One of the fun activities we did while visiting Medellin, besides eating out of course, was a tour of Comuna 13, and it was the best Comuna 13 tour ever!
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, Comuna 13 was the most dangerous area in Medellin and really the world. Now it is a vibrant, hip neighborhood where many tourists visit and can learn about its history and incredible transformation.
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Is It Safe To Visit Comuna 13 With Kids?
First I want to address the elephant in the room. If you are worried about safety in Colombia, I understand. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and all we ever heard was the dangers of Colombia and especially Medellin.
I am here to set the record straight. Colombia has transformed! There are certain areas where you need to be careful, like almost any country, but Comuna 13 in Medellin is not one of them.
On the other hand, Comuna 13 is one of the safest neighborhoods in all of Medellin. Besides the fact that the community wants to stay safe, they also look out for each other and want to keep the tourism in the area that has revitalized it.
During our Comuna 13 Medellin tour, we took our kids, and they had a blast. We all felt very safe there.
The Best Comuna 13 Tour With Kids – All The Details
We booked our visit to Comuna 13 Medellin through an Airbnb experience. We have really enjoyed using Airbnb experiences for our city tours in South America. All of them that we have booked so far have been led by locals that know so much about their city.
This tour was no exception. Our tour guide, Yeison, was incredible!
Another amazing part of this experience is that 100% of the fee (which is only about $20 per person) goes to the Insiders Foundation. This non-profit in Medellin brings cultural and social programs to youth in Comuna 13. This is an incredible way to support the youth in Colombia!
Those are the top 2 reasons why this was the best Comuna 13 tour, but there’s more. Keep reading!
Note: We took this tour at the end of 2022. From what I can see the tour is almost the same with only some minor changes, like where you begin.
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First Stop: Metro Cable Car
The tour started near the metro station. We began by taking a metro cable car up the hill to view Comuna 13 from afar. Our tour guide started speaking about the history of the neighborhood here. Additionally, this was a great spot for a spectacular view of the city.
After the metro cable ride, we headed back down to catch a bus to Comuna 13. This short ride afforded us a brief glimpse into how locals navigate the nuances of public transportation in Medellin. It was an interesting and bumpy ride.
Once we got to Comuna 13 the vibe was instantly different. Comuna 13 is known for it’s hip hop culture, and you can witness it through the music played, the break dancing in the street and the beautiful graffitied walls.
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Next Stop: Comuna 13 Neighborhood
Hidden Areas Of Comuna 13
An added bonus to this Comuna 13 tour is that the guides are all locals that truly care about their community. They don’t just bring you to the most common areas of Comuna 13, but also through the core and back alleys of the neighborhood. While you explore the staircases of the area, you see the Colombians that live there and not only the visiting tourists.
This part was another reason that this became one of the best Comuna 13 tours. It dove deep into the culture. It showed us how the people live and get around. It felt very authentic and real.
Popular Attractions In Comuna 13
You will also hit up all the popular areas in Comuna 13. I felt that the tour quickly passed by some of the notable instagram-worthy spots and others we stopped and got an explanation. The explanations were really good and we also heard more of the history and struggle that the community faced.
Even though we breezed by some areas, it was okay. The tour ended right in Comuna 13 which allowed us to go back to some areas we wanted to explore more. So for us, we didn’t feel like the speed of the tour was too quick.
Here are some of the popular areas that you can see when touring Comuna 13.
- The escalator that famously was built to help the people have easier access to the roads that are down the hill. All the houses are built so close together and on steep hills that it makes it impossible to have roads through the neighborhood. The escalator helps ease some of the burden of carrying heavy things or groceries up hill.
- The graffitti filled streets. Our guide taught us about some of the graffiti murals sprayed on the walls that tell the complex history of Comuna 13.
- Break dancers performing in the street!
- That basketball and soccer court below was where they filmed a famous reggaeton star’s music video.
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Tagging The Walls In Comuna 13
In addition to walking around the community and listening to our tour guide speak, we also ate some delicious popsicles. Mine and Mike’s was guava or passionfruit and we dipped them in lime juice and tajin spices. It was so incredible. Levi and Isaac opted for the cookies and cream variety!
We also stopped at a little cafe and drank some traditional Colombian coffee. The coffee was pretty sweet to me, but I always enjoy trying a traditional drink or food. If you don’t like coffee, soda or beer was also offered.
Lastly our guide took us to one spot where tourists can tag a wall. You can write anything you want. We weren’t very creative and went with our names. It took the kids a bit to figure out how to use the spray cans but we can officially say our kids are now graffiti artists!
It was a really fun way to end the tour.
Like I mentioned earlier, the tour ended right in Comuna 13, so you can spend the evening enjoying the entertainment in the streets, grabbing a bite to eat or returning to an area you wanted to revisit.
The positive vibe is palpable throughout the whole neighborhood. I would recommend leaving your evening open for some fun!
Summing Up The Comuna 13 Medellin Tour
Honestly, I really believe this the best way to experience Comuna 13 for the first time. The knowledgeable and friendly guide was incredible. He taught us so much, kept us entertained and answered all of our questions.
He was also very respectful of our kids being there and made sure we were okay with any of the difficult content that was shared. The local knowledge he brought was invaluable.
The fun experiences and treats along the way made it enjoyable for the kids too. If you are visiting Medellin, don’t miss out on the best Comuna 13 tour. Here’s another link to book it here: Comuna 13 Medellin tour.
This is not a sponsored post, we just loved the tour so much we wanted to share our experience with you!
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