Staying Safe in Medellín: The Real Tourist Guide 2025

• 🚫 Leave the flashy jewelry, gadgets, and “drip” at home

• 📱 No Dar Papaya: stop flexing, filming, or swiping on dating apps

• 👮 Don’t expect police or locals to care if you get robbed

• 🍺 Stay off the streets drunk or high — thieves are waiting

• 🙏 Be respectful: Medellín is not your playground, it’s someone’s home

I feel like I'm hurting the fragile egos of people coming here who think they know everything. They 'move different' and they're "Him" so nobody can't tell them nothing. In the past few weeks, the number of high profile robberies happening in broad daylight at expensive restaurants in Provenza and the "Zona Rosa" are frankly alarming.

Medellín has earned a reputation as one of Latin America’s hottest destinations. The skyline views, nightlife, and women attract thousands of foreigners every month. But here’s the unfiltered truth: if you act careless here, you’ll lose more than just your phone.

Tourists — especially men chasing nightlife and quick hookups — are putting themselves in danger every single night. The same mistakes repeat daily, and locals have a saying for it: No Dar Papaya. Don’t give thieves a reason to target you.

Let’s break down what this means and how to actually stay safe.

1. Stop Bringing Expensive Shit

That Rolex? Those chains? Your MacBook and GoPro? You’re not impressing anyone except the people looking to rob you.

Most robberies here are crimes of opportunity. If you’re walking around with thousands of dollars worth of gear on your body, you’re giving someone their payday. Simple as that.

Actionable tip: Travel light. Bring a basic phone (or a burner), leave jewelry at home, and don’t wave electronics around in public.

2. No Dar Papaya

This is Medellín’s golden rule. It translates to “don’t give papaya,” but in practice it means don’t make yourself an easy target.

• Don’t flash cash.

• Don’t film yourself flexing in Parque Lleras.

• Don’t pull your phone out while standing on the curb.

• Don’t walk drunk at 2am flashing your passport and watch.

Locals will tell you the same thing: if you get robbed after ignoring these basics, you set yourself up for it. They will tell you 'No Dar Papaya' if you are standing out a bit, and if they tell you after you got robbed, then they are telling you - 'I tried to warn you'. Listen.

3. Police and Locals Won’t Save You

If you think calling the cops will solve your problem, think again. I hate to say this, they don't care, and they shouldn't. Your decisions got you there. People going to museums, coffee tours and cultural spots, VERY rarely get drugged and robbed. Let that sink in.

When you get drugged and robbed here, the reaction is usually: “Qué pena” — “what a shame.” That’s it. This isn’t New York, London, or Toronto. Don’t expect sympathy, and don’t expect your stuff back. There will be no media coverage on Caracol or El Colombiano, well, unless you die in a spectacular way. Then your death will be publicized, and you'll be the butt of jokes online.

It’s estimated that 5–10 tourists get drugged and robbed every single day in Medellín. That’s just reality.

Actionable tip: Take responsibility for your own safety. Avoid risky behavior instead of hoping someone will save you afterward.

4. Stop Using Dating Apps Here

Let’s be blunt: paisa women are not impressed by your nationality, your job title, or your ego. If you’re on Tinder looking for 19-year-olds, you’re setting yourself up for a robbery.

Most dating app setups end with you getting drugged, your apartment cleaned out, or worse.

If a young woman wants to bring her “friend” along because she likes “older men,” that’s not romance — that’s a setup.

Actionable tip: If you’re here for sex, be honest with yourself and go to a legal, regulated venue. Stop pretending Tinder dates at 2am are safe.

5. Respect the City

This one matters more than anything. Medellín is not your playground.

• Don’t compare Pablo Escobar to a movie anti-hero. He’s remembered here as a terrorist who slaughtered civilians. Would you go on a pro-slavery plantation tour in the US? That’s how offensive Escobar “tours” are to locals.

• Don’t expect special treatment just because you’re foreign. You are a guest here. You are owed nothing.

The level of respect you give will often determine how locals treat you.

6. Common-Sense Safety Tips

• Don’t be drunk in the streets. You’re a sitting duck. Uber home.

• If it feels too good to be true, it is. The guy selling “GoPros” on Calle 10? Scammer.

• Find a real community. Most immigrants here aren’t looking to party 7 nights a week. Surround yourself with people who actually live here, not just tourists chasing chaos.

• Burner phone. Keep zero banking apps on it. If you get robbed, it’s just a cheap phone. You can buy it here if you don't have one when you get here.

• Dummy Wallet. Keep a fake wallet in your back pocket. What I do is put empowering messages in Spanish to would-be thieves. If you pull it out by accident, you can have a little laugh at it.

• Carrying ID. Take a picture of your ID and keep it on your phone. Also someone pointed this out and I like the idea, make a photocopy of your passport and your entry stamp (Great idea, Charles!)

• Blend in. Whether you’re in flip-flops or designer gear, dressing like a target gets the same results. Keep it simple.

• Be alert. Phone snatches from motorcycles happen constantly. Stay off your phone on the curb.

Also, I want to say this as clear as possible - If you are a disgusting pervert looking to come here to be a predator to underage CHILDREN, stay home. The age of consent here is 18, and anyone that tells you anything else is setting you up. If you're reading this and looking for underage CHILDREN - you're subhuman, and deserve no human treatment here or where you come from.

Closing

Medellín is beautiful. The people, the mountains, the energy, it’s a place worth experiencing. But it’s also a city where bad decisions have consequences. Respect the rules. Respect the culture. Respect everyone you come across here. Otherwise you will not enjoy the outcome.