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Rio de Janeiro Hotels: 4276 Reviews - 6621 Photos
Buenos Aires Hotels: 5629 Reviews - 8646 Photos
São Paulo Hotels: 1094 Reviews - 1738 Photos
Lima Hotels: 1453 Reviews - 2610 Photos
Bogotá Hotels: 736 Reviews - 1453 Photos
Santiago Hotels: 1158 Reviews - 2134 Photos
Machu Picchu Hotels: 763 Reviews - 1771 Photos
Cartagena Hotels: 554 Reviews - 1417 Photos
Cusco Hotels: 1200 Reviews - 2244 Photos
Montevideo Hotels: 628 Reviews - 1084 Photos
Fortaleza Hotels: 321 Reviews - 550 Photos
Salvador da Bahia Hotels: 689 Reviews - 1306 Photos
Ushuaia Hotels: 439 Reviews - 993 Photos
Caracas Hotels: 638 Reviews - 909 Photos
Mendoza Hotels: 466 Reviews - 1030 Photos

South America Warnings Or Dangers

MACCHU PICCHU.. CITY IN THE SKY..

by DennyP

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MACCHU PICCHU.. CITY IN THE SKY..
by DennyP
Indepence Protest in centrsl Hanga Roa
by pure1942
Rapa Nui Flag
by pure1942
Cliffs
by pure1942
Ezeiza/Pistarini International Airport,...
by 850prc

Most Viewed Warnings Or Dangers in South America

Altitude Sickness - Soroche Cusco

28 Reviews This is very real and can be extremely dangerous if you don't take care. Most people will get mild symptoms including breathlesness and tiredness. The first day may also give you a headache and...

See All 59 Warnings Or Dangers in Cusco

Come on! No more danger than usual ... São Paulo

11 Reviews IT IS NOT LIKE ANY OTHER BIG CITY! IT IS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS CITIES IN THE WORLD!!!! IT IS SO COMMON TO BE ROBBED OR KIDNAPPED THAT THERE IS NO "SHOCKED" REACTION WHEN YOU TELL PEOPLE ABOUT IT!...

See All 52 Warnings Or Dangers in São Paulo

Police Bogotá

1 Review I found myself in several situations with the local police. If your caught running a light, everyone does this in Colombia but if your light skinned those guys stop you immediately and the only way...

See All 27 Warnings Or Dangers in Bogotá

Pelourinho Salvador da Bahia

7 Reviews I set out on foot for a restaurant about an hour after sunset on Monday, 14 July 2003. I soon got lost. I should have turned around and gone back the way I'd come. Instead I walked on, finding myself...

See All 23 Warnings Or Dangers in Salvador da Bahia

Trail Dangers Machu Picchu

6 Reviews Being so high above the sea level, most visitors suffer the "altitude sickness". In the first 2-3 days you will feel a little headache and some stomach problems. To fight that is advisable to drink...

See All 37 Warnings Or Dangers in Machu Picchu

Street Crime Caracas

14 Reviews I have a friend who lives in Caracas and says it is still very unsafe to be out anywhere after a certain point at night. The criminals really love to "nail" the tourist that come into the airport. If...

See All 64 Warnings Or Dangers in Caracas

Favela slums Manaus

3 Reviews Stay away from the favalas (slums) in Manaus. These are durg infested, dirty, and impovished areas. Crime is huge and common in these areas. The poores favelas look like garbage dumps, the homes are...

See All 20 Warnings Or Dangers in Manaus

Altitude sickness La Paz

9 Reviews the last time i was in la paz was in 1998, my ex wife is bolivian and she suffered really bad to the altitude, my self i was fine, but i would suggest that any one arriving in la paz should take it...

See All 30 Warnings Or Dangers in La Paz

El Tatio geysers San Pedro de Atacama

2 Reviews Be careful when walking in between the many thermal sources and boiling water holes in El Tatio geothermal field: the ground crust is quite breakable and thin around most of the holes, since it is not...

See All 18 Warnings Or Dangers in San Pedro de Atacama

10.

Taxis Cartagena

1 Review Although l felt safe enough in Cartagena, l did have the added advantage of having friends who live here. They were very specific on not taking a taxi alone. Never hail one from the street, what...

See All 10 Warnings Or Dangers in Cartagena

11.

Watch your back! São Paulo

14 Reviews IT IS NOT LIKE ANY OTHER BIG CITY! IT IS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS CITIES IN THE WORLD!!!! IT IS SO COMMON TO BE ROBBED OR KIDNAPPED THAT THERE IS NO "SHOCKED" REACTION WHEN YOU TELL PEOPLE ABOUT IT!...

See All 52 Warnings Or Dangers in São Paulo

12.

Thieves Salvador da Bahia

5 Reviews I´m sniffing at the fact that this establishment is eligible to receive ten times ratings by VT staff. I am mad as hell at this place and I´m warning all of you, stay away !!!! There is NO EXCUSE for...

See All 23 Warnings Or Dangers in Salvador da Bahia

13.

Weather Wise Machu Picchu

3 Reviews Visiting Machu Picchu in January, during the rainy season, we'd read to dress warm and expect rain and fog. The day we went it turned out warm, bright and very sunny. I knew about the higher altitude...

See All 37 Warnings Or Dangers in Machu Picchu

14.

Other Dangers Caracas

15 Reviews If you like the good herb like I do. If your staying in Caracas, make sure you are not walking the streets with it on you. I got stopped and frisked by the bastard cops. They searched me dam well. I...

See All 64 Warnings Or Dangers in Caracas

15.

Jacare...Caymane Manaus

4 Reviews careful, those big, very big Crocodiles( called Jacare in Brazil) are realy not in the mood to get hassled and a swim with them could be your last when on the River, never ever leave the boat or for...

See All 20 Warnings Or Dangers in Manaus

16.

Fake Taxis or Police La Paz

3 Reviews The safest way to move by car at night is taking a RADIO TAXI. the difference between RADIO TAXIS AND TAXIS are because they `ve got a sign of their business and the phone number on its roof. For...

See All 30 Warnings Or Dangers in La Paz

17.

Vendors Cartagena

1 Review If this is your first trip to Cartagena you will be amazed at the amount of street vendors trying to sell you beer, water, braid your hair, massage, tee-shirts, jewels, lotto tickets etc. It can wear...

See All 10 Warnings Or Dangers in Cartagena

18.

Traffic São Paulo

6 Reviews Traffic is a real b**** here, so allow plenty of time for your trip whether you're taking the bus, taxi, subway or car. Things get worse when it rains and/or during rush hours. Coach travel: I was...

See All 52 Warnings Or Dangers in São Paulo

19.

Carnaval Salvador da Bahia

2 Reviews Carneval in Salvador is the best party i have ever been to and i would go back any time. I did have a little problem with 2 guys though who beat me up for unknown reasons. Visiting a hospital in...

See All 23 Warnings Or Dangers in Salvador da Bahia

20.

Food / Drink Machu Picchu

6 Reviews Coca tea and chewing coca will help you adjust to altitude sickness. For most, chewing coca will make you a little slap happy. I guess everyone reacts to it differently. I felt my heart racing like I...

See All 37 Warnings Or Dangers in Machu Picchu

21.

Moving Around Town Caracas

18 Reviews Before traveling to Caracas, please go online and read carefully State Dept. travel advisory warnings about suspicious arrangements made between some Airport Staff and some Taxi drivers. Use ONLY...

See All 64 Warnings Or Dangers in Caracas

22.

Travel in tropical South... Manaus

3 Reviews You will hear repeatedly that there are no mosquitoes on the Negra River. This may be true on the river itself, but once you get into the forest or near people there are mosquitoes. Perhaps not enough...

See All 20 Warnings Or Dangers in Manaus

23.

tours Cartagena

1 Review If you fancy a trip to the Rosario islands my advice would be to find a small boat to take you. I did the trip from the port and the first stop was the Aquarium which was of no interest to me. We had...

See All 10 Warnings Or Dangers in Cartagena

24.

Bathrooms Machu Picchu

4 Reviews Quite simply, there aren't any. You'll quickly lose your inhibitions about relieving yourself in the great outdoors, because you won't really have a choice when necessity calls. The trek group with...

See All 37 Warnings Or Dangers in Machu Picchu

25.

Squatter Settlements - Barrios Caracas

4 Reviews Hi! Safe areas: Los Ruices, Sebucan, Los Dos Caminos, Palos Grandes, Parque del Este, Chacao, Altamira, Chacaito, La California, Bello Monte, Colinas de Bello Monte, Los Chaguaramos, Sta Monica,...

See All 64 Warnings Or Dangers in Caracas

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Avoid Ormeno S.A bus company in South America

by ddr3202

This is a negative review of Ormeno S.A. Bus Company which is a Peruvian bus company serving South America (Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Brazil, and Argentina). I was told to be at their bus station in Lima at 12:00 noon for my “Royal Class” trip to Guayaquil this past November 15. The scheduled departure was 2:00 PM. I check two bags which contained some clothes, shoes, medicine, some computer devices e.g. security cable, usb cables, power supply, Magicjack phone. I carried a back pack with me which contained my computer, camera, and a sweat shirt. When we finally boarded the bus at 4:00 PM I noticed the bus seem not be in very good condition. The upholstery was worn and the bus was dirty. The bathroom filthy having a plastic jug with some water to wash with. I thought to myself “I hope we don’t break down”. Well about 11:00 pm we did just that in the middle of...

Valparaiso: WALKING from your ship to the city

by globetrott

In Valparaiso your cruiseship will be docked in just a tiny walking-distance to the main attractions in the centre of town, BUT:You are not allowed to just walk over there, you first have to take a bus to the very other end of the pier / port, about 2-3 km from your ship, because ONLY THERE the security-checks with X-ray etc. can be done and walking is forbidden in the port-area, so there will be a shuttlebus !This procedure will cost you a lot of extra time and you will have to walk back to the city or catch a taxi. I found this very annoying, but nobody cared about it !So maybe you do all of your sightseeing in Valparaiso, BEFORE you embark the ship, because once that you are onboard, the time might be too short to get back to the city and take a look around !

Be aware

by Suet

A bit obvious, but if you use a taxi driver, define the fare well in advance and also bargain. You can hire one for the whole day to take you (in Rio) to the Jesus statue.The only thing you have to worry about in Rio is wearing obvious gold jewellery. You also have to NOT go for the scam of a passport protection scheme at the airport. Wear old clothes, no obvious wealth, nothing that can be stolen and a bumbag under the clothes to hold your valuables. Forget watches. Dress simply and lightly, local shoes are good, I did stay at the Trocodero close to Ipanema beach.

DO NOT GIVE THE 'OK' HAND GESTURE IN BRAZIL

by DAO

In most countries in the world the ‘OK’ symbol made using one hand means just that – OK. In fact, in all South American countries that speak Spanish, the OK sign is OK. Here in Brazil it means something much much worse and is shockingly offensive. Don’t do it or you may just get a punch in the nose. Or worse. In fact, I don’t even have a picture of this offensive gesture, so please enjoy some random photos of Brazil I have loaded for your viewing pleasure.

Other Vaccinations for kids going Intercontinental

by jumpingnorman

Continuation of other vaccinations needed by kids who travel to other continents taken from:HTTP://WWWN.CDC.GOV/TRAVEL/YELLOWBOOKCH8-VACRECINFANTSCHIDREN.ASPXROUTINE INFANT AND CHILDHOOD VACCINATIONSMeasles, Mumps, and Rubella VaccineInfants and children should be as well protected as possible against measles and should complete the immunization series before traveling. While the risk for serious disease in infants from either mumps or rubella is low, these diseases do circulate in many parts of the world and vaccination is recommended.In addition to the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR), monovalent measles, monovalent mumps, monovalent rubella, and combinations of the components are available from the manufacturer. A combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccine (MMRV) was also licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2005 for children age 12 months-12...

Yellow Fever vaccine and more; Intercontinental

by jumpingnorman

OTHER VACCINES that kids "might need" before going intercontinentalYellow Fever VaccineYellow fever, a disease transmitted by mosquitoes, is endemic in certain areas of Africa and South America . Proof of yellow fever vaccination is required for entry into some countries.Infants are at high risk for developing encephalitis from yellow fever vaccine, a live virus vaccine. Vaccination of infants should be considered on an individual basis. Although the incidence of these adverse events has not been clearly defined, 14 of 18 reported cases of post-vaccination encephalitis were in infants younger than 4 months old. One fatal case confirmed by viral isolation was in a 3-year-old child.Travelers with infants younger than 9 months of age should be strongly advised against traveling to areas within the yellow fever-endemic zone. The ACIP recommends that yellow fever vaccine never be given to...

Vaccinations for kids going to another continent

by jumpingnorman

This information came from the CDC regarding vaccination for kids going not only to South America, but to other continents as well....HTTP://WWWN.CDC.GOV/TRAVEL/YELLOWBOOKCH8-VACRECINFANTSCHIDREN.ASPXROUTINE INFANT AND CHILDHOOD VACCINATIONSHepatitis B VaccineHepatitis B virus (HBV) is a cause of acute and chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. There are more than 200 million chronically infected persons worldwide; the risk of chronic infection is highest when infection occurs in infancy or childhood and declines with age. Infants and children who have not previously been vaccinated and who are traveling to areas with intermediate and high HBV endemicity are at risk if they are directly exposed to blood (or body fluids containing blood) from the local population. Circumstances in which HBV transmission could occur in children include receipt of blood transfusions not...

Latin America. Not as unsafe as it sounds!

by Nelven

Hello! Safety depends a lot on how much of a wise traveler you are and knowing the right people in the country. All the countries in Latin Aamerica have interesting things for people to enjoy, from relaxing beaches to colonial downtowns and ancient archeology. There's a woman here on VT that is currently traveling through South America. Her member name is tampa_shawn, and she can give you a lot of tips and pointers. She is a budget traveler though, and maybe you can afford a bit more safety and comfort than her. About the safety part, it's more about you than the actual country. Peru for example is one of the great destinations for archeology travel (Machu Picchu), Venezuela for beaches and eco travel (Los Roques - Angel Falls), and both sound very unsafe on paper. Don't limit yourself too much on the whole safety thing. It normally sounds worse than what it really is. Latin America has...

Fake cops in Bolivia

by ewanargo

Whilst in La Paz, Bolivia, I was walking down a street when a girl tourist came up to me saying she was lost and could I help her find a particular street. She said she was from Chile and travelling alone so I walked with her down the road. A short distance later a man appeared and showed his I.D. claiming to be Tourist Police. He wanted to search us for drugs.He then flagged down a passing taxi and told us to get in. I didn`t like it but the girl climbed in so I followed. He then asked for our IDs so she showed him her passport. He then searched through her bag and wallet. Then he asked me for my ID but Ì keep it and my bankcards locked up in a safe at my hotel, luckily for me. Then he searched through my bag.It was really obvious by now that this guy was not a cop and I was in a potentially dangerous situation, the "taxi driver" was fake also.He handed me back my bag and said it was ok...

South American bag snatchers

by cybergenic

If you get pick pocketed when you are travelling then you were probably drunk or maybe you are a little stupid ! There are some thieves that prey on normal human reaction in order to rob you in broad daylight.Usually they work in gangs consisting of a couple of kids, and an older, faster, stronger snatcher.In a busy but crowded place such as a market, the kids will flick ice cream or fruit on to an unsuspecting travellers clothing/bag.The normal instant reaction to this is to remove the bag or jacket to wipe it clean. At this split second the elder member will run from behind snatching the loosest item. whether it be a camera, bag or jacket. All you can hope to do is recognise when this happens to you and try to leave the area immediately to find help. Keep your wits about you. A suspicious traveller is a safe traveller.

Top 3 Hotels in South America

The Glu Hotel Buenos Aires

1 Review and 218 Opinions I was snookered by the website and photos. The hotel is not what is seems. Its located in Palermo,...

Hotels in Buenos Aires

Copacabana Palace Rio de Janeiro

21 Reviews and 346 Opinions A veritable Rio landmark, Copacabana Palace continues to enjoy a reputation as one of the most...

Hotels in Rio de Janeiro

JW Marriott Hotel Lima Lima

7 Reviews and 247 Opinions We did not stay here, but it was pointed out to us as the hotel used for some of the VIPs that came...

Hotels in Lima

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Questions and Answers

Q: Hi there again, how are you all doing? Well, I've finally finished my itinerary for May, and wanted to know just a few things...

A: One suggestion I have is to stay at least two nights in Machu Piccu .That way you get to see it for sure in early morning.

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South America Members Meetings

Mar 06, 2012: Cordoba, Argentina, Southamerica

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