discussion Travelling to Latin America

[Robert]

Has anyone here travelled to LatAm particularly South America or is anyone based there? What was your experience? I teach many Colombian students who tell me how beautiful it is but also how you need to be careful. It’s a part of the world I’ve never visited but the culture looks really vibrant and I’ve seen a lot of videos on TikTok from travellers saying how good it is.

 

I’m looking to travel there late 2024/early 2025.

[Outlaws]

Oh, you should definitely visita SA  of course you have to be careful, mostly in a sense of not visiting dangerous areas, etc (like everywhere),

but I'd say in most big cities, in their city centers it is safe to be around, especially surrounded by people/tourists. 

 

For instance, I went to Venezuela a couple months ago and it was fine. I'm not saying you don't have to pay attention to your surrondings (because you do!), but you could walk freely as well. 

 

I think Colombia would be a nice place to visit, perhaps Argentina and Chile as well

[MotoPapi]

I’ve been all most all of Latin America including Belize, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Peru, all of the Central American countries, Puerto Rico. I still have a few more left I need to visit. 
 

it’s an incredible experience and culture, traditions, cuisine and accents change from country to county (sometimes even within the same country for example the way someone speaks in Bogotá is very different from the accent they have in Medellin) 

 

Central America is also vastly underrated, Guatemala during Holy Week (Easter) is incredible. El Salvador also is the safest country in Latin America now and they use US dollars as their currency so very easy. 

[Robert]

1 hour ago, MotoPapi said:

I’ve been all most all of Latin America including Belize, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Peru, all of the Central American countries, Puerto Rico. I still have a few more left I need to visit. 
 

it’s an incredible experience and culture, traditions, cuisine and accents change from country to county (sometimes even within the same country for example the way someone speaks in Bogotá is very different from the accent they have in Medellin) 

 

Central America is also vastly underrated, Guatemala during Holy Week (Easter) is incredible. El Salvador also is the safest country in Latin America now and they use US dollars as their currency so very easy. 

Thank you for the advice. Are there any cities or places that particularly stood out to you? 

[KFC]

Honestly I've always wanted to visit but with all the online backlash Taylor has gotten for dating Matty Healy I think it's best if I don't go

[Julia Fox]

I just went to Brazil and it was beautiful and extremely cheap… you should definitely visit Río de Janeiro since it’s one of the prettiest cities I have visited ever!

 

Buenos Aires and The South of Chile (Puerto Varas, Valdivia, Chiloe Island) are a must and if you have time and money you should visit the Elqui Valley which is on the north of Chile and it’s an experience!

 

Talking about security I was ******* afraid to visit Rio and São Paulo since a lot of people warned us about how dangerous it is but in reality it wasn’t like that. You only have to keep your eyes open and that’s all. Nobody happened to us and we didn’t see anything weird or suspicious about more than some cops with guns and homeless people that don’t do anything bad to the people.

Edited June 6, 2023 by Julia Fox

[Kevin Parker]

Come to South America  Argentina is a huge, beautiful and extremely diverse country in terms of nature, landscapes, cities, weather, people...

 

If you come to Buenos Aires, you have a lottt to see -- incredible architecture, fast paced rhythm, vibrant night life, historical spots and an overwhelming amount of restaurants, cafes (!!!) and bars. Also public transport is excellent so you'll have no problem using the metro or the bus.

 

 

Puerto Madero -- Perfect place to walk, bike, run. Chill, clean, safe and beautiful. Go try the meat, traditional culture and wines. You can spend an entire day here. Lots to do!

 

 

Recoleta -- The most gorgeous place to go for a walk. French architecture, lots of parks and dogs and everything. This district also has some of the most touristic spots: Librería Ateneo (once listed as the most beautiful bookstore on Earth) and Recoleta Cemetery (one of the most famous and beautiful cemeteries in the world, it's a total work of art).

 

 

Palermo -- Okay this one is incredibly big and diverse so you can spend days and days here. Thousands of restaurants, cafes and bars. Museums, parks, historical buildings. Perhaps the one with the youngest, most "vibrant" population of the city. Thousands and thousands of students, art kids, girls and gays, immigrants living/working/studying in the city, etc.

 

Also there's La Boca and San Telmo (more traditionally touristic spots) which are very interesting and you can see a different side of the city. Beware though, because these aren't the safest places. Same with the "Microcentro" (busiest spot in the city), there's an overwhelming amount of people going to/coming from work, university, tourists, cars, buses... it's a mess and can be a bit dangerous if you don't take care of your personal stuff. If you want to see the iconic Obelisco, don't miss it! Just be careful and go in the morning.

 

You can also take the Mitre train and go to Tigre! 

 

 

I absolutely love this city. It's about an hour from Buenos Aires (by train). The river, the sky, the trees, it's an incredible walk tbh. It's a place made for walking imho. You will fall in love with the houses (old and new). You can take a boat with other people and travel for like 2 hours and see all the little islands and the houses and the people living there! There's actual people living in the islands just like Venice in Italy, and travel with their own boats lol.

 

Also, if you have the budget and are really interested in Argentina, you can go to Córdoba (night life, young people, great food, mountain chains, rivers, lakes, trees) or Ushuaia (small city, glaciers, forests, wild life...).

 

 

[WEEKND]

11 minutes ago, Kevin Parker said:

Come to South America  Argentina is a huge, beautiful and extremely diverse country in terms of nature, landscapes, cities, weather, people...

 

If you come to Buenos Aires, you have a lottt to see -- incredible architecture, fast paced rhythm, vibrant night life, historical spots and an overwhelming amount of restaurants, cafes (!!!) and bars. Also public transport is excellent so you'll have no problem using the metro or the bus.

 

 

Puerto Madero -- Perfect place to walk, bike, run. Chill, clean, safe and beautiful. Go try the meat, traditional culture and wines. You can spend an entire day here. Lots to do!

 

 

Recoleta -- The most gorgeous place to go for a walk. French architecture, lots of parks and dogs and everything. This district also has some of the most touristic spots: Librería Ateneo (once listed as the most beautiful bookstore on Earth) and Recoleta Cemetery (one of the most famous and beautiful cemeteries in the world, it's a total work of art).

 

 

Palermo -- Okay this one is incredibly big and diverse so you can spend days and days here. Thousands of restaurants, cafes and bars. Museums, parks, historical buildings. Perhaps the one with the youngest, most "vibrant" population of the city. Thousands and thousands of students, art kids, girls and gays, immigrants living/working/studying in the city, etc.

 

Also there's La Boca and San Telmo (more traditionally touristic spots) which are very interesting and you can see a different side of the city. Beware though, because these aren't the safest places. Same with the "Microcentro" (busiest spot in the city), there's an overwhelming amount of people going to/coming from work, university, tourists, cars, buses... it's a mess and can be a bit dangerous if you don't take care of your personal stuff. If you want to see the iconic Obelisco, don't miss it! Just be careful and go in the morning.

 

You can also take the Mitre train and go to Tigre! 

 

 

I absolutely love this city. It's about an hour from Buenos Aires (by train). The river, the sky, the trees, it's an incredible walk tbh. It's a place made for walking imho. You will fall in love with the houses (old and new). You can take a boat with other people and travel for like 2 hours and see all the little islands and the houses and the people living there! There's actual people living in the islands just like Venice in Italy, and travel with their own boats lol.

 

Also, if you have the budget and are really interested in Argentina, you can go to Córdoba (night life, young people, great food, mountain chains, rivers, lakes, trees) or Ushuaia (small city, glaciers, forests, wild life...).

 

 

My god what a beautiful country. I’m in awe. Thanks for posting 

[WEEKND]

21 minutes ago, HotFriedChicken said:

Honestly I've always wanted to visit but with all the online backlash Taylor has gotten for dating Matty Healy I think it's best if I don't go

Im lost. 

[byzantium]

Latin America has some of the best places I have ever been to.  I could not recommend it more.  Granted I have only been to Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil, but each of those places are breathtakingly beautiful with amazing people, food, and culture in general.  

[Kayseri Mantisi]

1 hour ago, HotFriedChicken said:

Honestly I've always wanted to visit but with all the online backlash Taylor has gotten for dating Matty Healy I think it's best if I don't go

What is the correlation ?

[Selegend]

Come to South America!! 

I live in a city 6-7hours driving from Rio / 40 minutes by plane, it's Vitória - Espirito Santo. 

i just LOVE my city so much but it's not that much of a tourist place, i just wanted to promote other cities in brazil despite Rio cuz i love it so much  it's actually an island (something that makes it so beautiful) but it's also the youngest metropolis of Brazil! It got to that stage last year. 

But go to Rio of course, it's so beautiful and I loveee Buenos Aires - Argentina, Santiago - Chile and Punta Del Este - Uruguay. I've never been to Montevideo but people say great things!

São Paulo is the biggest city in Latam and there's A LOT of cultural and night things to do, so i would advice u to go there too.

 

Don't go to the Center of São Paulo by nighy. Despite that everywhere is not as dangerous as people say at all, just pay attention and u will be more than fine, u will actually have an amazing time! South America is everything. 

 

 

Edited June 6, 2023 by Selegend

[onapearl]

2 hours ago, HotFriedChicken said:

Honestly I've always wanted to visit but with all the online backlash Taylor has gotten for dating Matty Healy I think it's best if I don't go

Oh please

[Scars]

Come to South America! If you're looking for that big city experience, you should visit São Paulo. 

 

It's the most racially diverse city in Latin America by far, the city was built by immigrants from all over the world, so those ethnic diasporas shaped the local culture, architecture, cuisine, language and more. The way you have options to grab some food in a, let's say, haitian, lebanese or a japanese-brazilian restaurant or takeout that'll probably be close to each other and easily avaliable throughout the city is an unique experience in the region.

 

Not to mention it has a vibrant nightlife and huge queer scene, I mean their gay pride is literally the largest in the entire planet. 

[Comedor]

Paris is just as dangerous and it’s still the most visited city in the world. 
 

Don’t be distracted on your phone when walking around, keep your bag in front of you, pay attention to your surroundings, etc. 

 

And yeah SA is super cheap if you earn in USD, GBP, EUR, etc. Have fun!

[DoubleRainbow!]

I’m from Mexico and I lived in Medellin for around 8 months in a not so “safe” neighborhood and nothing ever happened to me. In fact, I could be on the street at midnight and there were people everywhere eating and having fun so if you stay in neighborhoods like El Poblado, Envigado, Laureles, Bello, etc. everything will be more than fine  

There are food stands and restaurants everywhere, a lot of malls, there’s green in almost every corner and the people are nice.

 

plus: all the men have big ass*s and d*cks  tbh some of the hottest men I’ve ever seen 

[Mean Trees]

3 hours ago, HotFriedChicken said:

Honestly I've always wanted to visit but with all the online backlash Taylor has gotten for dating Matty Healy I think it's best if I don't go

Erm...

[Scars]

People here have already mentioned other beautiful iconic cities such as Buenos Aires and Rio, but if you're looking to take a deeper dive into the cultural diversity of the region, I'll say that you should try to include in your travel bucket list some afro-latino majority cities, there's a unique vibe and culture to them that you won't really get to experience anywhere else.

 

You'll obviously be exposed to some afro-brazilian culture in Rio, but nothing beats places like Salvador (Brazil) and Cartagena (Colombia) in that regard. There's many other relevant black-majority cities obviously, but these two are usually the go-to for tourists in South America.

 

Salvador is the oldest city in Brazil and has the second largest urban black population outside of Africa (only behind New York City), so I'd say the architecture, culture, music and food to get to know and see there is an one in a lifetime experience.

 

 

Cartagena is one of the largest cities in Colombia and has the perfect mixture of that post-colonial hispanic colombian heritage and the african-influenced carribbean culture. The architecture, people and nature are highlights for me.

 

 

Well, as long as you don't display the nasty entitled gringo attitude, make sure to be nice and respectful to locals and their culture and pay attention to your surroundings, which is honestly the case for any other place in the world, you'll be fine. 

Edited June 6, 2023 by Scars

[305]

LATAM is so rich with culture, beautiful places and people, incredible food and music. I'm Colombian myself and will be in Cartagena for two weeks starting next week! I lived in Chile for 5 years so I was lucky enough to be able to travel to most of the countries in SA. Definitely be careful and have a watchful eye when you're out and about, don't be gullible, and don't be stupid. People will know you're a tourist in a second. 

That being said, it's an amazing experience so have fun!

[Selegend]

2 hours ago, Scars said:

People here have already mentioned other beautiful iconic cities such as Buenos Aires and Rio, but if you're looking to take a deeper dive into the cultural diversity of the region, I'll say that you should try to include in your travel bucket list some afro-latino majority cities, there's a unique vibe and culture to them that you won't really get to experience anywhere else.

 

You'll obviously be exposed to some afro-brazilian culture in Rio, but nothing beats places like Salvador (Brazil) and Cartagena (Colombia) in that regard. There's many other ones obviously, but these two are usually the go-to for tourists in South America.

 

Salvador is the oldest city in Brazil and has the second largest urban black population outside of Africa (only behind New York City), so I'd say the architecture, culture, music and food to get to know and see there is an one in a lifetime experience.

 

 

Cartagena is one of the largest cities in Colombia and has the perfect mixture of that post-colonial hispanic colombian heritage and the african-influenced carribbean culture. The architecture, people and nature are highlights for me.

 

 

Well, as long as you don't display the nasty entitled gringo attitude, make sure to be nice and respectful to locals and their culture and pay attention to your surroundings, which is honestly the case for any other place in the world, you'll be fine. 

u did it with this post! yeah, there's so much culture and interesting not predictable cities in LATAM! 

[theweekend]

14 hours ago, MotoPapi said:

I’ve been all most all of Latin America including Belize, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Peru, all of the Central American countries, Puerto Rico. I still have a few more left I need to visit. 
 

it’s an incredible experience and culture, traditions, cuisine and accents change from country to county (sometimes even within the same country for example the way someone speaks in Bogotá is very different from the accent they have in Medellin) 

 

Central America is also vastly underrated, Guatemala during Holy Week (Easter) is incredible. El Salvador also is the safest country in Latin America now and they use US dollars as their currency so very easy. 

THIS! I really want to go there at least to Guatemala, Belize and Cuba. Hence I'm thinking into making there when I go to my Canadian friend wedding which is going to take place in Mexico.

 

Been to Uruguay, Argentina and Chile. Great places to go, beautiful views and nice people everywhere. Uruguay is probably the safest place in SA but a friend of mine's mother has got her phone pickedpocket there, so you need to be careful wherever you go and all the time.

Be sure to read a lot about the places and places not to go (for example: São Paulo central area by walking, BSAS Retiro/more south than San Telmo, Montevideo's old city post 8PM or Santiago's Patronato and close to the urban railways at night. Depends from where you are, it may take some time to get used to.

 

Hope you get to do such a great travel and don't miss the Andean region because you'll try things that you can't see in any other place! if you need some tips for the southern countries, send a dm.

[lillavend3r]

12 hours ago, HotFriedChicken said:

Honestly I've always wanted to visit but with all the online backlash Taylor has gotten for dating Matty Healy I think it's best if I don't go

Babes you're not Taylor Swift 

[alfonso12]

It’s cute over here, nothing like Europe or  North America but it’s cute. Hit me up if you need any info about Colombia.

[Mellark]

On 6/6/2023 at 6:28 AM, Selegend said:

Come to South America!! 

I live in a city 6-7hours driving from Rio / 40 minutes by plane, it's Vitória - Espirito Santo. 

i just LOVE my city so much but it's not that much of a tourist place, i just wanted to promote other cities in brazil despite Rio cuz i love it so much  it's actually an island (something that makes it so beautiful) but it's also the youngest metropolis of Brazil! It got to that stage last year. 

But go to Rio of course, it's so beautiful and I loveee Buenos Aires - Argentina, Santiago - Chile and Punta Del Este - Uruguay. I've never been to Montevideo but people say great things!

São Paulo is the biggest city in Latam and there's A LOT of cultural and night things to do, so i would advice u to go there too.

 

Don't go to the Center of São Paulo by nighy. Despite that everywhere is not as dangerous as people say at all, just pay attention and u will be more than fine, u will actually have an amazing time! South America is everything. 

 

 

When is a good time to visit? I get Summer is in December, so maybe then? Lowkey want to visit Brazil, but is SP and Rio far from each other. Been watching a lot Brazilian television lately so I am guessing Globo HQ is in Rio. 

[Life Savers]

It's honestly not any more dangerous than populated centers in the US. I've been in several SA capitals and I honestly felt less safe in certain areas of Los Angeles/Atlanta. You'll be fine. Go and have some fun.