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The Latin American Countries with Active Travel Warnings for Americans

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6 months ago

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The Latin American Countries with Active Travel Warnings for Americans

If you’re an avid traveler, you may have been itching to backpack through Latin America, especially now that summer is approaching and travelers are in full-on planning mode. But you should never forget that safety comes first.

Before diving headfirst into your Latin America trip planning, check what travel advisories are currently in place in those countries. The US Department of State regularly releases and updates such warnings, and to help you navigate them more seamlessly, we put together a list of all the active Latin America travel advisories based on the department’s announcements. This guide will be regularly updated as more advisories are issued or adjusted.

Each travel advisory mentioned below comes with a different degree, which notes the level of danger assessed by the Department of State. Level 1 is the lowest degree and warns that travelers “exercise normal precautions.” Level 2 encourages travelers to “exercise increased precautions.” Levels 3 and 4 are the highest levels of danger, and they respectively encourage travelers to “reconsider travel” and “do not travel.”

The following Latin American countries were excluded from the list below, as they currently have a Level 1 warning: Argentina, French Guiana, and Paraguay.

If you wish to read more information and see a complete list of active travel advisories for Americans, you can check out our guide on all active travel advisories right now. We also put together a similar list for active travel warnings in Europe and another for active travel warnings in the Caribbean islands.

These are all the active Latin American countries’ travel warnings right now:

Authorities are encouraging travelers to exercise increased caution in Belize due to crime.

Travelers should exercise increased caution in Bolivia due to civil unrest.

Additionally, they should not travel to the Chapare region due to crime, and they should reconsider travel to the Yungas region for the same reason. 

The US Department of State encourages travelers to exercise increased caution in Brazil due to crime.

Additionally, travelers should not travel to:

  • Any areas within 150 km/100 miles of Brazil’s land borders with Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Paraguay (This does not apply to the Foz do Iguacu National Park or Pantanal National Park)
  • Informal housing developments (commonly referred to in Brazil as favelas, villas, Comunidades, and/or conglomerados) at any time of day 
  • Brasilia’s administrative regions (commonly known as “satellite cities”) of Ceilandia, Santa Maria, Sao Sebastiao, and Paranoa during non-daylight hours 

Travelers should exercise increased caution in Costa Rica due to crime.

Authorities are encouraging travelers to reconsider travel to Colombia due to crime and terrorism, and they should also exercise increased caution due to civil unrest and kidnapping.

Additionally, travelers should not travel to:

  • Arauca, Cauca (excluding Popayán), and Norte de Santander departments 
  • The Colombia-Venezuela border region 

Travelers should exercise increased caution in Chile due to crime and civil unrest. 

Authorities are encouraging travelers to exercise increased caution in Ecuador due to crime, civil unrest, and kidnapping.

Additionally, they should not travel to:

  • Guayaquil, south of Portete de Tarqui Avenue
  • The cities of Huaquillas and Arenillas in the province of El Oro
  • The cities of Quevedo, Quinsaloma, and Pueblo Viejo in the province of Los Rios
  • The canton of Duran, in the province of Guayas
  • Esmeraldas city and all areas north of Esmeraldas city in Esmeraldas province

Travelers should also reconsider travel to:

  • ​​​​​Guayaquil north of Portete de Tarqui Avenue
  • El Oro province outside the cities of Huaquillas and Arenillas
  • Los Rios province outside the cities of Quevedo, Quinsaloma, and Pueblo Viejo
  • All areas south of Esmeraldas city in Esmeraldas province
  • The provinces of Sucumbios, Manabi, Santa Elena, and Santo Domingo

Authorities are urging travelers to reconsider travel to El Salvador due to crime.

Travelers are encouraged to reconsider travel to Guatemala due to crime.

Additionally, they should not travel to:

  • San Marcos Department (except the city of San Marcos) 
  • Huehuetenango Department (except the city of Huehuetenango)
  • Zone 18 and the city of Villa Nueva in Guatemala City

According to the authorities, travelers should reconsider travel to Guyana due to crime.

Authorities are strongly encouraging travelers not to travel to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor healthcare infrastructure.

Travelers should reconsider travel to Honduras due to crime and kidnapping.

Additionally, they should not travel to Gracias a Dios Department.

Depending on where you’re going in Mexico, different advisories exist. The US Department of State is recommending the following:

Do not travel to:

Reconsider travel to:

Exercise increased caution when traveling to:

Exercise standard precautions when traveling to:

Authorities are encouraging travelers to reconsider travel to Nicaragua due to arbitrary enforcement of laws, the risk of wrongful detention, and limited healthcare availability. Additionally, travelers should exercise increased caution in the country due to crime.

Travelers should exercise increased caution in Panama due to crime.

Additionally, they should not travel to:

  • Parts of the Mosquito Gulf 
  • Parts of the Darién Region 

The US Department of State is encouraging travelers to exercise increased caution in Peru due to crime, civil unrest, and the possibility of kidnapping. 

Additionally, visitors should not travel to:

  • The Colombian-Peruvian border area in the Loreto Region
  • The Valley of the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM), including areas within the Departments of Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, and Junin

Travelers should exercise increased caution in Uruguay due to crime. 

Travelers should not travel to Venezuela due to crime, civil unrest, kidnapping, and the arbitrary enforcement of local laws.

Additionally, they should reconsider travel due to wrongful detentions, terrorism, and poor health infrastructure.

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