Is Argentina Safe For Tourists To Travel To?

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Is Argentina safe for tourists to travel to right now? Having spent several months in the country, I hear this question often.

The answer is yes. Argentina is the safest country in Latin America according to data from the Global Peace Index, which is one of the world’s leading statistical frameworks for analysing safety in every country.

If you’re worried about safety in Latin America, you’re not alone. It’s a region which despite having some of the world’s friendliest people and most beautiful landscapes, is also known for crime.

I’ve spent more time in Latin America than any other region outside of my home country, and can tell you that you should be fine with the right precautions.

To summarise: Argentina is very safe overall. Much of Patagonia, particularly in the south, is as safe as the likes of Japan and Singapore. However more caution is needed in capital city Buenos Aires and Salta in the northwest, whilst the city of Rosario is the one part of Argentina that could reasonably be considered dangerous.

Here I will go in depth about safety in Argentina, how you can stay safe on your trip, what governments have to say about the safety situation here, and where I would advise taking more caution.

Perito Moreno Glacier at Los Glaciares National Park in Argentinian Patagonia, near El Calafate.

You can see the large glacier between snowy mountains in the background and greenery in the front of the image — Argentina is not just a safe country, but also my favourite in the world thanks to amazing places like Perito Moreno Glacier (pictured)

What are the Main Dangers for Tourists in Argentina?

Crime isn’t a major problem in Argentina for the most part, although there are some exceptions. Whilst violent crime is relatively low here, and even less likely to target you as a tourist, Argentina is a country with a struggling economy and there are a fair few opportunists who wouldn’t hesitate to grab your phone.

Inflation has spiralled out of control in recent years leaving locals very poor, whilst tourists have benefitted from a favourable black market economy in which US dollars are worth much more than the official rate, whilst Argentine pesos become more and more worthless with each passing day.

If you want to know how to save a lot of money in Argentina, read my guide which explains how the black market (“Blue dollar” as it is known locally) works.

Unfortunately, you can no longer double your money as you could during my first Argentina trip in 2022, but you can still save 25% so it’s still worth using the blue dollar.

The economy is one issue with a knock-on impact on visitors. But let’s look at all the potential issues tourists may face here:

Theft

Due to the economic situation, theft is the crime tourists will have to be most wary of. Argentina also has crazy tarriffs which make technology including mobile phones cost 3x as much as in Europe or the USA.

President Javier Milei has promised to slash a lot of these in December 2024, but iPhones in particular are very valuable assets in Argentina right now. Don’t flash yours in public.

A common theft tactic is from two people on a motorbike, with one riding and the other snatching phones from unsuspecting passersby.

This technique is so well-known in South America, that locals even have a name for people who do this: motochorros. A word that combines “moto” (motorbike in Spanish) and chorros (criminals) together.

Scams

Aside from theft, scams are the main thing tourists should watch out for. Take particular care when exchanging money on the black market, especially on Buenos Aires’ infamous Florida Street, which is hotspot for exchanges.

Myself and my girlfriend exchanged around US$500 and ended up with roughly 500 notes which had been “counted” instantly with a machine.

Fortunately, I spent a painfully long time counting out every single one (some multiple times after losing count…).

The money changers became agitated when I counted 400 notes, and tried to rush us out “as there are more people waiting”. My girlfriend talked to the main protagonist who attempted to distract me whilst I counted.

Sure enough, a big chunk of notes was missing, and they grabbed the final pile of 100 notes out of my hand before I finished counting. They gave me the correct amount in return (a much bigger stack… which of course I counted).

I’ve exchanged money on Florida Street twice, making this a 50% scam attempt rate. Make of that what you will…

Either way, take care whilst exchanging money. Given the need for a massive wad of pesos, this is by far the most common scam in Argentina.

Card payments are an option at least 75% of the time in Argentina. They use the MEP rate which is slightly worse than the Blue Dollar rate you will receive whilst exchanging cash. However they do remove the risk of getting caught in an exchange scam.

Weather

Argentina is a country the size of a continent (mainland Europe to be more specific). Which means the climate varies greatly depending on where you are at any time of the year.

One person could be sweating away at the humid Iguazu Falls in northern Argentina, whilst another may well be down south doing some of the best activities in ice-cold Ushuaia with their hat, gloves and scarf on.

Argentina’s topography adds another element to consider, with Salta in the northwest being at high altitude, and the Andes mountain range stretching all the way down the western border with Chile.

The dangers arise mostly from heavy snow and strong winds in some of the more mountainous regions.

The roads winding between Salta and the Chilean border (en route to Atacama) head through mountains with slim roads that didn’t feel overly safe even in good weather. I’d recommend not travelling along this route in strong rain, snow or wind.

Speaking of strong winds, be wary of the borders between Argentina and Chile that take you from the island of Tierra del Fuego to Rio Gallegos on the mainland. They’re seriously windy.

Located in the middle of open plains with no mountains to block incoming gusts, the winds can get very intense here. So much so, that I, a 6’3″ male, struggled to keep my balance here.

Dress appropriately for Patagonia and anywhere between Salta and the Chilean border and make sure you have enough cold weather gear.

At Iguazu Falls, the popular Devil’s Throat viewpoint has been destroyed several times by heavy rain. Although our first visit to Iguazu in 2022 was perhaps the rainiest day I’ve ever experienced, and nothing happened. The park staff should inform you if it becomes too dangerous to visit.

Hiking

Hiking is a popular activity in the Andes and in Patagonia. Unfortunately it can come with risks.

One of our favourite hikes was Martial Glacier in Ushuaia. However this icy glacier can only really be done safely if you borrow hiking sticks and snow spikes for £8/US$10, otherwise it’s very easy to slip, and not all the drops are small…

Martial Glacier incidentally, should be a must on your Ushuaia itinerary.

Another popular hiking spot is El Chalten in Patagonia. You can hike safely in Patagonia if you stick to the trails, wear appropriate clothing, and bring necessary equipment.

Try to avoid hiking in heavy rain or snow.

Wildlife

Argentina doesn’t have the fearsome wildlife that, say, Australia has for example. But there are still a few critters that could kill you if you’re (very, very) unfortunate.

Deadly snakes including rattlesnakes, coral snakes, and the aggressive fer-de-lance snake can be found, especially in the drier, humid, and more jungle-like environments of northern Argentina.

Deadly spiders including the world’s most dangerous, the Brazilian wandering spider, can also be found in the north. Don’t be too scared though, they’re very rare and pretty much exclusive to humid jungles and banana plantations.

Then we’ve got the big cats. Jaguars are in the northern jungles, although they’re so uncommon that the majority of locals have never even seen one.

In the south, you can find pumas roaming the plains of Patagonia. Whilst not common, they aren’t super rare either, and we even had one run in front of our vehicle during a tour of Torres del Paine in Chile, not far from the Argentina border.

Crocodiles can also be found in the rivers of some of the northern jungle regions, including Formosa and Chaco. Although in practice, they aren’t dangerous unless you decide to swim alongside them, which obviously isn’t smart…

Overall, whilst Argentina does have some dangerous animals, they’re all pretty hard to find, and most are confined to jungle environments. So try not to fear the wildlife here.

The Healthcare System

Something we discovered from personal experience unfortunately…

One day, my girlfriend was unwell in Buenos Aires, and we had to go to hospital at around 5am.

Argentina has “free” healthcare for everyone including foreigners, leaving us under the illusion that treatment would be easy to find, especially in safe and westernised Argentina.

Although as of December 2024, foreigners will soon have to pay for healthcare.

We were wrong. The first hospital we went to turned us away as it was exclusively for locals. They recommended one a few minutes away which we tried.

However the second hospital had been overtake by homeless people. They were arguing with each other, there was an awful stench of urine, and the hospital staff were nowhere to be seen despite the place being open.

We went to a third hospital which was slightly less awful, but they couldn’t see us and we gave up waiting.

A fourth place turned us away after leading us on a wild goose chase across various departments for several hours.

I read several horror stories about patients dying due to long waits, and suffering greatly with the public healthcare system being such a mess.

I wasn’t expecting Argentine healthcare to be bad, but it was horrifying, and if you rely on it as a tourist in an emergency, you could be in big trouble.

My advice is to make sure you have travel insurance, and stick to private healthcare. Argentina’s hospitals are no place for the faint-hearted and may even be a factor in making your condition worse rather than better.

Protests

Latin America is infamous for protests, and Argentina is no different.

They often take place in major cities, and in many cases become violent.

Buenos Aires in particular sees a lot of protest movements in Plaza de Mayo and around the Argentine National Congress.

I was once tear gassed during a riot in neighbouring Chile. The protestors attacked riot police with rocks and other makeshift weapons, before the police responded with tear gas and eventually rubber bullets.

Argentine protests have been known to follow a similar path, with Buenos Aires experiencing rock throwing, arson and grenade possession among other things in June 2024.

If you see large gatherings, particularly in central areas of major cities, stay away as they do have the potential to get out of hand.

Natural Disasters

They may sound scary, but natural disasters are at the bottom of this list due to their rarity in Argentina.

Earthquakes do occur along the Andean borders with Chile. However they are infrequent and cause few casualties. You have to go back to the 1944 San Juan earthquake to find one that caused significant numbers of fatalities (over 10,000 in this case).

The country does experience occasional wildfires in northern and central areas as well as parts of Patagonia. In practice however, tourists are highly unlikely to encounter these.

Floods are the biggest natural threat in Argentina. I’ve seen South American roads turn from bone dry to makeshift rivers in the space of a few minutes before. And Buenos Aires is a tourist hotspot which is particularly susceptible to flooding.

March-May and October-December tend to be the wettest months in the capital. Keep an eye on the local news, and be aware of any potential downpours to avoid issues on your travels here.

The snowy Martial Glacier in Ushuaia — Argentina’s greatest dangers often lie in the environment rather than the people. This is Martial Glacier in Ushuaia

How Can Tourists Stay Safe in Argentina?

Having spent several months in Argentina, I’ve found it to be a very safe country with little going wrong. These solo travel safety tips are a good start point regardless of whether you travel alone or not. But some of the main precautions you can take are as follows:

Only take your phone out inside shops/cafes/restaurants etc. Do not use it in the street, even to check maps or translate, as you put yourself at risk of the motochorros
Count every note when exchanging money. With Argentina’s crazy inflation, it’s easy to get scammed. Taking time to count everything out is well worth it, as there are some shady characters out there, especially in Florida Street
Use a VPN. This is especially important for accessing sensitive information, such as banking apps. On unprotected “free” Wi-Fi networks in particular, it is easy for people to access this information, and some have bad intentions. I once had someone attempt to hack my Instagram account in India… A VPN makes it much harder to access your data
Prepare for all weathers. Argentina is a very hot and humid country if you visit the likes of Iguazu Falls, so bring plenty of sunblock and a good hat. Equally, Argentina is freezing all the way up in the mountains, or down in Patagonia at times. Therefore gloves and a scarf may well be equally important
Be careful in mountains. Argentina’s mountains can be dangerous. We walked from a Mt. Aconcagua viewpoint to the Inca Bridge along some fast roads, with cars swerving around at speed, and many rocks on the road from landslides. There were also sharp drops. You can easily get injured or worse in the mountains here, so make sure you prepare adequately, plan thoroughly and bring all the equipment you need
Lock your bags on buses. With a country the size of mainland Europe, Argentina’s buses are pretty long, which means you will most likely be taking night buses. You should use combination locks to prevent people from accessing your bags, and a cable lock to attach your bags to your legs as you sleep. If you want to put your bag in the overhead baggage space, you might as well put wrapping paper on it, as you’re just asking to be robbed
Use rideshare apps. Uber and Bolt work in Argentina, and can not only save you a lot of money, but also keep you safe. Street taxis are notorious for scamming riders with rigged meters and unfair prices. In the worst cases, people have been robbed. Rideshare apps have much better regulation, and as a result are far safer. They’re also cheap here

What are the Safest Places in Argentina?

Argentina is massive, and the good news is that it’s safe almost everywhere. However, safety is a spectrum, and if you’re new to travel in Latin America, you may want to ease yourself in with some of the safest spots.

Fortunately, I’ve spent a long time travelling around Latin America, and can recommend these as places with low risks of crime:

Patagonia is super safe, and it gets even safer the further south you go. European-style Bariloche on the northern tip of Patagonia is safe, and the likes of penguin paradise Punta Tombo, El Calafate and fun adventure spot Ushuaia even more so. In fact, Patagonia is so safe, that it was the only part of Latin America I’d been to without bars on the windows until visiting Gramado in southern Brazil
Mendoza in the country’s east, close to the Chilean border, is one of the safest places outside Patagonia. It’s one of my favourite cities in the world due to low crime, affordable prices, amazing steak, beautiful parks and a chilled vibe. Whilst nowhere in the country can match Patagonia for safety, we felt comfortable walking around at night here. The biggest danger in Mendoza is large ditches in the ground alongside the pavements, so just be careful whilst walking around
Puerto Iguazu in Argentina is by far the safest of the three Triple Frontier border cities which connect the country with Paraguay and Brazil. It is where most people stay whilst visiting Iguazu Falls, and as a result it is a city that caters well to tourists with lots of restaurants, accommodation options, and very little crime. Unlike other tourist spots, you don’t have to worry about pestering, scams and petty crime here. Risks are low

Iguazu Falls cascading through the trees of the jungle. As seen from the Argentinian side rather than the Brazilian side — Puerto Iguazu is one of the safest places in Argentina. And it’s where you go to see the wonderful Iguazu Falls

What are the Most Dangerous Places in Argentina?

On the flipside, there are some places to be more wary of. Only one place in Argentina can accurately be described as “dangerous”, so let’s start with that one:

Rosario is famous as the birthplace of Lionel Messi. However it is also the epicentre of Argentina’s drugs trade, and a place infamous for gang warfare. From a tourist’s perspective, you are unlikely to be specifically targeted, but risk getting caught in the crossfire. There’s also little of interest to attract tourists anyway. One to avoid
Parts of Buenos Aires do have a much higher risk of muggings and other crimes than others. Some places should be avoided, we’ll cover dodgy parts of Buenos Aires separately in the next section

Salta in the northwest isn’t exactly “dangerous”, but there is a higher risk of pickpocketing, particularly in the main tourist square of Plaza 9 de Julio

A colourful building in the famous street "El Caminito" in Buenos Aires. It towers over a wall displaying street art of some musicians, whilst a tourist souvenir stall stands in the background — Tourist hotspot La Boca isn’t dangerous during the day. However the surrounding area is one to avoid

Is Buenos Aires Safe for Tourists?

Whilst the main tourist spots of Palermo, Recoleta, San Nicolas, Monserrat, Puerto Madero and San Telmo are mostly safe (albeit with phone thefts not uncommon), Argentina’s capital does have some dodgy spots.

The area around La Boca is a mugging hotspot. Take taxis whilst visiting La Boca which itself isn’t risky during the day, but can be after nightfall. The surrounding area is bad at any time of day, although I did walk through in 2022 when I first visited without issues, but I’ve since learned that wasn’t smart…
Retiro is home to Buenos Aires’ main bus station. However outside the station are slums which are notorious for crime including robberies, some which used distraction tactics to take your attention away from your possessions. Take a taxi to and from the station and do not walk around here
Balvanera has some pretty dodgy street markets. Again, the main risk here is theft, so don’t flash your valuables here. I didn’t feel overly comfortable in Balvanera even during the daytime
Barracas is home to the football club of the same name, and the area is pretty rough. I was on edge walking around here after a game in broad daylight. In fact I even saw someone kick the back window of an ambulance in…

All of the main tourist neighbourhoods are in a cluster together in the east of Buenos Aires. I would advise remaining within that area, and not venturing east.

This is partly because the other neighbourhoods have a lot less of interest, and partly because they have less of a police presence and higher crime risks.

What do Governments Say About Safety in Argentina?

Government advisories should NOT be your primary source of travel safety information. That is because they exaggerate the dangers and are often overly cautious.

This is understandable given the PR disaster that would ensue if a foreign national gets in trouble abroad and the government is accused of understating the dangers.

That’s why you should primarily take Argentina travel advice from locals and recent travellers to the country. The same applies when travelling to any other country.

I recommend reading blogs such as this one, from people who have been to these places and can give you “on the ground” intel.

I also advise joining Facebook groups specific to your destination (most countries have groups for travellers with names such as “[insert country name] travel” or something similar).

Lastly I advise the Facebook group “Every Passport Stamp” which unites experienced travellers, some of whom have visited every country. I can tell you now, this is a goldmine for information and my number one travel resource for lesser-visited destinations.

That being said, let’s see what major government travel advisories say about visiting Argentina right now:

UK

The UK covers pretty much everything I’ve mentioned already. They only state two places as being at high risk of violent crime: Rosario, and the area surrounding La Boca.

They talk about “express kidnappings” which is a crime where people are abducted, forced to take money out of ATMs, give up money and valuables to the kidnappers, and eventually let go.

In reality, the risk of this happening in Argentina is pretty minuscule.

The UK also warns of drink spiking. This is something that does happen, albeit rarely. Although I would say the risks in Argentina are no higher than in other countries.

Wisely, they also advise to have adequate insurance and research tour operators before undertaking risky activities.

I would suggest checking reviews before booking anything. We ended up stranded in the middle of the sea during a trip to the Philippines because we didn’t do this, and booked a terrible tour!

USA

The US ranks Argentina as a “level 1: exercise normal precautions” country on its 4-stage travel safety scale.

This gives it the same score as some of the world’s safest countries including Japan, Singapore and Switzerland.

The only area in which the US advises additional caution is Rosario, which it labels a “level 2: exercise increased caution” destination alongside the likes of France, Turkey and South Africa to name some of the more popular destinations in that list.

Australia

Australia’s travel advisory on Argentina is far more detailed than the USA’s.

They do mention the moderate risk of theft in touristy areas, singling out Buenos Aires for such incidents.

Once again, Rosario gets a special mention for its high crime rate that puts it in a different category to the rest of Argentina.

The Australian government do add the risk of mosquito-borne illnesses including dengue fever and zika. They advise using insect repellent, which is always a wise move in regions where mosquitos live.

They also suggest staying in insect-proof accommodation. To be honest, this isn’t entirely necessary in Argentina. It’s something that isn’t a bad idea in the hotter regions surrounding the Paraguay and Brazil borders. But it isn’t necessary at all south of Mendoza, Cordoba and Buenos Aires.

Argentina has the 3rd-lowest risk of mosquito-borne illnesses, behind only Chile and Uruguay.

Canada

Canada has a lot on their site about safety in Argentina, but nothing worth mentioning that we haven’t already covered here.

They once again highlight Rosario and “the Greater Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires” as places that require extra care.

They do say that soccer (football) games in Argentina have the propensity to turn violent, and that travellers should be aware of this.

As someone who has been to matches in 38 countries at the time of writing, including in Argentina, I would say there is no additional risk in Argentina compared to other countries.

The exception would be for the Superclasico, a fierce derby match between bitter rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate in Buenos Aires.

This match is considered one of the world’s most important derbies due to the hatred between both sides. I noticed a major police presence and a tense atmosphere in Buenos Aires when the two teams last played each other when I was there.

This game does have a history of descending into chaos. So take extra care on Superclasico day, regardless of whether you’re lucky enough to get tickets to this or not.

And my attempts to get tickets have ended in failure so far. It is incredibly difficult to attend a Superclasico as a foreigner.

Are Argentina’s Land Borders Safe to Cross?

Land borders can be like the wild west at times. Unlike in most airports, they can be porous, chaotic, and attract a lot of illegal activity which can make them dangerous.

Fortunately in Argentina, most land borders are safe and easy to cross.

I’ve crossed overland between Argentina and all five of its neighbours (Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay). Most of these crossings I’ve done numerous times, and almost all of them are very easy and safe.

The most common route from Argentina to Uruguay is actually via ferry rather than land. It’s super safe and easy. You’re scanned out of Argentina (they don’t stamp passports) in Buenos Aires, and stamped into Uruguay moments later, before even boarding the boat.

It’s very simple to get off the ferry and walk straight into Uruguay with little more than a bag scan.

Argentina to Chile is another very safe one. There are numerous crossings, and whilst you can take over an hour waiting, the borders are very safe between both countries.

Argentina to Bolivia will most likely see you crossing the La Quiaca/Villazon border. I wrote in detail about how to cross this border whilst travelling between Salta and Uyuni. Stray dogs in the border towns are the only thing you need to worry about.

Argentina to Brazil is a route most travellers will cross to visit Iguazu Falls in both countries. In terms of crime, you won’t have much to worry about here. However, buses won’t stop at the Brazil border unless you ask them to (as locals have free movement between both countries) meaning you could easily end up in Brazil illegally.

Read all about the Iguazu Falls border crossings to avoid this issue.

The one slightly dodgy border is between Argentina and Paraguay at the Clorinda/Asuncion border. Clorinda is a run-down town and a popular hub for shady characters smuggling illegal goods.

On the Paraguay side, it can be tricky to find transport into the heart of Asuncion, meaning having to put your trust in taxi drivers who aren’t afraid to rip tourists off.

Overall however, Clorinda aside, most Argentinian borders are very safe to cross and you shouldn’t have any issues bar some serious bad luck.

Is Argentina Safe for Tourists to Travel to?