Chile

Chile was for years the safest country in South America, and by regional standards it still is. But street crime in Santiago and Valparaíso has risen sharply since 2020 and both the local police and foreign governments now say so plainly — this is one place where an older guidebook will mislead you.

Outside the cities, the risk profile changes completely: earthquakes, altitude in the Atacama and the Andes, and weather in Patagonia that turns in an afternoon.

Earthquakes

Chile sits on one of the most active subduction zones on earth and records large earthquakes regularly. Buildings are engineered to a high standard and the emergency system works well — the practical advice is to know your building's exit and, on the coast, to move inland and uphill immediately after strong shaking without waiting for a siren.

Coastal tsunami evacuation routes are marked in every seaside town. Note them when you arrive.

Altitude in the north

San Pedro de Atacama sits at 2,400m and the popular day trips climb to 4,300m at the El Tatio geysers and the altiplano lagoons — a rise steep enough to make people seriously ill within hours.

Spend a night at San Pedro before any high excursion, drink far more water than feels necessary, and treat headache with nausea as a signal to descend rather than push on.