5 guides, each rated 1 to 5 with the reason — and two lists per place, where you are comfortable and where to pay attention. Nowhere is called dangerous; the specific thing is what helps.
A small, safe, orderly town with very little crime. The weather is the risk, and it changes hourly: four seasons in an afternoon is the local saying and it is meant literally. Trails above the town are exposed and the wind is constant. Never set out on the Martial or the park circuits without a windproof layer.
Comfortable: Ushuaia · Tierra del Fuego National Park · Puerto de Ushuaia
The weather, which changes hourly — four seasons in an afternoon is meant literally
Glaciar Martial — the trail above the town, which is exposed and where the wind does not stop
Driving Ruta 3 in ice, and the Garibaldi pass in winter
Beavers, which are an introduced species, have flooded whole valleys, and have made some trails impassable
The town and both parks are safe and well organised. The genuine risks are the sun, which is fierce on the exposed walkways, and the coatis, which look tame, are not, and will bite for a sandwich — do not feed them and keep food in your bag. Do not swim anywhere near the falls.
Comfortable: Puerto Iguazú · Iguazú National Park
Coatis, which look friendly, take food from hands and bite
The lower circuit in heavy rain, when the walkways are slick and sections close
Very safe. The mountains and the water are the risks: Nahuel Huapi is 8°C in January, the weather on Catedral turns in an hour, and the Seven Lakes road is gravel in stretches with no barrier. Puma and huemul sightings are a privilege rather than a danger.
Comfortable: Bariloche · Llao Llao · Villa La Angostura
Nahuel Huapi, which is 8°C in January and where people get into trouble swimming
Cerro Catedral weather, which turns in an hour
The Seven Lakes road, which is gravel in stretches with no barrier
Puma and boar in the backcountry, which is a reason to tell somebody your route
Safe and relaxed by Argentine standards. The real risk is the combination of wine tasting and either a bicycle or a car — the Maipú bike-and-wine day has a bad record. Take a driver. Mountain weather on the Aconcagua road turns fast and the pass to Chile closes for days in winter.
Comfortable: Mendoza city centre · Parque General San Martín · Chacras de Coria · Maipú
Cycling between wineries after tasting, which has a bad record — take a driver
Mendoza bus terminal — and the streets around it at night
The Alta Montaña road in winter, and the pass to Chile, which closes for days
Reasonably safe in Palermo, Recoleta and Puerto Madero, less so elsewhere. Phone snatching is common — do not walk with your phone out. La Boca is fine on the tourist street by day but not beyond it, and not after dark.
Comfortable: Palermo · Recoleta · Puerto Madero · Belgrano · San Telmo
La Boca — outside the Caminito tourist strip, and all of it after dark
Retiro — the station and the streets north of it
Constitución — the station area, at any hour
Mustard and bird-mess distraction thefts, which are still worked in San Telmo
The ratings are this site's own, from the guides' authors and the corrections readers send in; they are not an index. Read the general advice in travel safety tips.
