oceania

I'm a female in her late 20's planning on travelling solo to the following this fall:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Igassu Falls, Brazil
Asuncion, Paraguay
Santiago, Chile
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Montevideo, Uruguay

I've travelled quite a bit on my own including Peru but to places like India and Egypt I've travelled with others. I'm just wondering, aside from the obvious (ie not going out alone, showing off wealth, going in dangerous neighbourhoods, etc) is there anything to really worry about?

I easily blend in b/c of my skin colour so I don't think I'll stick out as being a Gringoand have basic Spanish skills. Thoughts?

From what I've heard, I'm more concerned about rape and attacks than I am about getting pick pocketed.

Thanks in advance.

quietplague

i would be careful with your valuables in rio since i heard reports from my friends/co-workers that they almost had their stuff almost stolen. i would just use common sense.

iguassu falls is soooo beautiful, don't forget to take the rafting trip.

toedtoes

Oceania, I'm not sure on specifics for those areas, but the basics are always good to remember:

1. stay in well-lighted public areas (stay out of dark alleys)

2. be purposefull and deliberate in your actions. Don't hesitate or keep your head down

3. try to look more like a local than a tourist. Since your skintone is similar, you have a good headstart on that

4. make sure you know where the embassy is in each place, along with the local authorities

Since you have the basic language skills, keep your ears open and listen to the conversations going on around you. And to repeat my Mother's advice, "Ted Bundy was a 'nice man' also" - don't assume someone is OK based on their appearance.

leexjd

I've been alone in Rio for the past few months (I work here) and as a solo female, it can be a bit scary. Learn some portuguese, spanish doesn't help that much. At least know how to say 'thank you', 'excuse me' and some of the pronunciation. When I got here it was very difficult for me to communicate. Even ordering from a menu was so hard because my pronunciation came from Spanish. Don't go to the beach after dark, and don't get lost- that sounds silly, but it's easy to wander into a bad part of town if you go the wrong way from the subway. If you plan on going to the beach, buy a brazilian bikini. People here don't care what you look like, but if you don't wear what they wear to the beach, you'll be bothered by every person selling things on the beach. Dont go to Zona Norte without a guide. That means any subway station north of Uruguanaia. I hope you have an awesome trip! I'm jealous, I havent been to Iguacu yet

Abby43

Hi-I just returned from a trip to South America. I went to Rio, Ilha Grande, Brazil (gorgeous island 100 km south of Rio, highly suggest going there), Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, and Portillo, Chile for skiing. Unfortunately, Igauzu was a disaster as the water there is at it's lowest in 30 years and it was awful. I loved, loved, loved, Buenos Aires and suggest spending a lot of time there as it's clean, safe, and cheap if you are on the USD, Canadian, and Australian dollar.

From your list the only places I suggest really is Rio and Buenos Aires. Honestly-I would never have even thought to go to Rio but I went to a boot camp in Ilha Grande and they pick you up in Rio so I had no choice. It was actually very pretty by the beaches but I was always terrified someone would figure out I was not from there and rob me. If you go a day is enough. As I said, Iguazu right now is not worth it. I've been to Santiago for 4 days on a previous trip and it's like LA-total smog. I really didn't like it and would not go back unless necessary. Have not been to Paraguay, hear Sao Paolo is awful and totally over congested, and don't know much about Montevideo.

I loved BA and would suggest checking out more of Argentina like Bariloche, Usuhaia (sp??), Salta, etc. Argentina is beautiful, ppl are friendly, and the peso is good right now. If you ski go to Las Lenas, Portillo, and Valle Nevado.

I hope you had a great trip. These are just my opinions, of course, but still-go to Buenos Aires!!!!

quietplague

I disagree with the previous post about Sao Paolo. It is a major metropolitan city and I would treat it like any other trip to a major city. It is one of the largest cities in Americas. Sao Paolo is a city of neighborhoods so some areas are nice, ok and not so good. There are lots to do there but I stayed in the Paulista area. Manaus or Belem is worth a trip esp if you want to go to the Amazon, just to balance the trip with the cities. Also recommend going to the Salvador, Recife or Olinda area. Ushuaia is worth a trip but only if you are going to Antarctica. Otherwise I would save the southern portions of Argentina and Chile for a later trip if time constraint. I wouldn't spend too much time in Santiago since I hear it is a great place to live not so much to visit.

lizzie1973

I can only speak for Chile. I was there with a friend 6 months ago and traveled the whole country. Loved it!

I've travled on my own quite a bit and I'd feel safe in Chile--some spanish is a must outside the city, though. They have very little violent crime and the country is very clean. In the smaller towns I stuck out a bit since I have light skin and light hair. People tended to stare quite a bit. Almost all of the people have dark hair there it seems.

Lovely place! Get down to Pucon in the Lake District for some fantastic sites and great bars/restaurants.