Is El Playón safe? Colombia travel risk
Is El Playón safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
El Playón scores 70/100 on our travel risk index (Extreme). The US State Department rates Colombia Level 3 (Reconsider Travel, updated 31 Mar 2026); the UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country (updated 15 Oct 2026); Canada says: exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories). No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. CDC travel health notice: Level 2, Yellow Fever in Colombia (18 Sep 2026). No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
El Playón scores 70/100 (Extreme). The score combines security, crime and scams, health and medical access, natural hazards and current alerts measured for this location and Colombia (how it is calculated). The sections below are specific to El Playón: nearest emergency and transport facilities, local climate normals, 5-year natural hazard history within 100 km.
Driven by: security (80/100) and crime and scams (79/100).
A score of 70 is higher than the scores of 90% of the 241 countries we cover.
Consult the Colombia travel risk page for nationwide security advisories, entry protocols, and consular warnings.
Territorial & Position Context
El Playón belongs to Santander (Colombia), centered at coordinates 7.4767° N, 73.2081° W (439 m above sea level). Distance to Bogotá is 322.0 km towards the SSW.
Santander
7.4767° N, 73.2081° W
439 m
America/Bogota
11,252
Critical Services & Regional Transit
Adjacent Localities in Colombia
Climate by Month
Hottest: February (19 °C avg high); Wettest: June (1063 mm).
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 19° | 19° | 19° | 19° | 18° | 18° | 18° | 19° | 19° | 18° | 18° | 19° |
| Low °C | 12° | 12° | 13° | 13° | 13° | 13° | 13° | 13° | 13° | 13° | 12° | 12° |
| Rain mm | 253 | 253 | 419 | 695 | 932 | 1063 | 1040 | 930 | 773 | 736 | 536 | 344 |
Normals: Bucaramanga (44.6 km away).
Natural Hazard Calendar & History
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | 2 | — | — |
| Earthquakes (M5.5+) | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Most flood events within 100 km of El Playón happened in October (2 of 5 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
Significant Earthquakes (USGS M5.5+ within 150 km)
2 major seismic events recorded within 150 km over the past 5 years.
- Largest: M5.5 on 10 Dec 2025 (81 km away) — USGS details
CDC Traveler Health Notices for Colombia
- Level 2 - Yellow Fever in Colombia (Level 2, 18 Sep 2026)
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Public Domain).
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the Colombia travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Colombia entry requirements.
Regional Centers with Threat Ratings
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