Bogotá: Cost of Living

How much does it cost to live in Bogotá? It’s a key question for anyone shifting to Colombian capital, whether a digital nomads seeking a new hangout, a retiree wanting to stretch out the pensions, or anyone looking for a new start in life in South America. Here I’ve compiled data from March, 2024. And looking back over 10 years, yes there’s been changes, but the overall picture remains the same: Bogotá is an affordable and stable city to put down roots.

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Homicides in Colombia: 2024 update

My round-up of homicide data and trends for Colombia, based on recent official data (2023) and news reports and analysis. I’ll be posting a parallel blog Is Bogotá Safe? 2024 and you can also see my2023 post on safety and security trends in Bogotá here. Posted March 2024. Contact me on colombiacorners@gmail.com Other related posts on security on Colombia Corners are: Colombia’s Cocaine Conflicts – report of recent travel to coca growing villages in Nariño.Is Colombia Safe? – some security

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Salento and Cocora: Colombia´s charmed valley

The rural town of Salento, with its Valle de Cocora, in heart of Colombia’s Quindío province, was a popular tourist spot even before Disney film producers rocketed the region to fame (and prices rises to match!) with their Oscar-winning film ‘Encanto’.

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Is Bogotá safe? 2023

“I’m visiting Latin America. Is Bogotá safe?”: the question pops up regularly on social media. Colombia’s capital is a mega-city of nine million people and spread over 1,600 kilometres squared (600 square miles) with extremes of poor and rich. Parts of the city are very dangerous, others much less. According to recent data, Bogotá is safer than most other cities in Colombia (including Medellín) – but is still a large gritty city with plenty of crime. Your safety also depends

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Colombia’s fantastical fossils – and where to find them

Colombia had some freaky fauna in its pre-history, from giant sloths, weird mammals, biggest-ever snakes and crocodiles to ferocious marine reptiles. Here’s a guide to getting on the fossil trail and exploring the lives of these ancient beast, many of which were unique to South America. Don’t expect Smithsonion-style mega-museums: palaeontology is not well funded in this part of the world. But fossil sites like Villa de Leyva and The Tatacoa Desert unique finds, and local palaeontologists and keen amateur

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Burundanga – it’s bad and it’s back

In Colombia you’ll hear about scopolamine, AKA burundanga , “Devil’s Breath” or “borrachero”. And perhaps you think these druggings only happen to sex tourists. But anyone can fall victim, including local people, seasoned travellers and expats settled in Colombia. You can be ‘scoped’ in a park, in a café, in the street, or on a bus, or even during a Spanish lesson. On the other had around 5 million tourists and visitors come to Colombia every year, and only a

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