Colombia Myths vs. Reality: An Indian Living in Colombia
Say "Colombia" in almost any room and someone will mention Narcos within ten seconds. It was true, but not anymore. And Colombians absolutely hate it when you start a conversation with that.
I am Aswin, from Tamil Nadu, India. I moved to Colombia to live with my wife, Luisa, who is Colombian, and I have been here for over a year.
That is long enough to see how far the stories are from daily life, and where Colombia still has real gaps.
The short answer: Colombia is not all Narcos, and it is not hot everywhere. Bogotá stays cool throughout the year, families stay close, indigenous history runs deep, and Medellín runs a metro, tram, and cable cars. The real gaps are crowded buses and slower technology.
We made a video on YouTube explaining these myths and realities, and we've adapted it here as a blog post. Let's see how much you knew about Colombia is real!
The Narcos Question
The myth says cartels run Colombia and every street is dangerous. Netflix’s Narcos made that belief famous. The series shows real events from the 1980s and early 1990s, when Pablo Escobar led the Medellín cartel, and not now, especially after 35 years!
The violence depicted in the show was real, and it hurt many Colombian families. But one show about one era does not describe the reality of the country today.
After more than a year here, my daily life feels safe, as long as I use common sense. Locals have a phrase for it: “no dar papaya,” which means don’t make yourself an easy target.
In practice, you don’t wave your phone around on a busy street, and you follow the basic safety precautions you follow in any big city.
Safety still changes by region and by year, so check your government’s travel advisory or the local news before you book a trip.
The Weather
The myth says Colombia is hot like a jungle all year. The country sits near the equator, so I understand the guess, but altitude matters more than latitude here.
Colombians call this idea “pisos térmicos,” or thermal floors: the higher you go, the colder it gets.
Bogotá sits about 8,660 feet (2,640 m) above sea level, and its average temperature stays around 14.5°C (58°F) all year. Pack a jacket. 🧥
Medellín sits lower and hovers around 22.2°C (72°F) all year, which is why people call it the city of eternal spring. The Amazon and the coasts on the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean are hot and humid, and La Guajira has a real desert.
That variety helps explain why many rankings put Colombia second in the world for biodiversity, after Brazil. So when someone asks if Colombia is hot, my honest answer is: which part?
Family First
It is easy to lump the Americas together and assume every country on the continent works like the United States. Colombia does not.
The biggest difference I notice is how people treat family. Families here are large and warm, and neighbors treat each other like extended family.
That felt familiar, because it looks a lot like the family culture I grew up with in Tamil Nadu, India. So the warmth felt less like culture shock and more like something I already knew.
I saw the community side up close during the Christmas season and also in August 2026, when an earthquake brought down part of our house. Neighbors we had only said hello to spent whole days pulling rubble out by hand, and complete strangers brought bricks for the reconstruction before we asked.
Old Roots
The myth says Colombia has little history or culture beyond coffee and crime. Europeans did not find an empty land, though.
People have lived in what is now Colombia for thousands of years, and indigenous societies built complex civilizations long before the Spanish conquerors arrived.
Bogotá’s Museo del Oro makes that easy to see. It holds tens of thousands of gold pieces crafted by pre-Hispanic cultures like the Muisca and the Quimbaya. 🏺
It is one of the largest collections of its kind in the world, and the Muisca Raft, one of its most famous pieces, shows the ritual behind the El Dorado legend.
Indigenous peoples still live across Colombia, and you can see their heritage in the museums and in handmade crafts.
This is why we absolutely hate it when people say the Americas were "found" just centuries ago. Nobody found it, it already existed with hundreds of thousands of people living in it.
Modern Cities
The myth says Colombia is underdeveloped, but Medellín alone breaks that idea.
The city opened its metro in 1995. Nine years later, it added Metrocable cars that carry people up to hillside neighborhoods, and a tram followed in 2016.
Bogotá does something just as striking every week, along with many other cities across the country. On Sundays and public holidays, Bogotá alone closes more than 75 miles (120 km) of main roads to cars for Ciclovía, and more than a million people come out to bike, run, walk, and skate. 🚲
The tradition started in 1974. Many cities adopted it, and now they also hold car-free days and have built a large bike-lane network. None of that looks underdeveloped to me.
Where It Falls Short
Colombia has things to improve, and pretending that everything is rainbows and roses would make this post less honest.
Bogotá's public transit gets crowded, especially TransMilenio, the city’s main bus system at rush hour. The city is still building its first metro line, and officials expect it to open in 2028.
Technology moves slower too. Compared with India, apps and delivery services feel slower here, offer fewer options, and 5G coverage isn't widespread yet. It's more noticeable in smaller cities.
India sets a high bar for apps, so maybe I judge Colombia harder than most people would.
Quick Answers
1. Is Colombia safe for travelers?
In my experience, day-to-day life feels safe if you use common sense and don’t flash valuables like in India. Conditions vary by region and by year, so check your government’s travel advisory before you go.
2. Is Colombia hot all year?
No. Altitude sets the temperature. Bogotá stays cool, around 14.5°C (58°F) on average, while the Caribbean coast and the Amazon stay hot and humid.
3. Is Colombian culture similar to Indian culture?
In family life, yes. Both cultures value close families and strong community ties, even though food and language differ a lot.
4. What does “no dar papaya” mean?
It is a Colombian saying that means don’t make yourself an easy target, like leaving your phone on a café table or taking it out on a crowded street.
5. Does Colombia have good public transportation?
It depends on the city. Medellín has a good metro system with cable cars and a tram, while Bogotá’s buses get crowded and its first metro line is still under construction.
I go through these myths in the full video. You can watch it here:
Also on Spotify if listening is your thing!
What did you believe about Colombia before you read this? Tell us in the comments. 🦋
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