Tour Comuna 13 — Attraction in Medellín

I hesitated for a long time before joining the free walking tour of Comuna 13 in Medellín. Coming from Brazil — a country also shaped by the presence of “favelas” — I’ve always viewed tourism in marginalized communities as a complex and sensitive topic. In Rio de Janeiro, for example, some companies take tourists on “safari-style” tours through favelas, forgetting that these are not wild habitats, but neighborhoods where real people live, struggle, and build their lives every day.

At the start of the tour, I made a point to ask our local guide what the residents thought about having dozens of mostly white tourists walking up the hill with cameras in hand. His response was that tourism benefits the community. And yes, in part, it does. It brings income to artists, guides, food vendors, and performers who are directly involved in the tour economy.

However, during the visit, I had conversations with locals — in Spanish — and the perspective was not so unanimous. Some residents expressed discomfort, even resentment, at the constant flow of tourists. As we walked by homes and snapped pictures, I overheard an elderly woman saying harsh things about the intrusion, especially as people took photos literally inside her doorway. That moment stayed with me.

It’s hard to “rate” a place like Comuna 13, a neighborhood that has endured violence, resilience, and now mass exposure. But I’m choosing to leave one star — not to criticize the community, but to call attention to the ethical questions surrounding this type of tourism. This is not a zoo. This is not an open-air museum. This is a community of people trying to live normal lives.

If you decide to go, as I eventually did, go with respect. Don’t treat the place like a backdrop for Instagram. Ask questions. Don’t photograph people without consent. Listen more than you post. And most of all, remember that being a respectful visitor starts with understanding your...

Alright so here is the deal. Comuna 13 (District 13) has a rough and gruesome history and is known by almost anyone who has heard of it for being a really dangerous neighborhood. This is probably true for the deeper residential parts of the district but, the part of comuna 13 that has these escalators and most of the really cool graffiti is 100% safe. Stick with your guide, follow the groups, don't do anything stupid and you'll be fine.

There are government officials at the foot of every set of stairs, dozens of tour guides during peak hours, and the escalators make the trip up and down real easy. The real safety though honestly comes from the community itself. If a kid tried to run off with your camera or purse for example, they'd be stopped by a local before you even have a chance to yell for police to help because they truly appreciate what tourism is bringing to their community.

That being said, where the graffiti stops, so should your journey. You'll usually see a few locals directing you to turn around or go down a certain "approved" path but if in doubt, turn around. The best way to see this area is to find a tour guide locally (check with your hotel) or through a service like Viator and have them pick you up from and leave you at your hotel because parking is complicated for even motorcycles. Try to find a tour that doesn't just take you there but one where the tour guide can speak to some of the art.

Local kids will offer to dance for you. You can politely decline or let them do their thing. If you do let them show you what they've been working on though, give them...

The tour was billed as "experiences" and that it was... The first was the meeting place being one of the busiest metro stations, noisy and 3 tour groups from the same company meeting in the same spot... Not good... Second was a Metro ride which was fine, although the over crowded cars did not feel less crowded when we were told we "should see this during rush hour." Our 3rd experience was a bus ride to the actual Comuna 13 area after a brief food sampling... We went to a coffee talk in a business that was nice, but sitting at side by side tables with another tour group from the same company and having 2 people trying to tell us about the coffee process was a fail... Our presenter couldn't be heard.. Finally we got into the heart of the Comuna 13, watch a great street break dancing Troup, walked up some amazingly street/narrow streets,.learned a bit about the history, but being outside and busy areas, much was lost to the acoustics and finally rod many of the in street escalators which were phenomenal... Overall our host, Ezekiel, was great and did his best to lead us, although our group did have a few times where some of us had to wait for others to catch up ... It would be beneficial to note on the marketing that it is essentially a one way ticket into Comuna 13 since we had our Metro cards for the trains collected at the farthest point from where we started... maybe that is said but I missed it ..The tour is a great thing but as a tour company it seems better organization could be provided to the guides and better sound systems would make the overall experience...