Arriving

Wheels down. The next 24 hours set the tone for the whole trip — and they're much calmer when you know exactly what happens between the jet bridge and your first good night of sleep. Here's the landing sequence, minute by minute.

At Medellín (MDE, José María Córdova — actually in Rionegro, about 45–60 minutes from the city) or Bogotá (BOG, El Dorado), the sequence is: immigration → baggage → customs → ground transport.

• Immigration: have your passport and Check-Mig confirmation ready. As a US/Canadian visitor you'll typically receive an entry stamp — up to 90 days. If asked your purpose, “medical treatment and tourism” is a normal, legitimate answer; medical visitors are routine here.
• Customs: personal-use medications in original containers with documentation are standard. Large quantities of anything without paperwork are what draw questions.
• Cash/ATM: airport ATMs work fine for an initial COP withdrawal; use machines inside the terminal.

• Official airport taxis operate from marked stands with posted or metered fares — the simple, safe default.
• inDrive and Uber work in both cities. Confirm the plate before entering, and note app pickups at MDE and BOG sometimes stage at designated areas — follow the app's instructions.
• Pre-arranged transfer: many clinics and recovery houses include or arrange airport pickup — the zero-thought option, worth asking for in Stage 3. Confirm the driver's name in advance and match it on arrival.
• Skip anyone approaching you inside the terminal offering rides. Not dangerous so much as guaranteed overpayment — and on arrival day you want zero improvisation.

Colombia's cities sit at meaningfully different elevations, and your body notices:

If your procedure is in Bogotá, arriving a day or two earlier than the minimum helps you acclimate before pre-op. Mention any heart or lung history to your provider — altitude is one more reason full disclosure matters.

1. Check in, unpack the medical folder first. Instructions and confirmations on the desk, not buried in luggage.
2. Message your coordinator that you've arrived; reconfirm tomorrow's time and address in writing.
3. Hydrate and eat something normal. Fancy food adventures can wait until after pre-op labs.
4. Walk your route to the clinic if it's close — or do a dry-run ride estimate in the app so appointment morning has no unknowns.
5. Locate the nearest pharmacy and grocery (in El Poblado or northern Bogotá, both are minutes away).
6. Sleep. Jet lag plus altitude plus pre-procedure nerves resolve best with the least glamorous remedy available.

The neighborhoods where international patients stay — El Poblado and Laureles in Medellín, the northern zones of Bogotá — are busy, walkable districts where foreigners are unremarkable. The local wisdom is no dar papaya: don't hand opportunity to opportunists. In practice:

• Phone out of sight on sidewalks; step into a shop or lobby to check maps.
• Use app rides or official taxis at night rather than walking unfamiliar streets.
• Flash nothing — minimal jewelry, modest cash, cards split between wallet and lodging.
• Be politely skeptical of unusually friendly strangers in nightlife settings, and never leave drinks unattended. (You're here for surgery; your liver appreciates the excuse.)
• Save these numbers now: 123 is Colombia's general emergency line; add your clinic's after-hours contact and your country's embassy.

None of this is unique to Colombia — it's the same street sense that serves you in any major city. Millions of visits happen uneventfully; yours is overwhelmingly likely to be one of them.

Colombian pharmacy chains (Farmatodo, Cruz Verde, La Rebaja and others) are modern, well-stocked, and often deliver via app — genuinely useful during recovery. Note that some medications sold over the counter here require prescriptions in the US; that novelty is not an invitation to self-prescribe around your surgical team. Anything you take needs their sign-off — interactions with anesthesia and post-op meds are exactly the kind of surprise you've done all this planning to avoid.

Delivery apps (Rappi dominates) handle food, groceries, and pharmacy runs — set one up on arrival day while you're still mobile and unbothered; future-you, three days post-op, will send thanks.