Comuna 4 Walking Tour Medellin
Description
Avoid Tourist Crowds In Medellin: Comuna 4 Dare to go beyond the tourist-packed streets and delve into the heart of Comuna 4, a Barrio that for decades the government did not recognize, where now authenticity thrives and local stories come to life. Our immersive tour is not just a stroll; it's an intimate exploration led by a passionate guide and a local community leader who grew up in the barrio and who calls this vibrant community home. What Sets Us Apart: • Respect: This is not "poverty tourism", quite the opposite, it's an opportunity for locals to show you how proud they are of their barrio. • Experience: We have been running this experience since 2016, amplifying the voice of the locals and the Transformation of Medellin. • Knowledge: We are professional tour guides who have lived abroad, and are not satisfied with over-simplified explanations. We explain the Colombian education system, the health care system, the welfare system, and more.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our guide and the community ambassador with meet you there and will give you the historical context of the Barrio Moravia, explain its origins in the 60's as an illegal neighborhood and explain one version of the "transformation of Medellin"
Visit La Resistencia de Moravia. Get to know the "other side of the transformation of Medellin" which is the version no one talks about and understand why hundreds of families have resisted for more than a decade the reallocation plan set by the government.
Once deep within the neighborhood, we find a quiet place to sit and talk about the Colombian Health Care and Welfare System. Get to understand why there are so many street vendors and how come if there is a welfare system in place, almost half of Colombians do not have access to it.
Get to see the graffiti dedicated to the most important football (soccer) teams of the city and understand the cultural implications behind this sport in Colombian society.
We sit again and enjoy the shade of the trees in front of Fundación Oasis Urbano where we explore the Education and Strata system in Colombia.
We enjoy the tiniest yet most delicious street empanadas in the whole city!
We get to see the football field of the neighborhood, we talk to the local ambassador and we get to know her story of resilience, resistance and hope.
Together with the community ambassador you will visit the Centro Cultural and learn the powerful story of how this community built such an infrastructure
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(268)
I’m still carrying ALL of the emotions of the day from the greatly informative and extremely personal stories shared by our guide, Toto, and one of the Community Leaders, Gloria. I expected to learn about the history and the transformation of Comuna 4, but hearing lived experiences directly from those who live in the community takes it to a special place. Nothing but honor, respect and love for these inspiring individuals and the community they represent. This is an intimate and meaningful journey—not your typical tour of a neighborhood and its people. Highly recommend.
Really interesting tour which helped me understand Colombia and Medellin. Very passionate guides - thank you Toto and Gloria
This tour was really special. Whole experience from the beginning to the end was great. Would highly recommend to see a different side of Medellin. Thanks for everything!
Fantastic tour. Explored through comuna 4 and the struggles of this community just to survived
Thank you for your thoughtful review. We're glad you found the tour insightful and appreciated the resilience of the Comuna 4 community. Your support means a lot to us.
Toto and Gladys made the walk around their comuna 4 unforgettable. So I strongly recommend everyone visiting Medellin to go on this tour. Especially when you would to see how cumuna 13 was before tourism. Toto and Gladys told us about the history of their comuna - a former garbage dump. It’s a story not only of poverty and violence but also of resilience and hope. Toto is a very entertaining storyteller, and a lovely and energetic guide. It was super special to meet Gladys. She and her family were the firsts to live there. She followed in the footsteps of her parents and is a community leader. Her kind heart, optimism and her fierceness are truly inspiring. This tour really made an impact on me. Thank you Gladys and Toto ❤️
Thank you for your thoughtful and heartfelt review. We’re delighted Toto and Gladys were able to share such a meaningful story with you and make your experience in comuna 4 unforgettable. Your kind words mean a lot to us and the entire community. We hope to welcome you again on another tour soon.
We really loved our tour of Comuna 4. Toto and Gladys were amazing, engaging and it was fantastic to hear Gladys’ stories first hand! The tour was authentic and unique! We would definitely recommend this tour!
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're delighted to hear that Toto and Gladys made your tour of Comuna 4 such a memorable and authentic experience. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you on another tour soon.
Very special experience, which takes you directly into the neighbourhood and shows you all day life in there!
Thank you for sharing your experience! We're delighted to hear that the tour gave you an authentic glimpse into the neighborhood's daily life. We appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you on another adventure soon.
Truly amazing experience that takes you into the history and tragedy of this unique neighborhood! Money goes to the community fund and helps the people in need. It’s a can’t miss and would recommend it to everyone. Toto and Gloria are amazing!
Thank you for your kind words and thoughtful review. We're glad you enjoyed the experience and appreciated the impact it has on the community. Toto and Gloria will be happy to hear your compliments. We look forward to welcoming you again soon!
Really insightfull tour learning about Communa 4
Thank you for your kind words! We're glad you found the tour insightful and enjoyed learning about Communa 4. We appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you on another tour soon.
This was one of the most humbling, eye opening tours I’ve ever been on. Seeing the extent of how far members of Comuna 4 had to go to build their community from scratch really makes one develop a further appreciation of all the things that go into a community, as well as the incredible people that go behind them. Toto was a fantastic tour guide, offering incredibly detailed translations for the community members stories and bringing so much life and humor in his interactions with the tour attendees and local community members we interacted with.
Thank you for sharing your thoughtful experience. We're delighted to hear that the tour offered such meaningful insights and that Toto’s guidance made it even more engaging. We appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you on another journey soon.
