Is it Safe to Drink Tap Water in Colombia

Whenever you travel to a new country it is important to be sure that the water is safe before drinking directly from the tap.  It might be fine to drink the tap in your home country, but when you go abroad you ought to be more careful.

Is it safe to drink tap water in Colombia? The Ministerio de Salud y Proteccion Social (ministry of health and social protection) in Colombia performed a huge survey of the water quality in Colombia for the purpose of human consumption.  In this article, I simplify the results of this report and let you know where it is safe and unsafe to drink the tap water.

The entire report is 400 pages long and is in Spanish, but if you want the link you can find it here.

From a more practical perspective, many foreigners (including myself) drink tap water every day in a number of different Colombian cities without getting sick.  In general, the water is safer in the bigger cities and is potentially riskier in the more rural areas.

The report is based on the IRCA, a water quality index which ranges from 0-100.  Anything above 5 means that there is some potential risk factor and isn’t considered fit for human consumption.  The great news is that 61 percent of the country (in the areas that were tested) has tap water which ranks below 5 and according to the IRCA this means that the water is fit for human consumption.

I tried to check every main city that foreigners visit in Colombia, but let me know if I missed a spot so I can add it to the article.

Tap water is considered safe by the IRCA (below 5 percent) in the following places:  Armenia, Baranquilla, urban Bogota, Bucamaranga, Buenaventura, urban Cali, urban Cartegena, Guatape, Jardin, urban Manizales, Medellin, urban Pereira, Popayan, urban Providencia, San Andres, Santa Marta, Tunja, urban Villa de Leyva, and Valledupar.   

Tap water is considered unsafe by the IRCA (above 5 percent) in the following places: Barrancabermeja, rural Bogota, rural Cali, Filandia, Girón, Ibagué, Ipiales, rural Manizales, Neiva, rural Pereira, rural Providencia, rural Tunja, rural Villa de Leyva, and Villavicencio.  

One important caveat is that even when you are in a place where the tap water is supposed to be safe I suggest at least boiling your water for the first couple of days and gradually easing into drinking directly from the tap.  While you are still unlikely to get sick drinking from the tap, it will take some time for your stomach to completely adapt.

How to Boil Tap Water

Boiling tap water kills microorganisms like Bacteria and viruses which cause disease.  The process is simple and takes two steps.  First, bring the water to a boil, secondly keep it boiling for at least two minutes.  Note: boiling water does not eliminate other potential risks like toxic heavy metals.

Can you brush your teeth with tap water in Colombia?

If the IRCA rating of the tap water is below 5 you can, otherwise, you should use bottled water (or boil the water first).  Refer to the previous section to find the IRCA rating for a number of different places in Colombia.

While I don’t suggest brushing your teeth in areas with an IRCA rating above 5, the reality is that a lot of travelers brush their teeth with tap water all over the world and don’t get sick.  Maybe they just get lucky, but it seems to not be that big of a deal if you aren’t actually drinking the water.

That being said, it is probably worth using bottled water because you don’t want to contract E. coli or some other disease.

Is Bottled Water Safe in Colombia?

As a general rule yes, all the major bottled water brands in Colombia are safe.  Before buying or drinking out of the bottle make sure that the top is screwed on tight.  There are reports of people filling up bottles with tap/hose water and then selling them.

Best Portable Water Filter for Travelers

Although tap water is safe in most of the main touristic destinations in Colombia it still makes sense to bring a portable water filter.  I suggest purchasing the Lifestraw Personal Water Filter.  It is affordable, removes 99.999999% of waterborne bacteria and 99.999% of waterborne parasites.

The other awesome thing about this product is that the filter can filter up to 4000 liters before needing to be replaced.  Even with daily use, it should last for many years.

Is it Safe to Shower in Colombia?

Generally speaking yes, just make sure not to get any water in your mouth in the parts of the country where the tap water is not fit for human consumption.  Also, electrically heated showers in cheaper hotels/guesthouses can be dangerous for an entirely different reason (explosion, electric shock).  Worst case, have a cold shower if it looks unsafe.

Do Colombians Drink Tap Water?

This comes down to the individual person, but in my experience, there are two factors that go into whether or not a local will drink tap water in Colombia.

Number one, where are they from.  Locals in places like urban Pereira (where the tap water is known to be safe) will drink right out of the tap without any problems.  On the other hand, locals in more rural areas will often avoid drinking straight from the tap if they can help it.

The other factor is how much money they have.  While Colombia is certainly not the poorest country in the world there is still a lot of poverty throughout the country.  Many people are extremely poor and simply don’t have the means to drink bottled or filtered water.

The reality is that in certain parts of the country the water is dangerous even for local people who were born there and they will avoid drinking straight from the tap if they are able.

Other Safety Concerns in Colombia

While Colombia is one of my favorite countries in the whole world I have to admit that there are some safety concerns.  It certainly isn’t as dangerous as its reputation, especially if you stick to recommended areas, but street muggings and other violent crime are not unheard of in the country.

I have spent a total of four months in Colombia and have never felt unsafe, however, I have met a number of other travelers who were mugged or pickpocketed in Colombia.

To avoid getting into trouble in Colombia the first thing to do is to research any area before visiting.  There are some areas in the country which are still controlled by paramilitary groups and there isn’t much police presence.

Another recommendation is to avoid any empty streets and don’t walk outside past 8 pm.

Certain cities are safer than others, some Colombian cities are a bit more dangerous, and some Colombian cities are straight up scary.  Medellin, Pereira, Armenia, Manizales, and Cartegena are all fairly safe by Colombia standards.  Cali, Bogota, and Barranquilla are a bit more dangerous, but not too dangerous to visit.  Finally, Buenaventura on the Pacific coast should be avoided.

For more safety tips read my article on staying safe in developing countries.

Overall Development in Colombia

Many people who visit Colombia are shocked to discover how developed, organized, and clean the country is.  When you travel through Colombia it is hard to even see it as a developing country (more of a middle-income country).  Probably the only aspects of the country which are truly undeveloped are the high crime rates and political instability.

That being said, Colombia is definitely not a developed country and there still are organization/cleanliness problems in certain areas.  Use your common sense, do your research, and you will be able to enjoy your trip.

Thank you for reading.  If you are interested in travel I suggest checking out some of the other articles on this website.  I write about Colombia, South America, and the whole world.

Also, if you are new to travel check out my Beginning Traveler’s Handbook.  I spent more than 60 hours putting together everything a beginner needs to know to get started seeing the world.  It is totally free and you don’t need to download anything or give me your email address.