I know that when I let it be known that I was going to Colombia, more than a few of my friends were worried that I would be in harm’s way. Our tour manager, Alejandra, explained that Colombia was in a war for fifty years, and that if you observed one minute of silence for each victim of violence, you would be silent for 17 years! There were that many victims of drug cartels, car explosions, kidnappings, etc. Most people remember Colombia’s tumultuous history, full of colonial conflicts, political instability and violent drug cartels.

Nowadays, though, the most common crime is pickpocketing .The crime rate has fallen dramatically since 1990. Here’s what I found in answer to the question, “Is Colombia safe for solo female travelers?”

So, is Colombia really safe for solo female travellers? The short answer is yes, provided you use common sense and stay away from known risky areas. Gone are the days of Pablo Escobar, who terrorized Colombia with armed shootings and gang violence.

We left Bogotá early this morning, and many of our group were surprised to learn that we didn’t have to give up our full bottles of water. In fact, I had two full bottles of water, and they went through airport security with no issues.

As soon as we walked off the plane, the heat and humidity of Cartagena hit us. The temperature is in the 90s with the humidity at 94% and you can’t move around in these sauna-like conditions without dripping in sweat.

Still, we did a walking tour and viewed Cartagena’s charming colonial architecture.

Yesterday was the birthday of our tour manager, Alejandra, as well as one of the tour participants and today was the birthday of another person in our group. In celebration, Gate 1 Travel treated us all to popsicles, a welcome treat in this heat! I chose mango.

Our next stop was at the San Pedro Claver Church, built by the. Jesuits over four hundred years ago. San Pedro Claver (aka Saint Peter Claver), was born in Spain, in a village near Barcelona.  He joined the Jesuits at the age of 20, and was eventually assigned to travel to Spain’s colonies in the Americas. He first arrived to Cartagena in 1610, completed his studies for 6 years in Bogotá, and returned to Cartagena in 1616 after being ordained a priest. By this time, Cartagena had become a major slave trading center.  One of the few Spanish Americas ports officially permitted to engage in the trade of human beings, 10,000 or more slaves passed through Cartagena yearly. Claver’s mentor in Cartagena, Alonso de Sandoval, had made a point to minister to the slaves and even wrote a book on their culture and customs.  Claver continued this work. He often went directly on to the overcrowded slave ships upon arrival, treating the sick and wounded in addition to ministering to them.  He is thought to have baptized 300,000 slaves, although whether they actually converted to Catholicism is questionable.

You’ll see that the church had an organ — and according to the local tour guide, the organ is as old as the church: over 400 years old!

Our next visit was to the San Felipe de Barajas fortress. Some historians say that if it weren’t for this fortress, South America would now speak English. The 14th-century fortress protected the coastal city of Cartagena from English invasion, allowing the Spanish to maintain their rule. When I saw how high the fortress was from the ground below, I thought for sure I wouldn’t have the stamina to climb the steep road. However, it turned out not to be as bad as I thought! We did have to navigate our way through a short tunnel.

The last stop of the day was at an emerald museum, and we finally arrived to our hotel at 6 pm where I was glad to jump into the shower as soon as I got my room assignment!

I’m sorry I didn’t post earlier the photo of an indigenous woman who was selling edible ants (hormigas culonas) on the hill below the Monserrate in Bogotá! The Big-Butted Ants, also called chicatanas, are the future queen ants, they are edible ants and in its traditional name the big-bottomed ant refers to a physical quality that is inevitable not to notice, the large size of its abdomen.

Only virgin queen ants, the future queen ants, are harvested in the Santander region and the towns of San Gil and Barichara in Colombia. They migrate every year at the end of the waning moon, just after Easter due to the rains, between April and June. This is when they emerge from the hills and are collected. The short harvest period and the difficulty in catching them make them a scarce and relatively expensive product. You can see that they are advertised as an aphrodiac.

Our hotel in Cartagena is a five-star resort! Luckily our rooms are air-conditioned. This heat and humidity is truly debilitating!