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There has long been a myth that exploring South America must be a grueling endurance test. For years, the story was that unless you were willing to endure a chaotic connection in Bogotá, brave a fourteen-hour overnight bus through the Andes, or navigate a terrifying airstrip in the mountains, you were essentially stuck visiting the huge, busy tourist centers.
We all love the idea of finding that unspoiled, off-the-radar town where the locals actually outnumber the backpackers, but no one wants to burn through three full days of their hard-earned PTO while on the road.
Well, the airlines have finally cracked the code. Thanks to an enormous push for new route networks, carriers are completely rewriting the map.
They launch direct flights that completely bypass the overwhelming, chaotic hubs drop straight into the hidden gems.
If you’re ready to trade the busy streets of Rio and the big crowds in Cusco for absolute safety and raw authenticity, here are 3 of the safest, off-the-grid South American escapes that you can finally get to on a single, nonstop flight.
1. Montevideo, Uruguay
When most people imagine a South American capital, they imagine the vast, overwhelming size of São Paulo or the bustling historic centers of Peru. Montevideo represents the absolute, beautiful opposite of that chaos.
- The atmosphere: It’s an incredibly authentic, laid-back town where locals spend their afternoons along the river Rambla– a beautiful 21 kilometer long coastal promenade – casually sipping yerba mate. The entire area is completely devoid of vast, manufactured tourist traps and huge designer shopping plazas.
- The ground experience: The culinary scene here is vastly underrated and heavily focused on world-class grass-fed steak and full-bodied local Tannat wine. From a security perspective, Uruguay is perhaps the safest country on the continent. The US Department of State gives it a Level 1 safety advisory, which is their absolute safest rating.
- How do I get there: For a generation, this place was cut off from the direct American travel market, requiring brutal layovers in Buenos Aires or Panama to reach it. That changed when American Airlines launched a non-stop scheduled flight directly from Miami.
2. Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
The high Andes Mountains normally get all the glory in Bolivia, but that leaves visitors gasping for air and fighting the crowds in La Paz. Santa Cruz de la Sierra is a total geographical and cultural anomaly that completely flips the script.
- The atmosphere: Located deep in the eastern lowlands, Santa Cruz is tropical, green and completely separated from the freezing altitude problems of the Andes. This is one of the continent’s last truly authentic border towns, completely avoiding the hyper-commercialization of other major South American hubs.
- The ground experience: It is the ultimate gateway to the untamed Amazon basin and the ancient, breathtaking Jesuit missions. You can spend your day exploring the vibrant local markets and then head to the historic main square to watch the world go by. The tourist areas here are incredibly well policed and have a huge concentration of resources, making it a very safe local safe haven.
- How do I get there: You can easily bypass the huge traditional hubs for this. You can fly straight to the city from Miami with Boliviana de Aviación.
3. Paramaribo, Suriname
Suriname is known among hardcore travelers as the smallest independent country in South America, but almost no one actually takes the time to get there. Discerning travelers are starting to move there organically to avoid the continental hordes.
- The atmosphere: Paramaribo is incredibly surreal. It’s a great coastal escape where beautiful Dutch colonial architecture spills straight into the dense, pristine Amazon jungle. It offers a much more serene and culturally integrated experience than its busy neighbors.
- The ground experience: The historic center of the city center is tightly controlled and secured, making the risk of violent crime incredibly minimal. You will gain seamless access to an amazing cultural melting pot where Javanese, Indian and Creole influences merge perfectly. To top it all off, the US Department of State is handing Suriname a coveted level 1 security advisory.
- How do I get there: You can completely skip the chaos of connecting through the Caribbean or Central America. Surinam Airways operates direct, non-stop flights from Miami directly to Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport.
