Comuna 13: A guide to visiting Medellin’s miracle transformation

“Comuna 13, Medellin, is the most dangerous neighbourhood in the most dangerous city of Colombia!”

This is what you may have heard if you visited Medellín 13-years ago. However, things have changed in the last decade. Comuna 13 has done a complete one-eighty and is now one of the safest and most popular areas in the city to visit!

We had the pleasure of visiting Comuna 13 and, in all honesty, it was our favourite thing we did in Medellin. Of all the places to visit this city, we would highly recommend you take some time to explore the area of San Javier.

The best way to experience Comuna 13 is to understand its history. So in this article, Sara and I will talk you through the dark past of Comuna 13 all the way to the present day. Then we’ll help you plan your own trip here and give you our top tips to make your time as enjoyable as possible!

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What is Comuna 13?

Medellin is split up into 16 comunes, and Comuna 13 is the area of San Javier. Despite what most people believe, Comuna 13 isn’t just one neighbourhood. It’s a conglomerate of 23 neighbourhoods that makes up an area of 7km² and has a population of around 150,000 people.

The main characteristic of Comuna 13 is the area of tightly packed favelas that run up the side of the mountain. This makes the comuna very unique in terms of structure. There are a lot of stairs, small alleys and tight roads running through the favelas. 

However, it’s over-populated with thousands of houses all crammed together. It’s also a low socio-economic zone in the city – which makes its transformation all the more amazing!

Why is Comuna 13 famous?

What Comuna 13 is famous for changes depends on who you ask. Some people will say that it’s known for crime, gangs, shootouts and murders. This is more in reference to the area’s complicated past.

Other people will tell you it’s famous for the incredibly unique outdoor escalators, or street art or street performers. This is what the comuna is like now as opposed to ten years ago.

But in our opinion, what makes Comuna 13 the most famous is how it was able to pivot its reputation and image so rapidly. The transformation here is nothing short of a miracle as the community came together to shake off its history. 

However, we do believe that it was the journey from its violent backstory to its modern redemption that makes Comuna 13 as popular as it is today. It’s definitely one of the miracles of Latin America!

The History of Comuna 13

Comuna 13 has a turbulent history that spans decades. We believe that to fully appreciate the change the area has undergone, you first must learn and understand its past. 

1948 – 1958: La Violencia & Formation

La Violencia is a period of time between ‘48 and ‘58 marked by conflict between the conservative party and the liberal party in Colombia. The worst of the fighting was sparked by the assassination of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, the liberal leader, in 1948. It wasn’t officially registered as a civil war, but that’s essentially what it was.

Most of the violence broke out in rural areas in Colombia. This forced a lot of displaced civilians to migrate towards the cities. Essentially, this was the beginning of the formation of Comuna 13. 

However, the formation of this community was done illegally and the area wasn’t recognised by the government. Actually, the government would send people in to tear down the homes in Comuna 13. But the community worked together to rebuild every time and eventually the government gave up on attempting to remove the neighbourhood.

And thus, Comuna 13 was officially born! Although still not recognised by the government and as a result were not provided any public services. At the time the families had no access to running water or electricity.

1970’s – 1990’s: Narco’s & Militia

Because of the location of Comuna 13 on the edge of the city and the structure of the favelas, it made it the perfect transit point for Colombian cartels to exploit. Remember, Comuna 13 was essentially being ignored by the government at this time. There were no police patrolling the area and this didn’t go unnoticed by the Medellin cartel.

The cartel started to use Comuna 13 as its base of operations in Medellin. Also, thanks to the small alleyways and tightly packed houses, the comuna provided a lot of hiding places and escape routes. If you knew Comuna 13 well, you could move from one side of the neighbourhood to the other without seeing daylight. 

It wasn’t just the Narco’s, militia rebel groups like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) were also using Comuna 13 to their advantage. As you can imagine, this led to a lot of conflict in the area. It was this period of time that first gave rise to Comuna 13’s ‘most dangerous area of Medellin’ reputation. During the 80’s and 90’s there were 20 deaths a day in the neighbourhood and these are the only ones that were reported.

1993 – 2002: Guerilla Groups

After the death of Pablo Escobar in 1993, you would think that the crime rate would have dropped, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, guerilla groups from the countryside became more prominent. 

They started to act as unofficially law enforcement, sectioning Comuna 13 using invisible boundaries. Our guide told us that these boundaries always moved. The only way you could tell where a boundary was is if you crossed it accidentally and got shot.

The FARC and ELN groups would offer ‘protection’ in exchange for money. But in reality they would be the ones to cause the issues if the person didn’t pay. 

The desperation of the poor locals meant that kids growing up in these conditions though the only path in life they had were to join gangs. It was the ‘cool’ thing to do and the quickest and easiest way to earn money. That was until President Alvaro Uribe Velez decided things needed to change.

2002 – 2010: Paramilitary

In 2002, President Velez had had enough of the violence in Comuna 13. He organised no less than 14 military operations in the comuna. The biggest operation of them all was Operation Orion. 

During Orion, the Colombian military worked along paramilitaries to infiltrate Comuna 13 in an attempt to drive out FARC, ELN and CAP. From the outside, the operation was a success, but in reality a lot of innocent bystanders were caught in the crossfire. Hundreds of civilians were killed, injured or simply disappeared. 

After Operation Orion, policing of Comuna 13 was handed over to the paramilitary group that aided the Colombian soldiers. They were supposed to keep the peace in the area, but once again that was not the case.

What a lot of blogs don’t mention is that many innocent locals were ‘disappeared’ during this time. Our guide was telling us that because the paramilitary group had no one to fight anymore, they would kill indiscriminately. They would dress up victims as ‘guerilla’ members to avoid responsibility. 

On the mountain close to Comuna 13 is a bare patch of deforested area. This is known to the locals as ‘la escombrera’ – or the tomb. Countless bodies were buried in this dump during this time, the total number of disappeared being unknown, but thought to be between 200-300.

By the way, the invisible borders were still in place. Borders that people knew existed, but changed on a daily basis depending on the wills of the paramilitary or the gangs. Invisible borders are an interesting concept that we talked about extensively during our tour. They were marked by subtle things, an abandoned car, a street, a tree. To cross one meant certain death. 

2010 – Present: A Reputation Change

Fed up of constantly being ruled against their will, the locals decided to start fighting back. More gangs started to form to combat the paramilitary – gangs that still exist to this day. But it worked and in 2010, over 150 members from different gangs came together and signed a peace treaty. This treaty stated they would cease to commit acts of violence and hand over all weapons. 

Seven gangs participated in this treaty because they were sick and tired of seeing their families come to harm and be caught in the crossfire. Since this time, the reputation of Comuna 13 has been on the rise!

In 2012, the now famous 384-metre long escalators were built. This negated the need to climb over 360 stairs to reach the main area of Comuna 13 favelas. As a result, local tourism boomed! This led to the rise of arts and culture in the comuna. Instead of joining gangs, local youths now aspired to be artists instead.

Foreign tourism truly began sometime in 2018, which led to an even larger boom of culture. Street area in Comuna 13 was now prevalent, and kids wanted to learn English so that they could talk with tourists. 

At the present day, when we visited, Comuna 13 was flourishing. It’s a hip destination with lots of cool bars and restaurants. Street performers line the streets and independent shops are dotted all through the favelas. Comuna 13 is much safer now and in 2022, Medellin with a full 100-days without reporting a single death.

How to get to Comuna 13 from El Poblado

Comuna 13 is set on a steep hillside on the western fringes of Medellin. However modern public transport makes it incredibly easy to get to!

From El Poblado you can walk to the Poblado metro station. Take the blue line ‘A’ metro northbound towards Niquia and get off at San Antonio. Here you’ll change to the orange line ‘B’ towards San Javier and ride it to the end of the line. A ride on the metro is a flat 3,300 COP ($0.81) fee.

San Javier metro station is at the heart of Comuna 13, but you’ll still have a 20-minute walk to reach the main tourist area of Comuna 13. It’s completely safe to walk here, or alternatively you can take the public bus!

Alternatively, you can catch an Uber right at the base of the escalators.

How to visit Comuna 13

There are two ways you can visit Comuna 13. You can either head there by yourself or you can book on a tour. We fully recommend taking a tour. You’ll head there with a guide who will most likely be a resident of Comuna 13 and will be able to explain things you wouldn’t otherwise learn!

Best Comuna 13 tours

• Zippy Tours – this is the company that we used. Zippy Tours offers free walking tours around Comuna 13 in both Spanish and English. Your guide will be a local to Comuna 13 and our guide George was an absolute legend! The tour lasts about three hours and walks you through five different neighbourhoods of San Javier. At the end of the tour we were free to explore Comuna 13 independently.

• Comuna 13 Graffiti Tour & Cable Car – take a guided tour around San Javier while learning about the intricacies of the street art scene in the area. As an added bonus, you get to ride the cable car and grab a drink at a pub with a view!
• Comuna 13 & Pablo Escobar – tourism surrounding Pablo Escobar is slowly dying out, the country no longer wants to glorify the drug lord. However you can still find a few! This particular tour will take you to Escobar’s grave and the rooftop where he was shot. Learn about the narco history and the socio-economic impact the cartels had on Colombia. The tour finishes up in Comuna 13 where you learn the history of San Javier.
• Private Tour of Comuna 13 with pick-up – we had 20 people on our tour. Want to avoid this? Then a private tour is for you. It even comes with a convenient hotel pick-up!

• Comuna 13 Graffiti Tour & Street Food – get a history tour of Comuna 13 with a little bit extra! Explore the comuna while also getting to taste some delicious local Colombian street food.

Visiting independently

If you’re not the tour-taking kind of person, you can easily visit Comuna 13 independently. Our friends did this and absolutely loved it! Although there are a couple of reasons we would advise against it.

1. Taking a guided tour means having a local expert to talk you through the stories and point out things you would have otherwise missed. Having a local around to have a conversation with, learn from and to guide you is an invaluable experience when visiting Comuna 13.
2. Honestly, this place is a maze. There are stairs leading in all directions, small alleyways branching through the favelas. It would be so easy to get lost if you wandered too far off the main path. We almost lost our group when we spent too long taking photos!

If you do want to visit independently you can follow your guide to getting to Comuna 13 above and then just wander around the barrio after the tour. Bear in mind people will try to sell you things, but if you travel a lot you’ll be used to it!

Visitor attractions in Comuna 13

Comuna 13 is one big visitor attraction in itself, but what can you expect to see there?

The escalators (escaleras electricas)

As previously mentioned, the escalators built in 2012 were a game changer for tourism in Comuna 13. They negate the need to have to walk up over 360 stairs and span over 384-metres.

They’re such a surreal sight to see. There are around five different sections all covered by a glass roof to prevent water damage. As you travel up, you are enclosed by favelas on either side. You can take a look into the shops or watch the locals go about their day.

Street art

Comuna 13 is well-known for its street art. During its renaissance period, if you will, street art became a heavy element to the culture in San Javier. You can find art plastered over the walls all over the barrio!

Some things our guide taught us is that it’s called graffiti if it’s illegal. If it’s sanctioned and worked on by one or two artists, then it’s a mural. If three or more artists work on it, then it’s now called a masterpiece. 

Once an artist has created a mural, then they own that mural for one year. After a year, other artists can make a deal with the original artist to paint their own mural over the top. The original artist has every right to refuse if they wish to too!

Dancers, rapper and buskers

With less youths aspiring to become gang members, a lot of young kids looked towards other forms of expression. One way to make money in Comuna 13 is to busk. You can find singers, dancers, freestyle rappers and much more! 

With busking being a method to make money, this kept kids from engaging in illegal activities on the street. So don’t be shy to leave a tip to the buskers, every little helps to keep the neighbourhood safe!

Bars and restaurants

The tourism boom in Comuna 13 has led to the rise of amazing bars and restaurants in the favelas. From small three-seater bars to larger capacity restaurants, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from!

You can grab a beer, party to the ever-ongoing music or just indulge in a chilled dinner. There’s also a ton of stalls along the roads in the barrio. Enjoy some local street food or some traditional Colombian dishes!

We decided to stop at a small bar along the main road that runs across Comuna 13. From here we had a great view over Medellin as the sunset and all the lights came on during blue hour.

City view

As the main tourist area of Comuna 13 is high up on the mountain, this means you get some insane views across Medellin. Almost from every vantage point in the favelas you can see right across the city.

This makes Comuna 13 a great place to come and watch the sunset. As the sun’s golden light spreads across the city you’ll be treated to one of the best views you’ll ever see!

Art Galleries

Comuna 13 is full of super cool and unique art galleries. You can find some really incredible art styles and even buy a piece to take as a souvenir!

Some of the art galleries are very hidden, you’ll need to wind your way through the neighbourhood to find them. 

Things to know before visiting Comuna 13

Comuna 13 is a big place and we’re sure you have a lot of questions. Here are our top tips for visiting!

Is Comuna 13 safe?

Yes, the residents in Comuna 13 have put a lot of effort into creating a safe environment for visitors. The comuna now heavily relies on tourism money and this is not something they would be willing to compromise. 

In part, a lot of the safety comes from the gang activity in the area. Despite the peace treaty, gangs still control a lot of territory. However, they also help to prevent petty crimes like theft and pickpocketing which you’ll very rarely see in Comuna 13. But don’t worry, modern day gang activity won’t affect you in the slightest and the invisible borders aren’t dangerous anymore.

After our tour, we explored the favelas until the sun went down and not once did we feel unsafe. Obviously crime does still happen anywhere in the world so maintain common sense. But even public drug dealing is punished by the gangs so you won’t even see that.

When is the best time to visit Comuna 13?

To avoid rain you should avoid rainy seasons. The best times to visit are between December to March, and July to August.

In terms of time on the day, we took a 2pm walking tour that finished at 5pm. After our tour we spent a couple of hours exploring Comuna 13 while the sun went down. We fully recommend this, it was beautiful to swig on an Aguila Original while the sun set!

Is Comuna 13 a place for ‘dark tourism’?

No, it is not. The residents have spent a lot of time transforming the reputation of Comuna 13. The area is now a vibrant and happy place with an exciting atmosphere. The aesthetic here is very hip and modern and you won’t find any semblance of dark tourism.

Obviously there is history here and history is meant to be learnt. But if you’re heading here looking for signs of conflict and war, you won’t find it!

Should you go on a Pablo Escobar tour?

This is a difficult one. From our standpoint, and a lot of peoples’ standpoints, the history of Pablo Escobar is a very interesting one. The drug lord is such a prominent figure in the narco history and even 30 years on people still find him fascinating. 

However, the Colombian government and people have been trying to distance and detach themselves from this past. This means cutting off any tourism that surrounds Escobar. We even saw one of his villas in Guatape and you used to be allowed inside of it. But it’s now government property and you are no longer allowed in.

We think whether you should go on a Pablo Escobar tour or not is up to the person. Obviously the tours are run by locals, so paying for one is still helping the local economy. Personally we think that Colombia will struggle to completely remove the reputation of Escobar. Instead, we think they should lean into that history to help people learn, but without glorifying the atrocities of the crimes he committed. 

But what do you think? Let us know on Instagram!

How long do you need in Comuna 13?

It depends on how much time you have spare… You could either spend an hour at Comuna 13 or half a day. Personally, we recommend at least three hours. There’s a lot to explore and experience and it would be a shame to cut that short!

A tour will typically be three hours long anyway, and then we definitely think you should explore on your own afterwards!

Should you give money to beggars?

The short answer is no, especially kids. Our guide George warned us of this before we set off. He said that if people think they can make a living through begging, then they will stop working. Also, if kids think they can earn money this way, they will stop going to school.

George said he knows it might be hard but to avoid giving away money. Instead, use that money to buy from the art galleries or tip the buskers. This will help the community much more!

Accessibility

Unfortunately Comuna 13 is not overly accessible to people with movement inabilities. There is the escalator and cable car up now which definitely makes it way easier for those with movement issues. Despite this, there are still a lot of stairs to navigate and I can’t see it being very wheelchair friendly.

The only tip I can offer is to book a private tour to Comuna 13. The guides may know a route that could be more suitable for those in a wheelchair.

Tip for visiting Comuna 13

• BRING LOTS OF CASH – not very many places in Comuna 13 take card payments. Instead, make sure you have a good amount of cash for tipping buskers, food, drinks and souvenirs.
• DON’T FLAUNT VALUABLES – although Comuna 13 is incredibly safe, it would still go against common sense to be flashing money around. A local being caught pickpocketing would definitely be punished, but that’s only if he got caught.
• STICK AROUND AFTER YOUR TOUR – definitely do some exploring and self-discovery after your tour ends. We loved walking through the barrio and watching live unfold and so will you!
• AVOID VISITING IN THE RAIN – although the escalators are covered, a lot of Comuna 13 is still outside. Heading there during a storm would be miserable. At the very best, take a raincoat and umbrella!

Is Comuna 13 worth visiting?

A yes, a bigger yes and even more yes’s. This was by far our favourite place we visited in Medellin. Comuna 13 has such a cool vibe and energetic atmosphere that you really should not miss!

Not only that, but it’s so interesting to learn about the history. Especially if you take a tour! To be guided through the comuna while checking out the street art and being shown areas of historical importance is an experience in its own. 

We hope you get to go and gain a better understanding of what a miracle the transformation of Comuna 13 is. It’s definitely a wonder of South America!