Now Argentina is not that dangerous, most of them (84%) are from European descendant, the other 16% are mestizos, it is like an European Country, so you will fell like almost home, their accent is italian influenced, so you might not understand everything they say, and if you are a guy you will find some beautiful girls, if you are a girl, i would say that argentine men are the most handsome from Latin America.
Brazil is a big country, in some parts of the country you will find only black people, just like you will find only white people in other parts of the city, some cities are very dangerous, just make sure you will go to a good city and you wil stay in almost a mid-class town, it is also a beautiful country, be careful if you are going to have sex, because brazil have the highest amount of people with AIDS so be careful, you will find beautiful men/women depending the part of the country you will stay.
Chile is a safe country, you will find mostly mestizo people, though there are obviously white people, their accent is funny, they speak faster, people is normal, if you want to know more about their people, search on youtube.
Colombia, as i told you it was a dangerous city, but it is a lot more safe now, obviously don't go to Las Comunas in Medellin, you would be killed, kidnapped, rapped even if you are from Colombia, about the people, if you haven't heard, each city in Colombia is like a different country, i will describe the most important cities:
* Barranquilla: Mostly black people as it is a city near the coast, friendly people and hot weather.
* Bogota: The capital, go to the north of the city if you want to pass unnoted, the north is a beautiful place and you will find a lot of European look-like people, if you don't want to get robbed, stay in mid-high class towns, cold weather and high altitude, best spoken spanish in the world.
* Medellin: Like going to Argentina, but their women are stunning, you will for sure fall in love with one of them if you are a guy, men are also beautiful, it is a beautiful city, but be careful of Las Comunas, their accent is loved by latin american people just like the argentine accent.
* Cartagena: Black people, some say their beaches are ugly, just a city to stay for 2 weeks.
Uruguay: People is like argentinian people, is a small and safe country, accent is like argentinian people, but it is not a very-well developed country.
So if i were you my options would be Argentina, Brazil, Chile or Colombia, it's up to you...
Hola FSR,
I am from California and have been backpacking through all of these countries and had no problems whatsoever. The safest out of these 4 countries is Costa Rica (also the most expensive). I have met tons of young people, including single female travelers, from all over the world, and almost all of them had very good experiences. Of course you need to apply common sense as you would in most other countries. Do not wear any flashy clothes or expensive jewelery, don't carry a lot of cash with you, don't show off your camera, never say that you are lost, in the dark you should go out preferably with other people unless you are in busy areas, never get cash from an ATM machine after dark, preferably get your cash from an ATM machine inside the bank if this is an option. You will be traveling by bus a lot; try to arrive at your destination during daylight. Don't use large bill, always have small bills with you, do not exchange any money in the streets (they will probably shortchange you and especially in Buenos Aires you probably will get counterfeit money.
You should always try to book your hostel in advantage and avoid wandering around looking for a hostel. When using a taxi negotiate the fare before the ride unless the taxi has a meter.
A lot of people I have met on my South American backpacking tours are from Great Britain (probably the largest group traveling along with Germans). It helps if you speak some Spanish, but it is not necessary.
Have a great time in South America, I know that you'll love it.
Buen viaje.
My friend and I, both female and Australian, traveled through Mexico, Peru and Chile for 3 months, and we had no problems at all. I am not sure how you plan to travel, but we stayed at hostels the entire time. The hostels provide a lot of information and even some provide there own taxi service if you want to travel around at night. There are always a lot of other travelers there, so you constantly have other people around you, and generally we went out in groups. They also provide transport to sight seeing places. And the locals were welcoming and accommodating.
As long as you are careful and aware of where you are, you shouldn't have any issues i.e. don't go out walking the streets late at night etc.
A couple of things to be aware of:
If you get a taxi, make sure you get a taxi that is "Official". They will generally have identification with them, just ask. If your at the airport, just ask inside the airport and they will assist you (we were mobbed by taxi drivers outside Lima airport).
Some areas are more dangerous or prone to theft/crime etc such as Central Lima, so just research the places you are going to an be aware of the common crimes and how to avoid them.
As with any foreign country, it's all really just common sense, and researching where you are going.
Central and South America was one of the most amazing places I have ever been, so I hope you have a great time :)
Hi!
Well Im from Argentina and I went to Peru last month, so I`ll tell you about those two that I know by personal experience..
Argentina can be difficult in Buenos Aires (Capital City), you will mostly need to be careful here, but outside of it, is not as dangerous. Don't be concerned about the way you look, Argentinians are mostly European descendants so there′s quite variety, the only thing that will tell you apart is the language.
Peru, is very safe, Lima been the most crowded city it has its bad areas, but Miraflor, San Isidro, the historic side are very safe. I also went to Cuzco, Aguascalientes and Puno, all very very safe, you wont have any issues there.
From Ecuador and Costa Rica, I can tell you by friends experiences that they did not have issues, Ecuador is similar to Argentina, Costa Rica is pretty safe.
Enjoy your trip!
"a British National who is clearly not of hispanic discent (blonde hair, blue eyes etc). " obviously you have never been to latin american before. I am from Peru, in south america, i have partly blonde hair and also grey eyes, not all people in latin america look the same. Why do British people all seem to think that we are all Indians? Latin America is very diverse. there are White, Black, Asian, and Indian and mixed latin americans. Example: Alberto Fujimori, Fidel Castro, Nestor Kirchner, Felipe Calderon, Vicente Fox, much of the population of Argentina and Uruguay. If you come you should know and recognize this fact.
I'm from Argentina, brown hair and green eyed...
In my country you will be another person because it's very easy to find a blonde person. You think that an Hispanic looks like a Mexican.
That's not true, in Ecuador there are a lot of black people, in Peru there are a lot of indigenous people and Argentina people look like Europeans.
In Southern Argentina there are a lot of British descendants and it's very peaceful, of course it's a Latin American country so it's a bit unsafe.
But nothing like Brazil or Colombia, except Buenos Aires outskirts, everything is safe in Argentina. Also, nobody will care about how you look like.
I'm Canadian, obviously not "latina" living in Costa Rica for more than 5 years now.
Costa Rica is a very safe and peaceful country. People are kind and respectful by nature.
I've got no problems 'till now and I still enjoy my life here.
It's an easy country to move in. Of course, always be careful. I am even if I'm in Canada...
For example, don't go out at night alone...don't trust anybody...
I hope you enjoy it like I do!
Ciao!
Cris
I found that my homeland (West Tennessee) was exponentially more dangerous than a lot of South American countries. In Argentina, I didn't even stand out. Cost rica largest crime problem is the robbery of tourists, they dont even target white people much anymore because they know they can get in a lot more trouble for robbing them than one from another Latin American country. Where I come from, you can be killed over food....and I am American, thats not supposed to happen here.
Out of those, I would go to Costa Rica or Argentina.
The best country and town is san Juan del sur , Nicaragua.. International surf Mecca. Great affordable lifestyle.. Managua is only 3 hours from Houston. Safer than Honduras , and cheaper than Costa Rica.. Nicaragua rules.
I spent time in Ecuador and the biggest threat were Mosquitos! Unless of course you'd be in the cities... Pick pockets are rife in Ecuador but so are tourists... Safety in numbers!!
I'm also blonde, blue-eyed and very fair skinned. I found I just got stared at a lot but never harassed or anything sinister, blondies are just unseen in Ecuador I guess.
I plan on spending 3-6 months in either Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru or Argentina and would like to know if anyone has any personal experience of any of these countries? I would like to know just how dangerous they would be to a British National who is clearly not of hispanic discent (blonde hair, blue eyes etc). Any advice appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Rate of intentional homicide by country (per 100,000 inhabitants):
91.6 Honduras
69.2 El Salvador
45.1 Venezuela
38.5 Guatemala
35.2 Trinidad and Tobago
31.4 Colombia
26.2 Puerto Rico
25 Dominican Republic
22.7 Mexico
21.6 Panama
21 Brazil
18.2 Ecuador
13.6 Nicaragua
11.5 Paraguay
10.3 Peru
10 Costa Rica
8.9 Bolivia
5.9 Uruguay
5.8 Argentina
5 Cuba
4.8 United States
3.2 Chile
1.6 Canada
30 Most Dangerous Cities in the World (homicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants)
10 of them are in Mexico, 7 in Brazil, 3 in Venezuela, 3 in Colombia, 2 in the U.S., 2 in Honduras, 1 in Puerto Rico, 1 in Guatemala and 1 in El Salvador.
158.87 - San Pedro Sula, Honduras
147.77 - Juárez, Mexico
135.26 - Maceió, Brazil
127.92 - Acapulco, Mexico
99.69 - Distrito Central, Honduras
98.71 - Caracas, Venezuela
87.75 - Torreón, Mexico
82.96 - Chihuahua, Mexico
79.88 - Durango, Mexico
78.04 - Belém, Brazil
77.90 - Cali, Colombia
74.58 - Guatemala, Guatemala
74.46 - Culiacan, Mexico
70.32 - Medellin, Colombia
68.94 - Mazatlán, Mexico
68.05 - Tepic, Mexico
67.82 - Vitoria, Brazil
59.94 - Vera Cruz, Mexico
58.91 - Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela
58.63 - San Salvador, El Salvador
57.88 - New Orleans, United States
56.98 - Salvador, Brazil
56.08 - Cucuta, Colombia
55.41 - Barquisimeto, Venezuela
52.60 - San Juan, Puerto Rico
51.21 - Manaus, Brazil
50.85 - S?o Luís, Brazil
49.02 - Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
48.64 - Jo?o Pessoa, Brazil
48.47 - Detroit, United States
Nicaragua is a must visit
Like anywhere, just be smart.
