My Thoughts on Colombian Cities (& Why to Avoid Cartagena)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ม.ค. 2024
- ✅ FREE Moving to Medellin Guide here: medellinmasterclass.com/check...
Colombia is an amazing country with a variety of cities that suit every need, however I wouldn't live anywhere but Medellin.
In this video I'll summarize my experience in each city and explain why you might/might not like each of these areas - and why I prefer Medellin over all of them.
Also, Medellin isn't a fairytale - it has it's fair share of issues too.
Watch this video to see what I mean :
• Pros & Cons of Living ...
Cartagena scams detailed here:
lacartita.com/cartagena-scams...
colombiareports.com/amp/frenc...
Also you can Google "CARTAGENA RESTAURANT SCAM" and look at the volume of search results.
G'day, my name's AK and on this channel I explore expat life in Medellin, Colombia. Whether you're considering moving to Medellin or just visiting Colombia, I've got you covered. Join me as I show you exactly what living in Medellin and Colombia as an expat is really like.
#medellin #medellincolombia #travelcolombia #travelmedellin
✅ FREE Moving to Medellin Guide here: medellinmasterclass.com/checklist
The main beaches in Cartegena look horrible too, with people harassing you to buy shit literally every two minutes!
Exactly - I didn't mention that in the video but another huge reason to not go there.
As soon as you step off the plane people will be harassing you to buy things and it'll only end when you jump on the plane to go back home lol
The beaches in the city are disgusting, I came after living on the Pacific Coast of Mexico for 2 years and I was like "WTF IS THIS?!" haha
I had two guys chase me to try and sell me hats. I actually ran away
On travel advisory reviews the rate Boca grande as the beach from hell. Reading the hundreds of reviews is kinda funny how people literally hate it there. 😂
@@user-rw311 on Google reviews too. It sounds like an utter sh**hole unfortunately. What a shame.
go to San Antero it's pretty undeveloped but extremely budget friendly.
Bro, you mention the druggings in Cartagena, but don't say anything about the druggings in Medellin? Medellin is the epicenter of druggings and there are literally way more of those incidents there. Other than that, I agree, everyone should go to Medellin and not Cartagena.
Yes lots of druggings in Medellin too - 100% right.
Yup, I was about to type that Medellín is the Scopolamine Capital.....I've RARELY hear reports of it in Cartagena, though it does happen. You can damn near expect it in MDE, though, unfortunately!
Should also mention then that the cops are a lot more crooked in Cartagena than Medellin
Medellin is not the epicenter of druggings. It’s actually Bogota Medellin just gets the publicity because more foreigners are drugged. Local Rolos are primarily drugged in Bogota. The situation used to be a lot worse in early 2000s. Not only did individuals drug and rob you. They would also remove a kidney.
@@k.beasley5860Medellin is the premier city for getting drugged. As I stated Medellin just get the attention from American TH-camrs. Scopolamine is a lot worse in bogota. The difference it’s primarily Bogotanos ( locals) that are getting drugged
Not sure why anyone would eat at a restaurant anywhere without knowing the price of the meal first.
I've done it plenty of times. Most meals in Colombia are super cheap and you're usually never paying more than $10 for a meal.
@@AKJoel I always ask what the cost is if they don't have a menu listing it. I'm not down with gringo pricing. But hey, that's just me. lol
Thank you for vlog. Very informative and helpful 👍
Glad it was helpful! :)
Mr. AK, sir, This Is Exactly the kind of Info one needs to make a decision on Moving !👍👍👍OlWest
Glad you enjoyed it mate!!
Hi Joel, great informative video. Love the improve restaurant role playing!! And I agree about Cartagena, the whole cost for that matter (excluding Rosario islands, they treat you great but it's incredibly expensive).
I'll share one quick scam story from Rodadero beach, Santa Marta.
So my wife and I are there a couple years ago on holidays, super hot as you know so we rent a beach tent for the day. We check with the vendor because we wanted to go into the water for a little bit, saying "we're gonna leave our stuff here is it safe" .."yeah of course it is." We come back half an hour later and another vendor buddy of his has rented our tent to another family and our stuff is sitting outside the tent.... WTF..lol... ... So it goes at on the Colombian Caribbean coast.
Cheers !
Haha yup, unfortunately it seems the beach towns are absolutely not it when it comes to Colombia
Thank you for your content Joel, I too am from Australia and I don't find many Australian's that want to travel to the other side of the world and live there, so I relate to you! I'm not sure if you'll read this but did you completely cut ties with your Australian residency? As in you are no longer an Australian citizen? To be able to now live and work in Colombia? Or are you still being paid in AUD
🇦🇺 I'll never give up my Aussie residency. I love being Aussie and on top of that we have one of the best passports for travel that there is haha! Most expats who live in Colombia still retain citizenship in their home country, but just obtain a long term visa to live in Colombia. For my business, all my clients are in the US. Hope that answers your question!
I feel the same about Cartagena, I went there start of 2020 and got extorted for over $2000 AUD, granted I was hanging out with the wrong people but if you give them an inch they’ll take a mile. Don’t plan on going back there again.
Yup - hear this story plenty of times. Sorry you copped that mate!
Yeah when I started going I was turned off that EVERYBODY there is working, hard to make a genuine friend. Even if you do meet cool people and hang out, I have noted that they expect you to foot the bill for everything....no bueno!
Same I got touch for $750 aud , granted I was hanging around the wrong people also
😂😂 if your not caribbean/latin american that will happen. They know who to try that with.
Dude as soon as they find out you are nkt Colombian they see you as a target to haunt let alone if you are coming from western world
I’m in Bogota right now and I absolutely hate it. Fortunately the weather is beautiful this week but the vibe is so different from Medellin
What don't you like about it?
Wow, why do you hate it? What took you there?
Google
women of colombia cartoon australian
An Australian cartoonist drew about the main cities of Colombia using women and their fashions to shortcut their cultural differences. Pretty entertaining. And IMO, the difference of the clothing the women wear in Bogota vs Medellin is spot on. And of course it is in large part affected by the different weather.
You gonnna tell us more or just hit and run
Can you tell your opinion on Bucaramanga if you have gone there before? Thanks mate.
I've been there but only for a day on my way to Barichara. It's too slow and boring for me but that's my personal preference.
Whoa, glad I listened to this. I was thinking about visiting while I am here. A friend visited on a cruise ship a couple weeks ago. Not bad reports.
Feel free to check it out and make up your own mind, but for me it's a definite no lol
You didn’t mentioned one negative thing about Medellin. I’m wondering why you intentionally did that.
Good point - the reason is that I have numerous videos on my channel talking about negatives in Medellin, this video is just about the other cities.
Negatives of Medellin:
1. Too many s*x tourists
2. Heavy traffic and pollution in some areas
3. Customer service is trash (this applies for all of Colombia)
Still out of every city in Colombia, Medellin is by far the best in my humble opinion.
@@AKJoelWhat do you mean by "Customer Service is trash"? You mean like cellphone companies? Because yeah, those are pretty bad, but I do not know what else you could be talking about. I think generally Customer Service here is pretty alright isn't it? Like in shops, restaurants, drivers, etc.
@AK Joels Colombia some of my stepmoms siblings went to Cartegena on their way from Venezuela and they said its just a big ol beach town thats it. Id only go there bc i like the movies that they filmed down there and thats it. How is Bogota?
Which movies did the film there?
I love Bogota for a few days here and there (been probably 5 or 6 times and going back soon) - but I hate cold weather so I could never live there lol
@@AKJoel They filmed Sound Of Freedom and some movie with Marlon Brando over there.
Another time Cartagena was featured: Season 1 Episode 15 of Miami Vice called Smugglers Blues (after the song name which written and sung by Eagles member Glen Frey who has a significant acting part in the episode). First time I ever heard of any town in Colombia was after seeing that Miami Vice episode.
For a single guy hoping to meet his match, would you recommend Bogota or Barranquilla ?
Thanks
Bogota for sure.
I was speaking to a Colombian friend of mine the other day and he was telling me about women in each city.
Obviously not all fit into these stereotypes but usually women from Bogota are more educated and intelligent.
Only been to Cartagena twice in the last year. Once with my family and once with my friends, two totally different types of trips and both amazing. The people and the experiences were outstanding on both occasions, never had a single issue with anyone. I feel we hear too much of the terrible news of Colombia and not enough of the good.
I'm in Canada and every other day there's a news story of a targeted shooting or homeless people stabbing someone in our area lately. Bad news and people are everywhere if you want to look for them
Cali is also amazing from my short stay, we are heading back there and checking out Santa Marta in a couple of weeks.
You're completely right - positive news usually never sees the light of day, but negative news is everywhere!
@David great summary
Santa Marta is lovely, check out Medellin if you haven't already
@@santanargordon we did last time, it's outstanding as well. Trying to check out as many places as possible before we make a permanent move.
You can get scammed in Cartagena but that’s like any city with a lot of tourism. I personally got scammed in Times Square the first time I went to New York, and also got scammed around Hôtel des Invalide my first time on Paris. It’s a risk you’re exposed to anywhere, and I would never say people to totally avoid NYC or Paris for that reason. Don’t be naive, have a little of common sense and you’ll be just fine in Cartagena. Been there so many times and have so many great memories.
I was living there 25 yrs ago, at that time there only a few tourist from italia, and Iseral.
So none of the over charging was going on. ... the ocean was dirty, polluted, hassle by beach venders.
I found its a good idea to ask before each purchase.
That doesn’t happen in Cartagena at restaurants lol it might have happen to him one time
But I guarantee it is not a regular
Thing anywhere in this city. I’m in Cartagena twice
A month for a week or so, currently here right now in manga. I’ve eaten everywhere and have never got scammed that way and I don’t even speak good Spanish and go out by myself almost
Daily
To buy groceries
, eat out and hang out.
Same. I’m there so much the locals say I’m half Colombian. And I travel solo
Such a drive by on Cali 😮 fantastic city but as you say, each to their own.
That's the great thing about Colombia, it has something for everyone. What I find boring, someone else (like you) might absolutely love!
Hi. Pretty much agree with you: Medellín is the best large city in Colombia. Love it.
However, you did not even mention a city that would be 2nd to me after Medellín: Manizales. Very nice, safe and clean.
I've never been there so can't comment!
@@AKJoel Got you. I recommend you visit Manizales when you get a chance. Very cool and great sights. Safe and clean. Add thermal water resorts and it's a great choice for a few days visit.
I love Cartagena. But I go to the beaches where nobody goes to and I generally get a home cooked meal. I know a lot of good people in Cartagena.
That sounds like a much better experience!
@@AKJoel I know real people. When you play in the dirt, you get dirty. I won’t tell my secrets of the beach I go to because I don’t want everyone messing it up my gem.
I visited Cartegena in the early 90's then it was sooooo beautiful and crime free! Yes there were all the usual tourist traps but of all the cities is South America I visited (I was in the US Navy, and we went all around the South America) that was the safest and had the least crime!
I'm not sure Cartagena is overall that dangerous (cities like Bogota, Cali and probably Medellin have more crime) but in terms of pure annoyance factor, Cartagena has to be #1 lol
What about Valledupar? It's a very fast growing city and there are some quite few things to do and it's the capital of vallenato a famous musical genre.
I'm not familiar with it unfortunately, never been there!
Barranquilla is quite and peaceful but its such a limited area you can stay in .. You can only safely stay in the north part of the city..
Really? I stayed in the north part but didn't know it was unsafe like that.
@@AKJoel The north part is the good part . You were safe.. The central and south part they say is a bit rough.. I got bored after 3 days even in North Barranquilla. But its a nice change of pace from any hustle and bustle..
I live in Barranquilla and yeah the north is quite the "safe" part, but there's not much to do. Basically going to the Malecón or La Ventana al Mundo and it's pretty boring if you go frequently. More south is indeed more dangerous.
I really appreciate this video cause i have now an idea what those other city looks like. I just went to medellin and i didn't like that much but it's only because i didn't do much and basically everything was closed due to the holidays.im currently in cartagena, my 3rd there and i love it. Besides the nonsense harassing every 1 minutes and feel weather feel like Jupiter 😅 you're ok
Weather like Jupiter hahahahahahaha never heard that before, but I love it!
@@AKJoel 😅😅🤣yeah bro
Bogotá for Europeans/Americans/Canadians - In their home countries they have HEAT inside. Not in Bogotá. Even quite nice AirBnBs and decent hotels have NO HEAT. I do not mind the 55 or 60 F weather outside as long as I am not having to wear sweaters and coats inside and in bed. Also, guys know, certain body parts do not function well in the cold. Women learn about that from their boyfriends and are not happy about that.
If you go to Bogotá make SURE your room is heated and do not be surprised if it takes a LOT of searching to find a place that is.
The video does not mention any other Colombian cities with moderate temperature weather. Most Colombians live in the mountains but not the very coldest (Bogota) and not near sea level (like near the coasts). All the coffee belt cities (Medellin is one of them) have nice weather. A bit higher or lower temperatures than Medellin depending on their elevation. Manizales, Pereira, Armenia, Ibague (sort of coffee belt). Somewhat warmer but not nearly as hot as the coastal cities is Cali, the salsa capital of the world.
I laughed at the part when you said you need to wear sweaters and coats in bed. On my last visit I literally didn't have anymore clothes to put on and I was still cold inside my bed lol
Im curious about pereira myself.
Very slow pace of life and much cheaper!
@@AKJoel just the way I like it slow paced
Many, I imagine, have ocean in their retirement dream.
If Cartagena does suck in some ways, what towns with beaches and surf casting would you say are nicer?
If you want a beautiful beach town, go to Brazil or Mexico. Colombia has nothing lol
!Wow😊👍
The druggin is way more common in Medellin than Cartagena
Ah man LOL. That same situation happened to me and some friends at a strip club in Paris about ten years ago. One of my friends promised his table dancer a drink....she wanted Champagne but he bought her like a rum and coke LOL. She got mad, told her boss...and they tried to shake him down for like $200 for the Champagne. He finally relented and said he didn't have that many Euro's, but only credit cards. They busted out that old skool credit card machine where you slide that thing across the card to make a copy of it hahahaha. But I went to Cartagena about 5 years ago and had a good time. The only thing I didn't like was that me being a darker-skinned Nigerian-American, if I refused any service (like not buying anything from a street vendor), they would look at me with disdain, then point to their arm, and then point at me (to say....."you are black, too-help us out). I didn't like the guilt trips but otherwise I had a grand time there!
you forgot Bucaramanga! and other coffee region cities. Any opinion on Bucaramanga?
Haven't spent much time in Bucaramanga but I've been to Salento plenty of times - beautiful place for a few days. Once again, I think only those looking for a slower pace of life would enjoy those cities in the Coffee Region though.
Waiting to hear his thoughts on Bucaramanga and Pereira
I don't get these TH-camrs .... You saying don't go cartegana .... But u other passport channels saying don't go to medellin because they killing passport bro .... Some TH-cam channels say don't Columbia period ... I'm just confused ... I got my passport and I really want to Columbia but hard to choose
You shouldn’t go to country that you can’t spell name actually 😂 if you got your passport for first time just pick safer country go to Peru, chille more expensive but similar experiences
Hey mate, thanks for your comment. I just want to clarify that criminals aren't targeting "passport bros" - they are targeting s*x tourists.
Cartagena is a beautiful historic city. Unfortunately, it has turned into a huge tourist trap. The constant harrasment and scamming that tourists are being subjected is going to kill its tourism industry.
Yeah that's very unfortunate - it has a lot of potential but has been ruined by what you mentioned.
Some people just attract
con artists...
There are so many positive Tik Tok videos about Cartagena i guess you have to know where to go and who to trust.
That's a good point!
Totally agree with Cartagena. My friends got a shoulder rub on the beach …. Thought it was for free … we’re going to give the lady a tip ….. then she said she wanted $50 per person !!! Total commotion and bullying by her friends and after being surrounded by 5 of them for 15 minutes …. They decided it was just better to pay and leave. That’s not an isolated story either !!! Better places to go to.
I just stick to the wall city in Cartagena When going there and really see what the restaurant is like before eating there . We was just there in March of 2024 . The only thing I didn't like was the vendors way to pushy.
Cartagena is beautiful but it became a tourist trap, definitely lost its soul 😢... It's all about money, prostitution... The centro historico is only Airbnbs and restaurants, Getsemani is also turning into that, Palenque became a tourist trap... Even dating "good" women from there is weird.. it feels like dating a girl from L.A or Miami. What a sad downfall for such a beautiful place rich in history...
Yeah personally it's not worth it, there's definitely better places in Colombia !
I'll jut stay in Tunja thank you very much.
Good video! I agree Cartagena is overrated …
what did you mean by “not much to do” in cali?
What can you not do in cali that you can do in Medellin?
For example - when I first visited I was heavily into language exchanges as I was trying super hard to fast track my Spanish. In Medellin there's basically a language exchange every single night of the week. In Cali, I could only find 1 and it was super far away from where I was staying. It depends what kind of lifestyle you're after, but as a new expat to the city I feel networking opportunities are very valuable - and Cali lacked that when I was there.
@@AKJoel that makes sense.
Thx for elaborating :)
All you said, plus all the people begging and standing in front of you while eating dinner while you have about 20 people bumrushing you to sell you water. Then the hookers. Then the rappers that want a buck. My wife and I ended up finding backroads and walking the long way to avoid them all. I will never go again.
Yeah exactly the feeling I got when I was there. Never again lol
Cartagena 😊 is lovely in my opinion although to be fair it is a bit touristy like here at home in Jamaica 🇯🇲 but for the most part I liked it…only problem is that (la propina es voluntario) 😂 pero no es 😅 it’s almost like reverse psychology they tell you this to play with your emotions to give them tips lol 🤣 😅it’s crazy…also that issue with them hiking up the price is true they’ll deliberately put a tip on every meal and don’t tell you about so that you pay it 😂so you have to keep your eyes 👀 open all the time
hahaha they'll get you with that!!
@@AKJoel have you been to Jamaica yet? You should visit.
Those overcharged in Cartagena are not seating in restaurants but informal food points on the beach, just to correct you. Also, anyone that thinks Cali is boring and has nothing to offer 1000% does not know the city, yes it is more dangerous than other cities in Colombia but Boring? No sir! No way!
Each to their own I guess, I have friends that prefer Cali to Medellin but I was just giving my personal take - for my Medellin wins hands down.
my boy got scoped two days ago in Cartagena smh
was he robbed?
What was he doing?
@@AKJoel he's been with me a few times so he knows to stay off dating apps, he met the chicks at a restaurant and invited them to the islands with him and that's where it happened. They actually drugged his friend and tried to cut open his suitcase but had no luck.
Northern cities at Party Central Broski, that's the best place to party.😂😂
My girlfriend is from Cartagena actually.
I'm lost on that scene bro, I don't drink or party lol
In terms of population the 4 biggest cities in Colombia are:
1. Bogotá (capital city)
2. Medellín
3. Cali
4. Barranquilla
Thanks 👍🏾
I am from Cartagena, Colombia. And I'm OK if the tourism goes down here, that's good for the locals as we attack indirectly the geocentrism
Pues estéis logrando tu meta.
I was thinking to make an office and hire ppl in Colombia. Cartagena is now off the list
Agreed, wasn't a fan of Cartagena. It could be amazing but has too many problems at the moment. Beggers, hustlers and scammers everywhere isn't conducive for a tourist attraction.
It seems Medellin is leading in scoping and deaths of foreigners than CartegenA or Cali right now. The block is hot right now. I also like Medellin but been hesitant. I never really liked Cartegena even tho I had a great time. I had the best times in Cali, but still like Medellin more. That new travel advisory is focusing on Medellin with all the recent deaths and scopings warning US citizens
The scoping deaths only affect a small % of the 1.5 million tourists that come here annually though. Don't believe everything you read without looking into the facts first.
👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
Cancel Cartagena ? But that’s where all our wonderful street walkers are 😂
Worst city in Colombia lol
with street walker you mean prostitutes?
The mayor instituted a crack down on prostitution in the main tourist district there a week or so ago. But I have no idea how successful he will be against the world's oldest profession. Aside from the horrid humidity (like July in south Florida except 12 months a year), I disliked the police attempting to shake me down. Corrupt police waning bribes seems to be their thing there.
I thought there was more of that in Medellin. Medellin is certainly where the majority of scopolamine robberies are happening.
It’s sad that Passport Bros are going around the world promoting a certain type of tourism instead of actually enjoying a country. Colombia is beautiful
My sentiment 💯%
Yes Colombia is incredible if you come for other things than just women - if you come for women, then you'll end up crying on social media about how you got taken advantage of lol
Beautiful women is a big draw to Colombia, no need to fight it.
Medellin -why leave??
San Andres has the best beach
cartegena - go so you can see what ppl say about it . But in my opinion is not recommended.
Is San Andres any good? I've heard that it's a HUGE tourist trap lol and super expensive too for what it is.
As a US citizen everything in Colombia is cheap. I didn’t have that experience. Only in Cartagena did I see and experience tourist trap energy.
Cartagena is tranquil
I'm glad you enjoy it there 😊
¿which is the second choice country u would live if it wasn't colombia 💯%
Mexico or Brazil!
I love cartagena personally
Yeah as I said, everybody has different interests - there's something for everyone in Colombia.
This guy is lying about Cartagena. The most tourist trap city is medellin. Cartagena has very fine dining, which you will not be surprised by the price because they give you the menu with the price on it if you can’t afford it, and then you just can’t afford it go eat at a local place. But also, Medellin has a lot of places that are fine dining as well too that comes with a price. Also,more people get drugged and robbed in Medellin not Cartagena. I like both cities, but what he is saying about Cartagena is completely false.
Where is the lie about Cartagena?
$400 us for fish in Cartagena? Wtf.
Not surprised, people who don’t pay attention get into this trap
It wasn't actually $400 - maybe more like $100 - but I used that for dramatic flair LOL
You can tell you didn't do anything in Cali...
Yeah I'm not a Cali expert, I spent a week there after a couple of weeks in Medellin and that was enough for me to decide that Medellin was 100x better for me.
i have yet to go to Medellin. I might go during my next visit. Cartagena is overpriced and overrated in my opinion.
Definitely check it out!
ok go to a real restaurant look at the menu. Take pictures of the menu. By the beach yes they will over charge u.. If you go to the beach take ur own snacks, As far as Medelli the crime is way uo. In the last few months quite a few tourist have been killed and druged etc etc.
The drugging deaths only affect a small % of the 1.5 million tourists that go to Medellin annually. Don't believe everything you read without looking into the facts first.
This guy is clearly biased, people are also drugged in Medellin and that will happen to those hanging with bad company anywhere in Colombia. What about Medellin & the horrible air quality the valley is literally a bowl of soup of pollution. I’ll gladly live by the beaches of Cartagena and enjoy the sea breeze. The simple solution to not being overcharged, if something doesn’t have a price ask how much it is. Each city has its own problems much of the population is considered the lower class just remember that & don’t be a dummy.
You're right - lots of druggings happen in Medellin too, also as you said pollution is very bad in some areas of the city.
LMAO
Thats why sosua is better
At least no one would try to sell you stuffs
What's in Sosua?
Cartagena is beautoful i had a good rxperience there. Anywhere in latin america you need to be on your A game. Always ask before you buy anything how much and negotiate. One thing to keep in mind cartagena the street vendors are very aggressive.
Good tips!
Medellin is boring as United States is that is the reason you like stay there !
United States is super interesting to me actually lol
Cartagena 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
Hahaha exactly my thoughts!