Cali stay safe · Cali travel safety advice
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Cali travel safety advice
Cali travel safety advice
In 2011 there have been a number of murders and car bombs related to the ongoing mafia war between drug cartels in the city. Shopping centers all over the city have been scenes of shoot outs between rivaling mafia factions. It is advised to avoid shopping centers with poor security, although some of the biggest and most well guarded malls in Cali have been scenes of murders too.
As of 2011 the guerrilla movement FARC-EP has urban militias in the city and surroundings. Extreme caution is advised due to the risk of explosions, gunfire and kidnappings. U.S. citizens have been targets of kidnappings.
In November 2010 the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning regarding Cali, warning of a surge in crime, general insecurity and kidnappings.
Cali is considered more dangerous than most other major cities in Colombia; therefore, keep your eyes open at day and night. Try to take a taxi at night.
Avoid backstreet in the downtown (El Centro) and Sucre neighborhoods. This area is especially dangerous. I was mobbed by half the neighborhood (April 2011). Once I had been tackled by a group of four teenage delinquents, another 15 or so nearby bystandards nearby came to join in and help rob me (including women and children). The police station was only a block away, but they either didn´t hear me yelling ¨¡Policia!¨, or they didn´t care.
Walking alone at night at Avenida sexta can be unsafe.
As in most other cities, it is unwise to walk with jewelry or let people around you know you have cash on you. Most places around hotels are safe.
Try not to talk on cellphones while walking through streets; that might lure in robbers. Also do not use Ipod:s or other valuables in public.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has issued a warning to travellers to reconsider their need to travel to Cali because of the uncertain security situation in the area.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Cali
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Cali - updated May 2024
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Cali Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.