I'm going to Colombia for 12 days in February - is it advisable to take US dollars with me? I've seen some prices of tours quoted in USD and am not sure if this is just to make it easier for tourists, or whether they are actually used over there.
It's quite seldom that dollars come into play in Colombia. They do exist, and I have encountered a few times where someone in high society preferred dollars because they were planning a trip to the States. But like 90% of the time, people want money in pesos.
If it were me, I would NOT take them. It's more of a liability.
Some friendly advice;
Don't trust anyone, ever, in Colombia. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful country and the people could not be warmer or more kind. But at the same time, it's still a very, very dangerous country. Obviously it depends on so many factors how safe your trip is, but don't believe the "Colombia is a new country, everything's great now" gossip that's been going around the last couple of years.
Scam artist are incredibly talented and sophisticated and they really go after Americans. Petty robbers are literally, everywhere. Don't every talk on your cellphone on the street, even in broad daylight with people around, in the wrong area it will be gone and you'll have quite a story for your friends. If you want to visit and have a great trip with no loss, it is most certainly possible but, again, be friendly to everyone but trust absolutely no one.
PM me if you want specific details or any help with anything...
Take care.
[ 15-Jan-2014, at 19:20 by i c e ]
Ditto Ice regarding US Dollars.... in past years Colombia has been flooded with US Dollars (because of the drug trade) so they were desperately trying to get rid of them - NOT exchange even more. In fact several years ago I bought US cash in Colombia so cheaply that I could take it back to Canada and sell it for a tidy profit.
Use ATMs and spend Colombian Pesos.
Cheers,
Terry
Thank you guys - good to know that I don't need to take them as that makes it easier for me.
ice, thanks for the warnings. I may pm you at some point during my research in the next few weeks.
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