What to pack for Bogota with tips from someone who lives there

Clearly my color palette is of blacks and greys, feel free to wear more color than I do. BONUS: Most of these things can be either purchased from Amazon or Target.

We were heading for Colombia in December, and my huge question was: what to pack for Bogota? Fortunately, we have friends who’ve been living and working in Colombia for a couple years (shout out to Narcos!). So we reached out to them to get some tips on what to pack for Bogota in December. Although most of these tips will work for any time of year!

Here are the super-helpful tips from our friend and fabulous Colombian chica Shelly

What to wear while in Bogota:

Okay, so safety is important. We have heard and been close to people that have had their phones, money, and/or jewelry taken right off of them. BUT don’t be scared you can avoid this by making a few small changes…

No jewelry. I know it sucks, but just think of it as a beacon of light screaming, “guess what else I have!” If you must have some kind of jewelry make it the cheap-y kind — I wear a $20 necklace to go out.

As far as a purse goes I would suggest a crossover (cross body) purse. Be sure that the purse has zipper to close all openings. I am not very good with purses (I tend to leave them lying around) so I got myself a fancy version of a fanny pack. Its a pouch that I loop through my own belt. I love it, but the fanny pack look takes some getting use to.

Make sure your jacket has at least one zippered pocket. Make sure your phone and wallet fit into this zippered pocket. We just got my boyfriend a great one with four zip pockets at Zara.

Lastly think layers as far as dressing goes. Maybe a tank or short sleeve shirt on the bottom with a scarf sweater and jacket. Jeans are perfect for everything here.

No open toe shoes. As a Miami girl, I brought a bunch of them and never use them. Boots boots boots.



Based on that info, here’s what I packed, wore, and used in Bogota:

4 thoughts on “What to pack for Bogota with tips from someone who lives there”

  1. I love those boots! but they don’t seem waterproof at all. I heard the rain in bogota is intense and your feet get soaked.

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