What should I avoid in Bogota?

Never hail a yellow cab off the street in Bogota. The paseo millonario, where a driver picks up accomplices who rob you during the ride, still happens, mostly after midnight south of Calle 72. Use InDrive or Uber instead. Both apps work across the city, and a ride from El Dorado Airport to Chapinero costs roughly 25,000 to 35,000 COP (about $8 to $11 at the current rate of 3,076 COP to the dollar). The official airport taxi counter inside the terminal is safe but charges a fixed 40,000 COP to the same neighborhood. If someone at the El Dorado arrivals hall offers you a 'special rate' before you reach that counter, keep walking. Uber operates in a legal gray zone in Colombia, so drivers may ask you to sit in the front seat to look less like a passenger. InDrive is fully legal and works the same way.

Bogota sits at 2,640 meters above sea level, higher than Mexico City. First-timers who fly in from Cartagena or any sea-level city will feel the altitude within hours. Headaches, shortness of breath on the stairs at the Colombian National Museum (founded 1823), a sluggish first morning where the air feels thin and cool. Drink water, skip alcohol on night one, and don't schedule a Monserrate hike for day one. Temperatures hover around 15°C, with afternoon rain almost daily from April through November. Nights drop to 7 or 8°C. Pack a rain jacket and a light fleece. Shorts and sandals will leave you shivering and damp by 3pm at Parque Simón Bolívar. The UV index above 10 at this altitude burns through cloud cover year-round. A tube of factor-50 from any Farmatodo pharmacy runs about 25,000 COP.

The emerald sellers who approach you near the Gold Museum on Calle 16 and along Carrera 7 are selling glass. Even the ones with certificates. If you want Colombian emeralds, the shops inside Centro Comercial Haime on Avenida Jiménez are where Bogotanos go, and you can verify stones on the spot. Skip the restaurants directly facing Plaza de Bolívar. A bandeja paisa there runs 45,000 to 55,000 COP. Walk four blocks into La Candelaria's side streets near Calle 11, where the same plate costs 22,000 COP with better seasoning. The 'free' walking tours through La Candelaria are not free. Guides expect 30,000 to 50,000 COP per person, and several steer you toward shops on commission. That said, paid tours like the Bogota Graffiti Tour run 25,000 to 40,000 COP for 2 to 3 hours of street art in the same neighborhood.

Solo-traveler safety rates 4.2/10 (see the TTDI Solo-Safety Index), which means Bogota demands more street awareness than most cities on the gringo trail. After dark, stick to Chapinero, Zona G, Usaquén, and Parque de la 93. La Candelaria empties out after 8pm, and the poorly lit blocks between Carrera 3 and Carrera 1 feel nothing like the daytime version. The TransMilenio bus system is efficient but packed to the point of bruising during rush hours from 6:30 to 8:30am and 5 to 7:30pm. Pickpockets work the crowded stations at Portal del Norte and Estación de la Sabana. Keep your phone in a front pocket or leave it in your bag on the bus. Fake police have been reported along Carrera Séptima and near Parque Santander. A real officer will never ask to see your wallet or count your cash. If someone in a vest asks for your billfold, walk into the nearest shop and call 123.

The scopolamine warning is not overblown. Burundanga, a powder from the borrachero tree that grows across the Colombian highlands, can be slipped into drinks or blown as dust. Victims become compliant, empty their bank accounts at ATMs, and remember nothing the next morning. It is not common in well-trafficked tourist areas during the day, but it happens at bars in Zona Rosa and along Carrera Séptima on weekend nights. Don't accept drinks from strangers. Don't leave your glass unattended. Don't let anyone hand you a paper or pamphlet on the street after dark. Mind you, Bogota is a city where 8 million people go about normal lives every day. The risk is manageable when you follow the same rules locals follow. The tourist police station in La Candelaria on Carrera 8 takes reports in English and Spanish.