellers, that makes the old rule simple: never leave a drink unattended and never accept food from a stranger.
What Else the Embassy Advises
The advice is short and practical: stay alert, avoid crowds, and carry only the cash you need. Leave valuables at the hotel and keep phone use in public to a minimum.
Order taxis by phone or app instead of hailing them on the street, and keep car doors locked. Register any guest at the hotel front desk, and do not resist if an armed robber demands your belongings.
What the Festival Calendar Looks Like
The city’s official agenda includes the commemorations on 11 November. The main independence parade follows on Thursday 12 November along Avenida Santander, a coastal avenue beside the old town, from about 10 a.m. to noon.
The nautical festival and the Bololó del Arsenal, a concert and street party in the Getsemaní neighbourhood, are listed for 13 and 14 November in the embassy’s alert. Our full Cartagena festival guide lists the programme.
What It Means for You
For an American planning to go, the alert asks for caution rather than telling visitors to cancel. The risks sit in specific places and habits, so they are manageable.
Our own suggestion, not the embassy’s: stay in the walled city, book rides by app and carry a copy of your passport. Expect crowds and some closed streets from Wednesday 11 to Monday 16 November.
There is also a wider Colombian backdrop. The CUT, a Colombian labour federation, has called a national strike for 19 November against the government’s economic rescue bill, three days after the holiday.
We cover it in our strike report. More coverage sits in our Colombia section.
What remains unknown is whether the city will add its own security measures or whether the embassy will update its alert before the parade. We will report any change the embassy announces.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should Americans avoid in Cartagena?
The US Embassy says to avoid areas east of the Centro Comercial Caribe Plaza, a shopping mall. It warns that residents there often set up illegal roadblocks and ask drivers and pedestrians for money.
When are Cartagena’s Independence festivities?
They run from Wednesday 11 to Monday 16 November 2026. The main parade is on Thursday 12 November, and 16 November is a national holiday in Colombia.
What is scopolamine?
Scopolamine is a drug that can leave a person dazed and unable to resist. The US Embassy says criminals may put it in food, drinks or on the skin, including to target people met on dating apps.
Sources
US Embassy in Colombia, security alert of 6 November 2026 · Cartagena city government, festival agenda · Colombia official holiday calendar · CUT strike announcement
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
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