This is not another Escobar selfie tour.
Yes, we talk about him, but this tour goes far beyond. Beyond Escobar shifts the spotlight from the man to the system: from myth to context, from glorification to understanding.
This walking tour explores the global drug economy—starting with the sacred coca leaf and tracing its path through international markets, economic forces, and human consequences.
You’ll uncover the untold story behind the cocaine trade: its indigenous roots, its geopolitical ripple effects, and the victims too often forgotten.
Thought-provoking and deeply researched, Beyond Escobar is a tour about history, economics, and the real cost of the war on drugs—without promoting crime, consumption, or clichés.
Highlights
- Learn the difference between coca leaf and cocaine: traditional uses vs. illegal industry.
- Understand the evolution of cocaine, the rise and fall of Escobar and how the drug trade finances the Colombian conflict.
- Understand the global war on drugs and its real outcomes.
- Understand the economic forces driving this industry.
- End at the only memorial in the city dedicated to the narco-violence – site of the former house of Escobar.
Beyond Escobar offers a comprehensive and critical perspective on the cocaine industry and its ripple effects across Colombia and the world.
This walking tour takes you through four important stops in El Poblado – Medellín.
We begin in Parque Lineal La Frontera, where we explore the cultural, spiritual, and medicinal uses of the coca leaf among Indigenous communities. We contrast this with its transformation into cocaine, explaining the production process and the devastating environmental consequences of dumping chemical waste into the jungle.
As we move to the next stop, we discuss the global history of coca and cocaine—how it was used by historical figures and how perceptions changed over time. In front of Montecasino, the former residence of the Castaño brothers (infamous for creating the paramilitaries and the vigilante group “Los Pepes”), we dive into the rise and fall of Escobar and the Medellin cartel. Here, we examine the violent era of narco-terrorism, the declaration of the War on Drugs by the U.S. government, and the effects of all that in the Colombian society.
Our third stop takes us to the Medellín Chamber of Commerce, where we examine the economics of the drug trade, including demand, supply chains, elasticity, money laundering, and the shadow economies that influence real-world systems at local, national, and global levels.
Finally, we visit the Parque de la Inflexión, built on the site of the former Monaco building, once owned by Escobar and bombed by the Cali Cartel. The tour ends with a visit to the memorial honoring the victims of narco-violence, bringing together all previous discussions and encouraging new conversations around solutions and global responsibility.
This tour does not promote drug use, drug trafficking, or glorify criminal figures in any way. All information shared is based on credible sources and academic research.
