I want to travel independantly to South America walking - are there any places I should avoid ?

Although I am used to travelling alone - I've not been to Latin America so unsure as to where is deemed safe these days and where should be avoided.
I am British and want to know if there are any areas or countries that should be avoided whether male or female due to the risk of robbery, drug crime etc

There are many parts of South America that are not good for an unaccompanied female. I too am accustomed to travelling alone but you shouldn't consider hitchhiking. If you are not going to travel by public transit (and that's not all it's cracked up to be) then you should reconsider. If you are american that adds a whole new aspect to the problem as americans are not well thought of in many areas (not just latin america). You need to do a whole lot more research on where you want to go before you set out.

All countries, including Great Britian and the USA, have places that should be avoided. If your Spanish and Portuguese are not very good, I would never get away from the large cities and then I would stay in the nicer parts of these cities. The countryside in almost all of these countries would be extremely dangerous for a lone traveler.

If you mean that you are thinking of walking FROM some town to the next, and there is some open space between the towns please reconsider. Or will me all of your earthly possesions because you are NOT coming back. A foreign woman, with little Spanish ability would stand out like a sore thumb. I travel all over South America and my Spanish is fluent. BUT! I am still a gringo and know that there are some places you dont go. Period. Be smart, call some place like aviatur and get with a group. Its safer. If you are thinking ANYWHERE in Colombia, email me and Ill help as best I can.

My dear friend.. haven´t you seen a map to realize that South America is bigger than United Knodom? Well it is much bigger indeed... So I don´t know wich coutry you pretend to walk...

I will recommend you to do not go alone!

The rule of thumb is DONT FLASH CASH/JEWLERY and TRY TO BLEND IN. You'll be fine!

Colombia: stick to bogota or cartagena.
Ecuador: not sure about quito, but cuenca and guayaquil are great.
Peru: lima is getting very dangerous, i would'nt advise going there.
Argentina/Chile: anywhere really.
Uruguay: montevideo
Paraguay: not much reason to go there... stick to north asuncion
Bolivia: do not get involved with political protests/demonstrations (they're frequent)! la Paz/sucre
Brazil: i don't really know about it so i'm not going to say anything.
Venezuela: getting dangerous, especially for americans. i wouldn't advise going to caracas; go to maracaibo.

DONT GO OUT TOO LATE AT NIGHT (ESPECIALLY AROUND THE BAR AREAS). USE COMMON SENSE, BRING AS LITTLE CASH AS POSSIBLE OUT WITH YOU.

Buen Viaje!

In general, the Andean countries are more dangerous than the southern continent.. starting with the most dangerous.. bolivia and columbia, then Ecuador, Peru, Brazil,..then Chile/Argentina are about the same.. Uruguay is probably the safest.. talking to people you may feel Brazil is less safe than the Andean countries, but I think this is more skewed, because more tourists tend to visit Brazil, than say Bolivia.. so you hear more horror stories..

You can get into trouble anywhere.. and with sensible precautions, stay safe anywhere.. I have been to all those countries, and have never had anything stolen.. I felt threatened once by a couple of drunks in Quito.. but that can happen anywhere.. Sneak theft is everywhere. A friend had valuables robbed in Buenas Aires (usually very safe)..Another friend was robbed by a fake policeman in Potosi, Bolivia.. I know several people who were robbed in Rio..(knifepoint and sneak theft)

Be sensible, and you will be safe.. learn some spanish and try not to appear as a tourist with a nice camera, .. walk like you know where you are going, and dress modestly.. don't get drunk and stumble home when you have a nice watch on!

South America is an incredibly rewarding travel destination. Wish I was going again..

Good luck

I wouldn't suggest walking from town to town. Collectivos and buses are cheap and reliable in my experience. Anyways borders are generally the most dangerous areas, but except for the forest area between Panama and Columbia, you are usually safe from violent crime. Petty crime is what you have to look out for, as long as you watch yourself. Also, you need to especially watch out at bus stations (and even more so at bus stations at night!) Now, I'm not saying you're safer than in the UK. Stay wise! You're a woman carrying heavy gear and seem like an easy target. Follow the same rules you would at home. Make sure your belongings are secure and bring more than 1 ATM card. Don't carry too much money with you, but some smaller cities (especially small beach towns) don't have ATMs so you'll need to bring enough to support you while you're there and to get a bus out. Also, make sure to keep cash and ATM cards in multiple places, not just all in your neck/waist strap.

Some areas in Lima are dangerous, but if you stay in Miraflores I couldn't imagine you having a problem

as a lone woman, most places you need to avoid, its not really a safe place and you being white will stick out like a sore thumb to rapists and kidnappers, they would assume you are rich and hold you for ransom



Mark k