Classified as the world’s narrowest country due to the way it stretches like a ribbon along the west coast of the South American continent, Chile saw over five million international visitors in 2024.
It is a paradise for nature lovers in particular, as Chile is home to everything from the Marble Caves rock cathedrals carved out over centuries by a glacier lake to Patagonia in the south and the Atacama Desert in the north.
While located over 3,600 kilometers off of Chile’s coast, Easter Island is also famous not just for its thousands of stone statues spread throughout its territory, but also for the unique Polynesian culture that was preserved largely due to the island’s remoteness.
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New advisory reminds travelers to use ‘increased caution’
But as most foreign tourists spend significant time in major cities such as Santiago and Valaparaíso, the U.S. State Department issued a new travel advisory warning visitors of rising “crime and civil unrest.”
The official rating has been raised from level one to level two’s “exercise increased caution” — the second tier on a four-scale system is also shared by countries such as Mexico, France and Germany, while neighboring Argentina is at “exercise normal precautions.”
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“Street crime (e.g., muggings, pick-pocketing, theft) is common in Chile,” the renewed advisory reads. “Rates of violent crime, such as assaults, homicide, carjackings, and residential break-ins, are increasing. Large-scale demonstrations periodically occur in Santiago and other cities in Chile.”
The U.S. Embassy in Santiago had sent out a warning about the spike in carjackings in particular earlier this year while the rating was raised after the rate for 2024 was fully calculated. It applies primarily to major cities rather than the remote nature others come to see.
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As is customary for the “exercise increased caution” rating, the government agency recommends steps such as not leaving items in a locked vehicle and avoiding large-scale demonstrations as an observer.
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“Keep original [passport and/or visa] documents in a secure location,” the safety tips read further. “Follow the instructions of local authorities including movement restrictions and obey all curfews.”
Other countries for which the State Department has recently either issued advisories or raised the travel rating include Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. While Belize (popular among divers for its expansive barrier reef) is rated as safe despite a spike in gang-related violence, the latter two countries are at level three’s “reconsider travel” outside of certain tourist areas.
“Some areas of Guatemala have problems with gangs, robbery, carjacking, drug trafficking and violence,” the note for the country reads. “Local law enforcement may not always respond well to serious crimes, leading to low arrest and conviction rates.”
At the same time, the Central American nation of El Salvador has been lowered to level two after years under a “reconsider travel” advisory amid intense lobbying from both local and U.S.-based advocacy groups trying to increase tourism to the country.
“While crime remains a concern in El Salvador, there has been a significant reduction in gang-related activity and associated crime in the last two years,” the updated advisory reads. “This includes drops in violent crimes and murders.”
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