Safety and advice for travelling in South America
One of the most common talked about topics when thinking about travelling to South America is safety. The media paints a very grim picture of the continent and it can put people off visiting. That being said, tourism in South America is definitely on the rise, the affordable prices paired with the huge variety and diversity of sights, activities, natural wonders and culture on offer makes it the perfect destination for backpackers and even holiday makers.
After travelling to 3 different countries in South America over a 4 month period I can share with you my insight into how to stay safe, things to avoid and look out for, and some general advice. I absolutely adored my time there and already can’t wait to go back and explore more of this incredible continent.
Isla Bartolome, The Galapagos
Health
Altitude. The altitude in lots of parts of South America is very tough to deal with, especially when you are not expecting it. Particularly if you are planning on hiking around the continent, you need to be aware of the risks of altitude sickness and how to avoid it. Altitude can have a number of negative affects on the body, including bad headaches, sickness, breathing difficulties, feelings of cloudiness and dizziness, generally feeling unwell and exhaustion. When arriving somewhere with a higher altitude, make sure you give yourself and your body at least a day to adjust, avoid drinking alcohol or smoking during that time and take it easy, do not attempt a difficult hike until you have acclimatised fully. Your tour guide / hostel owner or staff will advise you of the best timings to take on activities and hikes.
Get the yellow fever vaccine before travelling. It is advised to get this vaccine before travelling anywhere in South America longer than a period of 2 weeks. Speak to your doctor and look up the risks for your individual body and situation. Some countries ask for proof of the yellow fever vaccination on entry, we were never asked but its better safe than sorry.
Get up to date with your rabies vaccination and stay away from stray (or all) dogs. We didn’t get our rabies booster vaccination before going but we really wish we did, there are lots of stray dogs all over South America and rabies is pretty common. For piece of mind just stay away. If you think you have been exposed to rabies thoroughly wash the skin / wound with water for a few minutes and then immediately go to the nearest hospital for medical assistance, you will usually be given a series of vaccinations to prevent rabies developing. Additionally, even if a dog or other animal doesn’t look like it has rabies, it still has the potential to carry the disease, so be careful.
Purchase good travel insurance from a reputable provider. I used a company called True Traveller who have a variety of insurance packages covering most eventualities across the world, including cover for travel against FCO advice and during the Coronavirus pandemic - I would really recommend the company. Link to their website: https://www.truetraveller.com/?tag=4465 . You can purchase the packages if you are a resident of the UK or Europe.
Bogota, Colombia
Planning
Avoid booking tours and excursions in advance (with the exception of Machu Picchu Inca trail, which you should book 3-6 months in advance of your trip to avoid missing out). We found that by booking tours in advance you risk paying a much higher price for the same tour. There are countless vendors which sell tours on the ground each day for very reasonable prices, and they usually always have space available. Once we arrived at a new place we would check out which tours we wanted to do and booked them maybe a day or two before, sometimes even on the morning the tour left!
Be flexible / avoid having a set plan and schedule. This is key in South America, because if you have a set plan you risk missing out on places you might never of heard of (which will be a lot of places). We heard about places from fellow travellers and added certain areas onto our itinerary we never would have been to before. We tended to book accommodation no more than a week in advance, its also nice to be able to extend your stay somewhere you really like without having to rush onto the next area because you have something else booked. You also want the option to move along more quickly if you don’t like somewhere too.
Download google maps offline for the area you want to go. You can do this by selecting the area within the app and clicking the option to download that range offline, that way you always know where you are. This is particularly handy when travelling, for example on overnight buses. Also remember to always save the name and location of your hostel on the map so you know where you need to be - you might be arriving in areas late at night or early in the morning and you don’t want to get caught out not knowing where you are or where you’re going. We forgot to do this several times and sometimes taxi drivers haven’t heard of your accommodation which can make the situation difficult and also make you vulnerable to danger.
When you know that you will be arriving at your destination late at night or early in the morning, make sure you know your options how to get to the hotel and contact them in advance to make sure someone is waiting for you. Sometimes reception or staff will close and go home after 10pm and if they don’t know your arrival time someone may not be there to let you in - you don’t want to be left wandering the streets late at night with all your belongings for obvious reasons.
When in the capital cities i would advise to pay a little extra to make sure you are in a safe central location than to stay on the outskirts where it is usually more dangerous. Chances are the money you will save by staying out of the centre will be spent on transport getting in and out anyway.
Sol y Luna Foundation, Peru
Language
The language spoken in South America is mostly Spanish, with the exception of Brazil where it is Portuguese. I would strongly advise you to learn some basic Spanish phrases and sentences to help get by across the continent. In the more touristy countries like Peru, it is likely some people will speak english, however there are large areas where no one speaks any english, and it is extremely useful to know some Spanish. Things like ‘where can I catch the bus from?’, ‘how much is this?’ ‘do you have xyz’ ‘2 beers please’ ‘can I buy a ticket please’ etc. It can also help you in uncomfortable situations where you may not fully understand what someone is asking you or what is going on.
Transport
Embrace bus travel. Bus travel in South America is the easiest, cheapest and safest way to travel. Buses are extremely frequent, generally very reliable and pretty comfortable.
When travelling by bus, always keep your valuables close / on your lap / where you can see them - bus travel is where your things are most at risk of being stolen. We usually put our larger bags which had no valuables in underneath the bus, and our smaller backpacks which had all our valuables in on our laps (even if this is uncomfortable, do not let your valuables out of your sight, even in the overhead compartments of the bus or under your seat, these are common places for thieves to easily steal your things). Ecuador is one of the worst known countries for bag theft, we never had any problems but met people who did so watch out if you are travelling there.
If you are getting a taxi, always agree on the journey price before getting in to avoid being ripped off and in an uncomfortable situation. Remember, taxi journeys are the most expensive way to travel, so avoid getting a taxi where possible, however there are some situations where it is essential, for example late at night, or if your hostel / hotel is too far away for you to walk. Try to barter with the driver - they will usually try to overcharge you with the first price given.
Try to use Uber taxis where possible as they are cheaper and safer than other taxis just off the street. Uber operates in lots of the big cities and even smaller cities across South America so always check the app to see before getting a regular taxi.
Never get in a taxi when there is another passenger in there, this could lead to a potentially dangerous situation. If possible, ask the hotel or hostel owner to call you a taxi from a reputable company - there are lots of ‘fake’ taxi drivers involved in scams or criminal activity.
Laguna Paron, Peru
Crime
Be mindful of theft / pickpocketing, this is one of the most common crimes against tourists in South America and can be easily avoided if you are sensible and carefully look after your belongings.
If you are in a situation where you are getting robbed, do not fight back, give up everything they want, always cooperate and hand over all your valuables. Generally, the attackers have no interest in you and all they care only about are your money and electronics. It is useful to keep some bank notes on you at all times, that way it is easy to hand something over in case you are in a robbery situation.
Be mindful of undercover police trying to sell you drugs - this is a trap often set up for tourists who try to buy drugs on nights out. Usually if you show interest in buying then the police will arrest you or take you to the nearest cash point where you will be made to withdraw money for a bribe.
Machu Picchu, Peru
Money & Valuables
Make sure you conceal any valuable possessions and don’t have them on show when walking around or anywhere out in the open - don’t wear obvious jewellery, avoid using your phone just on the street. Obviously its fine to take your phone or camera out to take photos in good spots, but just be mindful of your surroundings and if your gut is telling you it is not safe to show these types of valuables then wait for a better moment. Most times using your camera will not be a problem or cause too much attention, but avoid wearing it around your neck in busy areas and when simply walking around as that is likely to attract more attention - once you have your photo, put your electronics away.
Bartering. Bartering is extremely common in South America and something you should try to get comfortable with. Avoid paying the first price given for anything unless stated on a menu in a restaurant for example. Taxis, tours etc you should always try to barter down to get a better, more reasonable price. Keep in mind that even if the price already seems cheap, if you accept the first price offered you are usually always overpaying.
Only take out cash with you that you think you are going to spend, leave other spare cash and valuables in your hostel / hotel in a safe spot. We hid our cash and valuables out of plain sight, usually you will not have a problem, but be sensible and don’t a heap of cash on the bed, secure it in a secret pocket or pouch of your bag.
Plan ahead for what cash you will need in each area and if required you may need to take some cash out in advance of travelling to some areas - there are some parts (usually quieter, smaller more rural towns) where there are no cash machines and no ability to pay on card so be prepared if you think you may be in that situation. Ask your hostel owner or fellow travellers for advice.
Carry a money belt and wear it under your t-shirt out of sight. This is a great option when travelling on buses for example so you know you have all your cash close by and within reach. We found this really useful and you can buy money belts on places like Amazon for a cheap price.
When taking money out of an ATM be very careful. Always do it in daylight, watch your surroundings before hand, try to find a bank where you can close the door behind yourself and after withdrawing watch around you and try to head away from that ATM and onwards to wherever you’re going. Do not count the money out on the street and always hide your pin code when entering as there are various scams going round relating to this.
Cartagena, Colombia
Food & Drink
Never drink the tap water. Unfortunately there are very few places where it is safe to drink tap water in South America. I think some areas of Patagonia it is possible but not many other places. Alternatives include buying bottled water (if you use this option always try to buy the biggest bottle available in supermarkets to limit your plastic waste). I have also heard of people have special water bottles which filter out nasty bacteria and other things in the water so you are able to drink from the tap, I have never used one of these but I have heard good things - please do your research before you buy one of these and understand where it is possible to use them, the risks of drinking unfiltered water are fatal.
Be sensible about where you eat. If I were you I would avoid eating meat as much as possible apart from in higher end restaurants. We saw countless amounts of meat outside restaurants hanging with flies all over it and generally looking unclean and I have heard horror stories of people being seriously ill after eating meat in South America and ending up in hospital. Try to find restaurants with lots of locals in, its a good tell sign that the food is fresh.
Additional things to be mindful of:
Be aware of scams that are common in the area that you are travelling to - generally your gut feeling is always right, so if you feel like something weird is going on or you feel uncomfortable, try to get out of the situation and away from that environment as quickly and safely as possible.
Be careful when going out at night, there are some places we didn’t go out at night at all like in Bogota in Cololmbia, this is because one of our day trip tour guides and the hostel owner advised tourists not to go outside beyond 8pm. Always listen to the advice of locals in these types of situations and don’t be careless. There are areas we did go out and enjoyed the nightlife, for example in Medellin in Colombia, but still beware that tourists can be targets for activities like drink spiking and kidnapping, do not excessively drink, always know your way home and where you are!
Be mindful of what you are wearing and make sure you are respecting the local culture in the way you dress. Shorts and t-shirts are fine to wear, in South America. Dress appropriately in what you feel comfortable in.
Above all - don’t be scared, but just be careful. South America is one of, if not THE most beautiful, diverse and untouched continent in the world in my opinion. It is perfectly safe for travellers provided you take the necessary precautions, look out for yourself and those around you and be aware of your surroundings. I have never seen such spectacular sights or experienced such different culture than in South America. It is truly magnificent and I hope you get the chance to visit someday.
Happy travelling!
Thank you!
If you made it to the end of this blog post - thank you so much for reading. I hope you found this useful, I did my best to collate all the most important tips, advice and safety information from my own personal experience travelling in South America, in the hope it will be useful for you!
