TJulio and his team were amazing. Julio set up transport in Medellín, a city Tour, a flower tour in Santa Clara, a hiking trip in Parque Arvi, a visit to Communa 13. In Cartagena he set up our transport, a city tour. If you plan to go to Colombia I give Julio and his team my highest recommendation.
"Do Not Say That Name" - Pablo Escobar Tour
Private half-day tour - our most popular!
Perfect for history lovers
Only tour of its kind in the area
Travel back in time to Medellín in the 1980s
The 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s were a harsh few decades for the nation of Colombia. As is common knowledge, drug kingpin Pablo Escobar and his crew wreaked havoc on the country during this time, largely shaping this period in Colombian history. With this “Do Not Say That Name” – Pablo Escobar Tour”, we want to show the real story of Medellin, not a fiction but true version. This is not a Pablo Escobar tour. It goes beyond Escobar’s reign and provides you with a larger overview of the nation’s development.
Once you finish the tour, the feeling about transformation and how Medellin keeps alive is one of our goals. It is the best way to understand the truth of Colombia and why a murder like Escobar is still a problem for our people. More than 40,000 people died because of him, but nobody talks about them. During the tour, we explain the reasons and consequences of his acts, how with terrorism and bombs he kidnapped many Colombians and forced the government to make an agreement where the only one who wins was him. Even Pablo Escobar´s family were victims of his acts. His son Juan Pablo Escobar is a peace leader and try to fix the pain that his father caused. Most of the people who make the tour ask about Pablo Escobar Money and what happened to it. For sure we answer this during the visit to Medellin.
By the end of the tour, you´ll have more information and knowledge about Medellin and the resilience of the people.
What you'll see
The San Antonio plaza is a kind of open-air gallery where sculptures by the Antioquian artist Fernando Botero are exhibited.
Jardines Montesacro Cemetery in Itagüí, where Escobar is buried
Inflexion Memorial Park pays tribute to the victims of drug trafficking in Colombia.
The Mystical Rose in this place of pilgrimage, where people go to visit her, to pray to her and to thank her Virgin for "the favors received".
The cathedral was built by orders of Pablo Escobar himself in the municipality of Envigado where he was imprisoned.
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Tour details
Tour details
Price:
All prices are per person and in USD
1 person $129
2 people $67
3 people $52
4 people $40
5 people $39
6 people $33
7 people $29
8 people $26
9 people $23
10 people $21
Departure times:
9AM, 2PM
Meeting point:
Hotel pick-up & drop-off anywhere in Medellín
Availability:
Year-round, every day (unless otherwise indicated)
Duration:
4 hours
Group size:
4-hour tour: 1 – 20
8-hour tour: 1 – 15
Note: if your group is larger than 15, please let us know upon booking so that we may arrange to have another guide.
Included:
• Private transportation and driver
• Bilingual guide
• Water
• Medical insurance
Not included:
Personal expenses & tips
What to bring:
Comfortable walking shoes, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses
Note: we recommend bringing a raincoat or poncho if rain is in the forecast.
Overview of your tour
This tour goes above and beyond a standard Pablo Escobar-centric tour and is unique to Colombia Travel Operator. Our primary focus with this tour is to understand how Medellín became the most dangerous city in the world and how, decades later, it is one of the most innovative cities around the globe. We will take you back in time to late century Medellín when it all began and work our way to the present day.
Mónaco Building, famously known as Escobar’s long-time home, is our first stop on the tour. The structure will stand tall until early 2019 when it will be razed to the ground to make way for a memorial park honoring those that lost their lives to the drug war in Colombia. We’ll proceed to see a cave with a statue of the Virgin Mary, a symbol that Escobar and his men prayed to for guidance and protection before many of their missions. Exploring Comuna 13 is one of the most pertinent aspects of this tour. This neighborhood was once frightening — residents were at great risk even stepping outside their front door. Things have come a long way since then; this part of town was saved by community effort and a dose of creativity and is now safe and a joy to visit.
This tour is about much more than Escoba – it is about Colombia!
Good to know
Lovers of history and those looking for a more complete experience of the 70s-80s in Colombia are an ideal fit for this tour
This tour is private and safe so that you feel comfortable roaming around the city
Our guides are local and have been precisely trained to know their way well around the city
The knowledge and stories that our guides are armed with far surpass any expectation you may have
Medical insurance is included in the price of all of our tours, so we have you covered in the unlikely event of an accident.
Frequently asked questions
All of our tours are private. That is, if you book a certain day and time slot, you (and your group) will be the only one(s) on the tour, provided that you are all included in the same booking.
We are proud to say that we have an incredible team with a wide array of languages. In total, we can offer tours in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, and Italian. We also have a Russian interpreter that can come along and translate for us. Please indicate your language preference upon booking (languages other than English and Spanish come at an additional cost).
Yes! Comuna 13 has come a long way from its tumultuous past, and is now a must-see when coming to Medellín.
Have more questions? Visit our FAQ page!
See what previous tour-goers have said
My family of 4 (including my parents and sister) did a Pablo Escobar tour with Ana Velez, followed by a city tour of Medellin. Ana is one of the best tour guides I have ever worked with…
I traveled to Medellin with my parents. I arranged all tours and services such as airport transfers with Colombia Travel Operator previous to my arrival and everything was amazing!…
We took a private tour with Juan Carlos. Everything was perfect! He has an excellent knowledge about Medellin and speak perfect English and Spanish. We took the metro, metro cable, we went to Botero Plaza and comuna 13. Thank you Juan Carlos and Colombia travel! Now I’m in love with Medellín.
Julio was incredibly knowledgable about Escobar and the history of violence in the city. The message of change and transformation given with the tour was really heartfelt and inspiring. Communal 13 is a must see for anyone travelling to Medellin.
