Is Tarapoto safe?

A traveler review post on www.tripadvisor.com recently claimed that Tarapoto, Peru, was “dangerous without an armed escort”. The traveler had definitely had a bad experience: “we were held up by armed bandits and were shocked how routine it all is”.

However, I was pretty taken aback by this review. I’ve been here 5 months now. I am still surprised at how relaxed the place is. I haven’t had any problems so far, touch wood. I haven’t felt threatened once here, and I don’t think it’s just luck.

Updates on Tarapoto Safety

If I do run into any problems, bad neighborhoods, dangerous routes etc I’ll be sure to inform you. So far I can’t think of one safety issue that has to be mentioned. Even the normal “South American safety procedures” seem like overkill here. I have pretty much let my guard drop, and that’s something I haven’t often done in all my time in South America, from coast to coast, from sea to shining sea.

That’s not to say that any new arrivals should do the same. Just don’t stay away because your budget won’t stretch to hiring armed guards…..