Is bus travel safe in Colombia?

Yes it is, as long as you're not travelling through any "red zones". Routes between major cities such as Bogota, Cali and Medellin are all safe. Most of the major highways are perfectly safe. The overland highway from Cali to Ecuador is not the safest route, and night buses are robbed there from time to time. If you do take this route it's best to do this during the day rather than at night (indeed it's safest to travel during the day everywhere in Colombia, indeed everywhere in Latin America). The military and police are present along all major roads, but more so during weekends and holiday periods, and as such it's safer to travel during these times. Is Colombia safe for travel for a solo (female) traveller? Yes it is. Just be sensible as you would be in any developing country. Don't visit the red / dangerous zones. It's advisable to speak at least some Spanish if you're travelling on your own. There's lots of Spanish schools in Colombia where you can study for a week or two to ...  more

Yes it is, as long as you're not travelling through any "red zones", in which case take extra care. See the map of Colombia for details on the red zones. Routes between major cities such as Bogota, Cali and Medellin are all safe. Most of the major highways are perfectly safe. The overland highway from Cali to Ecuador is not the safest route, and buses are robbed there from time to time. If you do take this route it's best to do this during the day rather than at night (indeed it's safest to travel during the day everywhere in Colombia, indeed everywhere in Latin America). The military and police are present along all major roads, but more so during weekends and holiday periods, and as such it's safer to travel during these times. Is Colombia safe for travel for a solo (female) traveller? Yes it is. Just be sensible as you would be in any developing country. Don't visit the red / dangerous zones. It's advisable to speak at least some Spanish if you're travelling on your own. There's ...  more