Pablo Escobar tour: private and shared plans

Private tours include pickup at your lodging (or the location you specify), within the city limits.

For the Pablo Escobar Low-Cost Shared Tour, the meeting point is El Poblado Park.

For the Pablo Escobar Tour combined with a visit to the Cathedral, the meeting point is Lleras Park.

Shared tours have set departure times. In the morning, they start at 9:00 a.m., and in the afternoon, between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.

If you take a private tour, you can choose the start time. It’s best to finish the tour before 6:00 p.m. Keep in mind the duration of the tour you choose when deciding on the start time. Now, considering the city’s peak traffic hours, a great time to start a Pablo Escobar tour is between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

About an hour.

We offer several Pablo Escobar tour options, each with a different itinerary. As a result, each tour covers different distances and spends varying amounts of time at each location visited. This means that the duration varies depending on the itinerary. However, we can say that the average duration is 4 hours.

Modifying the itinerary means replacing some of the places to visit—in other words, making minor changes to the tour plan. On private tours, this is entirely possible; however, it’s essential that you specify how you’d like to customize your itinerary at the time of booking or well in advance of your tour’s start date. This will allow us to check whether the changes you’d like to make to the itinerary would incur any additional costs.

On the other hand, on shared tours, it is not possible to change the set itinerary.

When you book a private tour, you can add visits to other places, such as a museum about Pablo Escobar, La Catedral prison, or an additional tour focusing on Escobar’s early days in crime. If you’d like to add an extra stop to your private tour, it’s best to mention this when you make your reservation—or at least before the tour begins. Keep in mind that adding stops will increase the duration and cost of the tour.

On the other hand, on shared tours, it is not possible to add visits to places other than those included in the set itinerary.

Since a private tour is customizable and flexible, you can request that the itinerary be followed in a different order than usual. However, keep in mind that the agency usually organizes the sequence in which the tour’s points of interest are visited so that time can be used most efficiently, taking into account the distances between stops and traffic conditions. Even so, if following a specific order is more important to you than maximizing the tour’s efficiency, we can arrange the visits in the order you prefer.

On the other hand, on shared tours, it is not possible to change the established order of the itinerary.

During our visit to the former La Catedral prison, we’ll reach the observation deck and the area open to the public. On occasion, we may be able to enter the site where there is now a chapel (provided it is open to the public at that time). These areas were part of the former prison. From there, we’ll show you areas that are now in ruins, such as cells, a nightclub, halls, a watchtower, an escape route, tunnels, a soccer field, and more. We’ll also show you the places where, according to former site administrators, mass graves and a cocaine lab were found. Access to certain areas may be restricted without prior notice by local authorities or site administrators.

No. Since September 2025, local authorities have prohibited access to those areas. No one is allowed to enter there. There have been a few exceptions, under certain circumstances, where access has been possible, but these are extremely rare cases. Our guides and clients, like any other visitors, visit the areas open to the public, which consist mainly of a chapel and its surrounding area where, according to accounts from former administrators of the site, mass graves were found. We view the rest of the prison from its observation deck.

“Extend the Tour to Explore Escobar’s Early Days in Crime” consists of an additional route lasting approximately an hour and a half, during which we visit the cemetery where Escobar is said to have stolen headstones and the first prison where he was incarcerated before becoming a drug trafficker (now converted into a public library). We also drive through (without stopping) a part of the city where he committed several robberies and recruited some key members and collaborators in the early days of the cartel.

For private tours: You can add the extra service “Round-trip transportation to and from the museum during the tour.” This service incurs an additional charge on top of the tour price. This price varies depending on the number of passengers in your group. Check the price applicable to your group on each service’s page or by calling customer service.

For shared tours: The Low-Cost Shared Pablo Escobar Tour includes a stop at the Pablo Escobar Museum located in El Poblado. On this shared tour, if you decide to visit the museum, the tour will end there, and you can then use public transportation on your own—such as Uber or similar services—to continue with your personal activities.

Whether you take a private or shared tour, the museum admission ticket is not included in the fee you pay to our agency. You will pay for museum admission tickets directly at the ticket office on site. Admission to these museums ranges from COP 120,000 to COP 148,000 per person.

Keep in mind that when you arrive at the Escobar Museum, it will take a few minutes to pay the admission fee and wait to be assigned a guide. After that, the guided tour inside the museum will last an hour or a little longer. Therefore, adding a visit to a museum about Pablo Escobar will extend the tour by 90 minutes to two hours.

There are currently four different museums dedicated to Pablo Escobar operating in the city. Here are the differences between them:

Pablo Escobar Museum by Nicolás Escobar

Address: Transversal Inferior, Cl. 10b #28-90, El Poblado

Click here to view the location

Description: It houses a collection of items such as cars, motorcycles, armored vehicles, small planes, jet skis, furniture, photographs, and other objects that, according to museum staff, belonged to Pablo Escobar or his brother, Roberto.

• Museum admission fee: COP 148,000. Applies to adults and children 12 years of age and older. Children under 12 years of age are admitted free of charge when accompanied by a responsible adult (maximum one child per adult).
• Hours: 9:00 a.m.
• Last time visitors are admitted: 6:29 p.m.

Pablo’s La Cuñada Museum

Address: Av. Las Palmas #km 7, Medellín

Click here to view the location

Description: It features a collection of items such as furniture, decorative pieces like paintings and lamps, and other household items, as well as a photo gallery and a couple of vehicles that, according to museum staff, belonged to Pablo Escobar or his brother Roberto.

• Museum admission fee: COP 130,000 or USD 40 for cash payments; COP 140,000 for card payments. Applies to adults and children 12 years of age and older. Children under 12 years of age are admitted free of charge.
• Hours: 9:00 a.m.
• Last time visitors are admitted: 5:30 p.m.

Roberto Escobar Gaviria House

Address: Cl. 35 #80a-25, Laureles

Click here to view the location

Description: Personally managed by Roberto Escobar (Pablo’s brother). Most of the time, Roberto greets visitors and is available to pose for photos. He can also autograph souvenirs purchased directly at the museum. There are a few small items—mainly telecommunications equipment—that, according to the museum staff, belonged to Pablo Escobar or his brother Roberto.

• Museum admission fee: COP 140,000 or USD 40. Applies to adults and children 12 years of age and older. Children under 12 enter for free.
• Hours: 9:00 a.m.
• Last time visitors are admitted: 5:10 p.m.

Beyond Escobar

Address: Cl. 39 #107-72, Veinte de Julio (Comuna 13)

Click here to view the location

Description: It houses a collection of items—including vehicles, suitcases, safes, and more—from the Cartel era, similar in style to those used by Escobar, as well as small details such as clothing that, according to museum staff, belonged to Pablo Escobar.

• Museum admission fee: COP 120,000. Applies to adults and children 12 years of age and older. Children under 12 years of age are admitted free of charge.
• Hours: 9:00 a.m.
• Last time visitors are admitted: 6:20 p.m.

No, lunch is not included in any case, neither in the private nor in the shared service.

For private tours, you can make a brief stop of a few minutes to have a snack, if you’d like.

However, you may be taking a private tour and definitely want to set aside some time for lunch—for example, because you’ve added extra services, such as a museum visit or a tour of Escobar’s early history—which will make the tour longer. In these cases, please let us know that you’d like to stop for lunch when you make your reservation, or at least as far in advance as possible. Sometimes, this may result in an increase in the tour’s cost due to the time our staff will be occupied.

On shared tours, there isn’t time to stop for lunch. In this case, it’s best to take advantage of a stop at one of the tourist sites to grab a light meal.

Yes. In any case, whether it is a private or shared tour, the activity can be carried out in moderate rainy weather conditions.

It’s up to you whether you want to walk in the rain at the stops along the way. However, keep in mind that if you take a private tour, the tour operator has the flexibility to wait for the rain to pass so you can enjoy the sites, whereas on shared tours, each stop has a time limit, and if it’s raining, the visit will end when the time is up, regardless of whether you were able to explore the site or not.

On the other hand, on some occasions in our city torrential rains may block vehicular traffic, because some roads are flooded. If this happens, it may be necessary to suspend the tour, whether it is private or shared.

Yes. Booking through reputable agencies like Medellín de Cerca and our trusted partners is the safest way to take this tour. We know the city well, are aware of potential safety concerns to keep in mind, and take all necessary measures to ensure your experience is completely safe. In addition, we are professionals with years of experience in this field and adhere to a non-violent approach.

This depends on the child’s age. For private tours, we consider whether the child will enjoy the activity and whether their participation would require a larger vehicle. Please contact customer service to discuss your specific situation and determine whether you will need to pay the fee for the child’s participation.

On shared tours, all children 3 years of age and older must pay the adult rate. If they are under three years of age, they must pay a reduced rate, corresponding to travel insurance and taxes.

Yes. In any case, whether the tour is private or shared, you can request airport pickup, and the transfer service from the airport to the city has an additional fee that varies depending on the number of passengers in your group and the volume of your luggage.

Keep in mind that shared tours have a fixed start time, so if you encounter any setbacks (such as a flight delay, delays at immigration, baggage claims, or other issues upon arrival), you will miss the tour and will not be eligible for a refund. On the other hand, if you book a private tour with the additional airport pickup service, the tour will begin as soon as you’re ready, regardless of any delays in your arrival. The terms and conditions for airport transfers apply.

On private tours, our guide will be happy to assist passengers who need help getting around the sites we visit; however, we cannot guarantee that the guide’s assistance will be sufficient to allow the tourist to complete the entire tour and get close enough to all the points of interest.

If you book a private Pablo Escobar tour, you can let your travel advisor know in advance about any assistive devices used by a passenger in your group, and they can let you know if a larger vehicle is needed or if there are any specific considerations regarding the itinerary. In some cases, these changes may result in a higher rate. Letting us know about these details in advance allows us to provide you with the best possible service.

If you take a shared tour, the vehicle is standard and adequate for providing good service overall, but it is not accessible to passengers with limited mobility.

If you book a private tour, we can equip the vehicle with a special car seat for your baby. Please let us know in advance if you need this service. In some cases, this request may require us to provide a larger vehicle, which could result in a higher rate.

If you take a shared tour, transportation is provided on a tour bus that does not have a baby seat. In this case, the baby must sit on the lap of a responsible adult.

If you book a private tour, please let us know in advance if you need a vehicle with enough space in the trunk to store a stroller. In some cases, this request may require us to assign a larger vehicle, which could result in a higher rate.

If you take a shared tour, it will be on a tour bus. Please check with customer service in advance to see if the bus assigned for the date of your tour has enough trunk space to accommodate a stroller.