Finally, and this is true no matter where you are in the world, take all the precautions you would when you’re home. Travelers get in trouble when they go into vacation mode and become careless and irresponsible. It’s always a good idea to review our solo travel safety post, 50+ Proven Tips to Keep You Safe before every trip.

Top Things to Do Solo in Medellin

There are an endless number of things to do and see in Medellin. Here are some that I enjoyed and recommend.

• Visit a coffee farm. This was one of my favorite activities. In addition to learning about the harvesting and processing of coffee, we also got to pretend to be farmers and harvest our own coffee beans. There are an endless number of coffee farms to visit, but I chose one that is in a neighborhood that is trying hard to gentrify and lift its community out of poverty. It also has the benefit of being one of the few that are actually in Medellin and is located in Barrio La Sierra. Find them at Urban Coffee Tour. You can book your tour by contacting them via WhatsApp. If you don’t already have WhatsApp, I recommend setting it up before you go to Colombia as many businesses use it as their primary communications tool. Their website also has a link to a documentary created when Barrio La Sierra was still one of the most dangerous places on Earth. It’s heartbreaking to watch, but it’ll give you an appreciation of how far this community has come in just a couple of decades. I highly recommend this tour, and don’t worry, it’s totally safe!
• Book a walking tour. This is the best way to get to know any city. I highly recommend a tour of the Centro or downtown area when you’re traveling solo in Medellin. The tour company I most frequently used was Real City Tours.
• Tour Comuna 13. Celebrate the success story of how a neighborhood transformed itself from one of the most dangerous places on Earth to one of the safest. I highly recommend getting a guided tour for your visit to Comuna 13 as it’s a huge area filled with lots of history that you won’t otherwise discover. You can either book your tour with a tour company or save a few dollars by taking the metro to San Javier Station where you will find many licensed tour guides outside of the station where you can practice your negotiation skills. Don’t be afraid to ask multiple guides for their prices to compare and also to make sure they have a personality that matches your vibe. You will be with this person for over two hours, so you want to enjoy your time together.