Is Santa Marta safe? Colombia travel risk
Is Santa Marta safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Santa Marta scores 69/100 on our travel risk index (Elevated). 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.
Santa Marta scores 69/100 (Elevated). 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 Santa Marta: 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 69 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
Positioned at 11.2419° N, 74.2053° W in Magdalena, Santa Marta features an altitude of 14 m. The settlement is located 726.3 km S from Bogotá.
Magdalena
11.2419° N, 74.2053° W
14 m
America/Bogota
515,556
Critical Services & Regional Transit
Adjacent Localities in Colombia
Climate by Month
Hottest: August (29 °C avg high); Wettest: October (510 mm).
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 27° | 27° | 27° | 28° | 28° | 29° | 28° | 29° | 28° | 28° | 28° | 28° |
| Low °C | 24° | 24° | 25° | 25° | 26° | 26° | 26° | 26° | 25° | 25° | 25° | 25° |
| Rain mm | 29 | 17 | 35 | 103 | 337 | 303 | 132 | 248 | 413 | 510 | 329 | 77 |
Normals: Santa Marta (0 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 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Most flood events within 100 km of Santa Marta happened in June (2 of 4 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
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.
Live Conditions
Regional Centers with Threat Ratings
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