Overland Travel: Cali - Medellin - Buenaventura

vicshere says on May 23, 2007, 09:42:

i wouldnt now

this past Christmas we traveled by car to Buenv and it was pretty safe...but over the last six months it has changed a lot I wouldn't travel there at the moment

listo

listo

medefockinllin says on May 23, 2007, 11:04:

Cali to Medellin is Safe Cali to Medellin is safe...no problems, 7 hour drive. Just did it last week.

If you are a pasty faced gringo...I would advise against going to Buenaventura.

Stay safe

Gator says on May 23, 2007, 18:45:

If It Were Me...

Cali/Medellin absolutely no problem

Cali/Buenaventura no way.

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

thur says on May 24, 2007, 00:58:

Agree. Not only is Buenaventura going through some rough times at the moment because of the concentration of displaced people and violence... the rainy season doesn't help travelling overland from Cali to Buenaventura. That road is often prone to be affected by landslides causing a gridlock.
It has been raining a lot, so other roads could be affected as well, but in general travelling overland Medellín-Cali should be fine.
Greetings,

~ Sights & Sounds ~
www.pbase.com/thur

- www.pbase.com/thur

calipro says on May 24, 2007, 06:08:

Cali-Medellin no problem I took a bus from Cali to Medellin about six months ago.

The highway was and the trip didn't last more than 8 hours in bus so you could probably get there in six hours by car if you are pushing it.

Wife's family is from Medellin and they travel that road all the time and say it is safe.

miamimike says on May 24, 2007, 06:31:

Present Security Situation in Buenadventura,,, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/world/americas/22colombia.html

"BUENAVENTURA, Colombia, May 15 — Visitors to this city can be forgiven for thinking no place is safe here. Gunfire often echoes through the slums surrounding its port, the country’s most important on the Pacific coast. As larger cities have calmed, Buenaventura has emerged as the deadliest urban center in Colombia’s long internal war.

Police officers patrol the slums with semiautomatic weapons. “Buenaventura is a no-man’s land,� says a former resident who fled the city. More Photos »
Soldiers search almost every car at checkpoints on the winding road from Cali. Guerrillas recently fired mortar shells at the police headquarters. The stately Hotel Estación, a neo-Classical gem built in 1928, where executives come to hammer out deals to import cars or export coffee, is guarded by dozens of soldiers in combat fatigues.

“It’s as if we have a little Haiti within Colombia,� said Lt. Nikolai Viviescas, 25, a police officer who was transferred from Bogotá six months ago. “It feels like another country.�

Albatross says on May 29, 2007, 08:18:

Thanks for the current info, I guess I'll skip Buenaventura... it's probably better anyway, last time I was sick for a week.

Calipro are you in Colombia or the States now ?
I'll be in Cali in a few weeks... if you're around, I'll buy the beer.




“Democracy - a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.�
- H.L. Mencken

“Democracy - a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H.L. Mencken

Mononoke28 says on May 29, 2007, 08:27:

The drive from... ... Cali to Medellín is awesome. We did it twice earlier this year on Expreso Arauca and it was fantastic. The roads are in very good condition, the scenery is beautiful, the bus was very comfortable and we stopped to eat lunch at a very good restaurant where I had carne asada with Premio every time. It's a very good trip.

Diana

ecco says on May 29, 2007, 09:49:

What about just passing through Buenaventura? To get to Gorgona Island is the only reason I would be there- Would be straight from the bus station to the waterfront. Even that would be a very bad idea? I've read the article mentioned above. I would fall into the gringo looking category, but I'm not blonde.
thanks

vicshere says on May 29, 2007, 09:54:

you have been warned stay away from that area go to Santa Marta and enjoy yourself

listo

listo