Is traveling to South America for everyone?

[Trimac20]

No, it's for serious travellers. I'm sure I've seen this exact question before.

[MalaMan]

Brazil is an EXTREMELY SAFE country.

99.9% of tourists who travel in Brazil LOVE the country and face no incidents at all.

Of course there are some locals who were unlucky enough to be robbed once in their lifetime, and became completely PARANOID because of it, and spread a lot of bullsh*t through the internet, saying that their home country is "dangerous". Some of them have a fantasy in their minds that nobody is ever robbed in the United States or Europe, so they have no idea what they are talking about.

I'm Brazilian, and I have traveled the whole country, and I never faced any serious problem.

Of course that in the big cities you need to use the common sense needed in any big city of the world.



If you are a foreigner who is going to Brazil for the first time, the best options are:

1 - buy a "closed" tourist package from a tourism agency, with everything included, from hotels to city tours and beach tours ; or

2- make friends in Brazil, friends that you can trust, and "use" them as your personal tourism guide (believe me, many Brazilians don't mind to be a "tourism guide" for a foreign friend).




Come to Brazil and have the best fun of your life!

The whole country is beautiful, from the Amazon rainforest to the caves and underground lakes of Pantanal and Bonito, from the beaches of the Northeast to the beaches of Florianopolis, from the museums of São Paulo to the old colonial downtown of São Luiz!

Come and see! Nothing bad will ever happen to you!

[fibonacci]

Argentina is absolutely amazing, definitely top 3 on my list. Brazil is safe as long as you aren't stupid in Rio and Sao Paulo. Florianoplis is a big city in the south and is perfectly safe (lots of rich people). However, the one of the only countries I will simply not travel to is Venezuela, which has absolutely a terrible problem with crime.

[FlyMIA]

Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo and Rio are fine safe places to go for anyone with common sense.
Chile is a safe country with no major problmes. Lima/Peru I am not so sure but it is not "dangerous" like parts of Colombia or Venezuela. There are plenty of tour groups that go there etc.. Plenty of areas in South America where it would be like traveling to many other parts of the world.

[xz2y]

Chile is an amazing country, and I recommend it. Santiago is a huge metropolis with a lot to see, and the volcano region in the south is dramatic. When I visited during the 1990's I was with extended family who spoke Spanish, so navigating was easy, but as in any developing country, be aware of your surroundings in markets or at night, and stay in well-lit, well-populated areas. There is a lot of poverty in the outskirts of Santiago (shanty towns), but the center city is modern with an efficient subway system. Just remember the seasons are the opposite of the US. (southern hemisphere ) It's a nice trip at Christmas if you are looking for warmth.

[Wwanderer]

This kind of question speaks to the feelings of intimidation many folks have about areas of the world they're not familiar with. Just as useless as saying, "is Asia for everyone?"

The answer to both is "no, of course not". Even Europe is too intimidating for some Americans.

As others have pointed out, South America is a big place, with many countries with different cultures and economic status. I've only been to Rio, and it's an amazing place, I loved it. That trip made me aware that I had been discounting South America and thus limiting my travel horizons. I've heard many say that Argentina is marvellous, and Uruguay too. Parts of Ecuador are supposed to be great too.

Obviously in many places you need to think about safety issues, and take steps to protect yourself, or avoid certain specific neighbourhoods. That's true anywhere, but perhaps more so in places like Rio or Sao Paolo. But this would be true in many parts of Asia and Africa as well.

I believe, on small evidence I admit, that we North Americans are missing out on a pretty good deal down there!

[gomexico]

Originally Posted by wthsad

Well, is it?

No. Probably not for most travelers.