Cartagena Travel Risk — Elevated Risk (50/100)
Country-level baseline — we don't yet have a city-specific score for Cartagena. The number below is the Colombia country baseline.
Is Cartagena safe for travelers?
Elevated risk. Cartagena has heightened risks. Plan carefully and follow the actions in the briefing.
Disease & health (score 40)
Crime (score 60)
2026-05-09 11:01:52
70%
Crime, health, transport, weather, disease, environmental and safety risk overview for Cartagena, Colombia.
Get a personalized assessment for your tripWhat should I do now?
- Run a real assessment. Open the calculator for live data (weather, advisory, news) layered onto this baseline.
- Crime (score 60/100): Use registered taxis or ride-share apps. Keep electronics out of sight in public transit. Read recent reviews for your specific neighborhood.
- Transport safety (score 55/100): Use the safest available transit. For high-risk routes, prefer reputable carriers and avoid late-night driving.
- Check your country's advisory. The single most authoritative live signal. Linked at the bottom of every real assessment.
Baseline scores
Source: calibrated 2026-05-09 v1.0 (knowledge-based; State Dept advisory tiers, GPI, OSAC patterns) · Confidence: 70
Quick facts
| Hospital access | — |
|---|---|
| Airport risk | — |
| Road safety | — |
| Public transport | — |
| Tourist scam risk | — |
| Night safety | — |
| Last reviewed | — |
Live conditions in Cartagena
Real-time data refreshed from public sources — weather and air quality from Open-Meteo, official advisory from the US State Department, disaster alerts from GDACS, health notices from the CDC, news from Google News. For an AI-synthesized briefing tailored to your specific trip, run a personalized assessment.
Today's weather
⛈ Thunderstorm
Cartagena, Colombia
| Today's high / low | 30.5°C / 25.9°C | Wind now / max | 11 km/h / 12.5 km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| Humidity | 90% | Precipitation today | 5.5 mm · 26% chance |
| UV (max today) | 8.4 | Sunrise / Sunset | 05:40 / 18:16 |
- Very high UV
- Thunderstorm risk
Source: Open-Meteo (free public weather API) · fetched 2026-05-15 09:42:38 UTC
Air quality
Air Quality
Moderate
| PM2.5 / PM10 | 14.1 / 20.7 µg/m³ | O₃ / NO₂ | 63 / 6.4 µg/m³ |
|---|
Source: Open-Meteo Air Quality · fetched 2026-05-15 09:42:38 UTC
Official travel advisory
Level 3 · Reconsider Travel
Colombia - Level 3: Reconsider Travel
Read full advisory → · US Department of State
Disaster alerts
No active disaster alerts from GDACS (Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System) for Colombia as of the last refresh.
Health notices
Health Notices for this Destination
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Level 1 - Global Dengue WATCH · 2026-04-16
Dengue is a year-round risk in many parts of the world, with outbreaks commonly occurring every 2–5 years. Travelers to risk areas should prevent mosquito bites. Country List : Colombia, Samoa, Cook Islands (New Zealand), Bangladesh, Mali, Vietnam, New Caledonia (France), Timor-L
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Level 2 - Global Polio ALERT · 2026-03-09
Some international destinations have circulating poliovirus. Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines. Country List : Afghanistan, Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Nig
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Level 2 - Yellow Fever in Colombia ALERT · 2025-09-02
An increased number of cases of yellow fever have been reported in Colombia.
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Level 1 - Global Measles WATCH · 2025-05-28
Measles cases are rising in many countries around the world. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to CDC's measles vaccination recommendations for international travel. Country List : Afghan
Source: CDC Travelers’ Health · fetched 2026-05-15 09:04:52
Recent headlines
Recent Headlines · Cartagena Colombia
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Canadian Government Warns Travelers Of Deadly Attacks In Adventure Destination With "Six Different Worlds"
AOL.com · 18h ago
-
Best Countries for Expats: Top Picks for Americans Living Abroad
Going · 13h ago
Source: Google News · headlines verbatim, dates from publishers · fetched 2026-05-15 09:42:39 UTC
Emergency numbers (Colombia)
| Police | 123 |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | 125 |
| Fire | 119 |
| General | 123 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Cartagena safe for tourists?
Cartagena has heightened risks. Plan carefully and follow the actions in the briefing. Crime risk score is 60/100; theft and pickpocketing in tourist areas are significant — keep documents and electronics secured.
What is the biggest risk in Cartagena?
The highest-scoring risk category is Crime (score 60/100). Travelers should specifically prepare for this area before arrival.
How are these scores calculated?
Each category is scored 0-100 based on government travel advisories (US State Dept), crime indices (Numbeo), Global Peace Index data, WHO/CDC health context, and curated regional knowledge. The composite is a weighted sum — see /methodology for the full weight breakdown. Live data (weather, advisories, news) is layered on top of every assessment.
When was this page last reviewed?
The baseline scores for Cartagena were last reviewed on 2026-05-09 11:01:52. Live intelligence (weather, official advisories, disaster alerts, health notices) refreshes automatically multiple times per day.
Is this a substitute for an official travel advisory?
No. Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated risk information for planning purposes only. Always check your home country's official travel advisory and any health notices from your national health authority before traveling.
Run a personalized assessment for Cartagena
Get a tailored briefing in ~15 seconds, with live weather, advisories, and recent news.
Calculate my trip riskTransparency & Sources
We try to be honest about what we know, what we estimated, and what we don't have. Below is the audit trail for this page.
Review status
reviewed
Last reviewed
2026-05-09 11:01:52
Data confidence
70%
Sources used
- SimpleMaps World Cities (CC BY 4.0): Coordinates, region, population for Cartagena
- Editorial baseline (country-level): Country-level threat scoring used because city-specific baseline not yet added
Live data (weather, advisory, disaster alerts, news) is only fetched when you run an assessment.
What is estimated
- Composite tier and category scores are an editorial baseline estimate, not a real-time measurement.
- This city falls back to country-level scores. The actual risk in Cartagena may differ from the country average.
What is unavailable
- City-specific threat scoring (we are using country-level fallback).
- Specific medical-access detail (hospital list, embassy clinic).
- Documented scam patterns for this city.
- Transport-hub safety notes (airport, train stations).
- Neighborhood-level guidance.
Methodology · Data review process · Full data-source registry · Report a correction
Disclaimer
Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated travel-threat information for preparation purposes only. It does not replace official government advisories, medical advice, emergency alerts, immigration rules, insurance advice, police guidance, embassy information, or professional security consultation.