Comuna 13 Medellin Tour (Visiting without a Guide)

Why Visit Comuna 13?

I talk a lot about travel safety, so for me to recommend people to walk into a dangerous neighbourhood is not something I normally would do.

In this instance, I want to share my personal experience of visiting Comuna 13. Normally, when traveling in South America, I’d suggest joining a tour.

However, on this occasion, I chose to explore Comuna 13 on my own.

After staying in Medellín or any other place in Colombia for that matter, you may be curious as to why anyone would want to visit this neighbourhood. Aren’t travellers just asking for trouble by coming here?

Is Comuna 13 safe?

Yes and no…

The first thing to note is that Comuna 13 tours are not part of the Dark Tourism movement, however, there is something particular about people promoting tours to dangerous neighbourhoods which I found strange.

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How to get to Comuna 13?

To get to Comuna 13, head to San Javier by taking the Metro directly to San Javier station. It’s from the station that you’ll need to take the bus (221i or 225i) which takes around 25 mins to get into the main Comuna area.

The buses tend to get quite full (especially during the day) so be prepared, and don’t carry any valuables with you to avoid unnecessary attention.

You can walk up the hill from San Javier, but I don’t recommend this unless you are travelling with a local guide or equivalent, to ensure your safety.

Once you arrive at the football court you are more or less there.

Can you go to Comuna 13 by yourself?

Yes, but as any friendly Paisa or local living in Medellín will openly tell you: Comuna 13 is NOT safe! And even less so for the average tourist!

Especially the kind who wish to wander around with their camera taking photos. After all, this is an area that suffers from poverty and violence.

I visited Comuna 13 with a local, and although we didn’t go ‘deep in the street’ I felt satisfied with what I saw on my visit (which, if anything, was a feeling of privilege to be able to stand tall in such a unique neighbourhood).

Street Art in Comuna 13

Did you know that outside of cities such as Bogotá and Cali, Medellín is one of the best places to see street art in Colombia? This is the spot right here!

Aside from the colourful escalators, which do an excellent job at elevating locals and visitors to one of the higher platforms in the neighbourhood, the streets here are painted with some of the most detailed street art pieces. Many of which tell a story or serve as a reminder to both locals and visitors.

What is Comuna 13? (the story)

Let’s look at the story of the Comuna to see if we can learn more about it. This may help you decide whether to visit.

Know that this place is not for everyone! I’d even go as far as to say that it would be better for some people to experience this self-proclaimed landmark through the eyes of a cultural traveller… in this case, me.

But this also means you should aim to look at some other official resources to get information about this neighbourhood too.

Having spoken to other travellers backpacking Colombia who had taken the tour, I found out that they learned much more than I did doing it solo.

Much of what I learned was unspoken. By exploring these types of neighbourhoods learned that the streets talk when you pay attention. Many things I saw, don’t need an explication: they speak for themselves!

However, it is common knowledge that the infamous Comuna 13 was most feared back in the 1980s and 1990s during Medellín’s darkest cartel days.

Those years were the height of the narcotraffico not just for being home to residents ‘willing to do anything’ for ‘any amount of money’ but for the strategic positioning of the Comuna within Medellín’s urban landscape.

Comuna 13 is made up of steep, windy streets and thousands of places to hide. This in turn became the perfect transit point for all types of illegal activities. So controlled, in fact, that even the authorities needed special permission to enter certain parts of Comuna 13 during those years.

Later in time, one of Colombia’s former Presidents Alvaro Uribe, instigated a major clean-up consisting of raids and violent assault which would see a decline in this type of barrio control restoring fragile peace to Medellín.

Inevitably many hard-working Colombians, including innocent families, were embroiled in this hardship, living daily with fear and uncertainty.

Fast-forward some years and the government installed a series of escalators (like the ones you see in shopping malls) called escaleras electricas in Spanish to make areas of the barrio more accessible.

This new neighbourhood feature quickly became the talk of the town! With this newfound accessibility, the streets somehow became safer.

This is something that the local people of the barrio were proud of.

This coupled with street art and an influx of outsiders visiting the neighbourhood meant that the stigma was slowly fading away.

So, if you ever wondered why anyone would want to visit a once (and still) dangerous neighbourhood, you may now be able to understand that this is all about a story of transformation and overcoming its troubled past.

The fact that 100’s of tourists can now visit the neighbourhood each day (even without speaking Spanish at all) is revitalizing in its own right.

Escalators in Comuna 13

I have never celebrated a set of escalators in this way before. Having walked around many communities in Medellín and the surrounding area, I began to appreciate any flat spot of land I encountered in this vibrant city.

In Comuna 13, it is not about saving your legs for that 1 minute of an uphill struggle. The Escalators are about progress in the form of social equity and accessibility for all citizens. They are literally redefining urban mobility.

Supposedly, instead of locals doing what was the equivalent of a 28-story building climb daily to get to the nearest metro stop. The Escalators cut this to around a 6-minute leg break, transforming the neighbourhood entirely

The Geography of the Aburrá Valley is crazy. For you to get to Comuna 13 from El Poblado you’d need to take 2 to 3 separate forms of transport.

Get to the entrance, and you see the escalators which take you further up into the neighbourhood, opening up hidden corners of the Comuna.

The Escalators have also made it possible for others to visit friends and family that may live in this extremely high region of Medellín.

Not to mention, attracted thousands of new tourists who want to get a taste of life in one of Colombia’s most dangerous neighbourhoods.

The People of Comuna 13

I found this trip to be an educational lesson, not because I was flirting with the idea of being in such a dangerous neighbourhood, but through the respect for the people and their enduring community spirit.

There were young kids around sweeping the pavements. This wasn’t accidentally! This is to welcome you and let you know that you are being specially accommodated. That is what I gathered from it anyway.

No matter who you are, on entering this neighbourhood as an outsider, the social and cultural awareness you will acquire will require you to humble yourself for a moment and understand the struggles its residents endured.

These are the same hillside barrios that are home to some of the region’s more poor and vulnerable people, living under challenging conditions daily.

Many of which are like tiny shacks with little to nothing in the way of material to keep them weatherproof, with barely enough to live.

What to do in Comuna 13

So, let’s say you’ve made it to the barrio… Other than awkwardly standing around, not knowing what in God’s name to do with yourself…

What do you actually do here?

Of course, getting to Comuna 13 is part of the experience too. For me, that was actually one of the most significant parts of the whole experience.

Because remember: it is for that reason that we are celebrating this radical transformation. Some things you can do in Comuna 13 include:

1. Eat an Ice cream

After a couple of hours of walking around the Comuna, one popular thing to do is to try one of the ice creams or cremas that you can try.

These refreshing treats let you taste frozen Colombian fruits and are even certified by the Comuna 13 tours guides for a true local experience.

Some popular flavours include:

• Lulopiña
• Marucu Mango
• Guannbana
• Mora
• Maracuya
• Café
• Salpicon
• Mangobiche

The green mango (Mangobiche) with salt and lemon is a popular flavour, but regardless of what flavour you choose it is guaranteed to brighten up your day.

2. Visit the Graffiti shop

If you take the Comuna 13 graffiti tour you’ll visit the Ruta 13 store. It’s a local art gallery where you can learn more about Comuna 13 through art.

With your visit here as part of a tour (or off your accord), you’ll quickly learn that much of the art in this neighbourhood alludes to the events that once happened in the streets, capturing the struggles of its local people.

Artwork by a local artist named Chota is definitely one to look out for.

3. Buy a Souvenir

Aside from picking up on the Paisa accent here, you’ll find there are many ways you can carry a piece of the Comuna back home with you.

If you want to carry something physical that represents your trip, then one of the puestos (stands) that sell things like shirts, postcards, and other crafts is a good way. It also helps out the local community.

4. Stay for drink

There are opportunities for you to sit back and relax for a moment whilst exploring Comuna 13. Depending on your schedule, you may want to enjoy a beer or juice while you take in the views, and soak up the atmosphere.

I recommend you visit on a weekday if you plan to do these extra activities. Doing a special guided tour like this one will also give you the chance to experience one of the coffee shops and bars in the community, but you may only get the chance to pass through each part for a very short time.

Comuna 13 Medellín Tour

So, it’s true what they say! Visiting Comuna 13 does change your impression of Colombia (in a good way) and shows its resilient spirit.

You begin to think of innovative ideas on ways to improve, but then you’ll be reminded that the war on poverty and classicism remains.

Aside from all that political stuff, though, Comuna 13 and Medellín remain one of the globe’s success stories when it comes to connecting social classes and remodelling poverty into the best version of itself.

Comuna 13 is far from perfect, but so are most other neighbourhoods around the world. At least here you will be greeted with a smile.

See this action-packed guide for unique ideas and some things to do in Medellín if you are looking for even more ways to explore the city.