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January 19th, 2012 
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Question by : Is traveling/touring of south america dangerous?
i am really exicted to travel anywhere other than the U.S. and bolivia. is taking a tour of south america dangerous??? and is it expensive?
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Answer by Queen of Hearts
I went to Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina Feb-Apr this year. I thought Bolivia was bit nervy/sketch, and the fake police stole my camera in La Paz. (you can read up on this scam on Cdn and UK gov travel advisories). In Bolivia it seemed everybody was trying to fleece me; taxi drivers for example will insist on charging 8 bolivianos for a ride that should cost 5. Ask someone impartial how much the ride should cost and then tell the driver you are only paying that before you get in the car.
Travelling anywhere can be reckless or even stupid if you are not taking the proper precautions. My mom sure was not happy when I announced I was going to S America by myself for a couple months!! Do read up on travel advisories and in your guide book about current scams and such. That said, you sometimes have to make your own calls as to what lines you are willing to cross.This is just my experience. My biggest lesson that I learned was to never let your guard down, and not really trust anybody except maybe ppl who work at hostels are generally pretty good. Chile, on the other hand, prides itself on pretty much being the safest country in South America, and it's pretty good, I found. (But it could be different, post earthquake) I also went directly to Chile from Bolivia, so it seemed like a really big deal at the time to be in such a chill and economically much better off type place.
Bolivia was definitely the cheapest place out of the four and possibly the continent from what I hear. Chile and Argentina were a bit pricey, but nothing really expensive if you were to compare it to Europe or something. I found accomodation everywhere to be slightly more than I expected, and in Argentina transport (on buses or planes) very expensive (and long!! 24hr rides are nothing!!).
Over-all it was a great experience for me, even though I got scammed. Just watch your back, and ask yourself why this stranger is talking to you... Learn to listen to your gut.
Hope that helps. message me if you have more questions 
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No it’s not, as long as you know where to go. Using common sense is the most important thing. South America is beautiful and can be enjoyed a lot. Just stay away from places which dont look too good.
Right now I would stay away from Venezuela.
Go to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. In my opinion those are the best countries in South America.
It’s not that dangerous as long as you use your head. If you’re doing a tour instead of traveling alone, then yes, it’s likely to be expensive. But Latin America is reasonably priced if you travel alone.
My experience in Central America was that it was not as safe as North America, Europe or parts of Asia, but that it was ok.
Violent crime exists and in orer to avoid being targeted you should not go out alone after hours, always take a cab, and keep your wits about you. People in most of those countries are cautious themselves, particularly in big cities and in busy areas, like markets and bus stations, and you should be too. Especially if you look like a tourist.
People were likely to try and take advantage of you financially, particularly if you’re a single female and partiuclarly if you don’t speak Spanish (charging you more for things, etc)
Read up on the countries in which you will be traveling – if you check the US State department website, or the DFAIT website (Canada) you will usually find travel advisories broken down by country. They will warn you of problems in the area, illnesses and common crimes against tourists. For instance, in Nicaragua carjacking and armed robbery were big problems in certain areas.
Be aware of the risks and act appropriately.
In smaller towns things are usually more relaxed and safe, and you’re only likely to be victim of minor scams and not violent crime. Still, use your head.
If you’re female, be wary of the biggest scam in Latin America – men who “fall in love” with you, and then try and get money from you. This is very common there. Be wary of anyone who states his feelings for you too strongly, too early.
I think if you’re going on a tour, you’ll avoid a lot of the dangerousness issues, but you’re unlikely to get a real flavour for Latin America either.