Is South America safe to travel? For the overwhelming majority of visitors, yes — it’s a warm, welcoming continent, and millions of travellers explore it happily every year. Violent crime is rare in the places tourists actually go; the realistic concern is the same opportunistic pickpocketing you’d guard against in any major city. Safety does vary from country to country, so this page covers the principles that apply everywhere, then points you to our country-by-country guides for the specifics.
Most of the continent’s headline destinations sit at the lower end of international travel-advisory scales — Argentina, Chile and Uruguay are among the safest countries in the Americas, while Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia simply ask for a bit more street-sense in their cities. Risk is also very local: a single country can have perfectly relaxed tourist areas and a few neighbourhoods or remote border zones best avoided. The simplest rule of thumb is to stick to well-travelled areas, follow local guidance, and not advertise valuables.
These apply right across South America and head off the large majority of problems:
Beyond crime, three things are worth a thought. Demonstrations are part of political life in several countries and can disrupt transport — they’re rarely aimed at tourists, but a little schedule flexibility helps. Altitude matters in the Andes (Cusco, La Paz, Quito, Lake Titicaca), where acclimatising slowly prevents most discomfort. And the region’s spectacular nature — strong ocean currents, high-altitude sun, jungle insects — deserves the usual respect. We cover each of these on the relevant country pages.
Safety advice is most useful when it’s specific. Read the guide for each country on your itinerary:
The single biggest thing you can do for peace of mind is travel with people who know the ground. On every South America Travel itinerary we arrange your transport, transfers and hotels, and you’re accompanied by professional local guides who live in the region — they know which areas to enjoy and which to skip, monitor any disruption, and are there if anything comes up. Every traveller also gets a 24-hour emergency contact. We don’t take guests anywhere we’d consider unsafe.
A note on travel advisories: your home government’s advice is worth reading, but remember it’s written for the worst case and rarely reflects a well-planned guided trip. US citizens can enrol in the free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) and check individual country travel advisories; UK travellers can use the FCDO’s country-by-country advice.
Ready to explore the continent with everything taken care of? Browse our South America tours and travel with confidence.
