90% Party, 10% Culture.

Best places to party in South America.

14 years ago, January 21st 2010 No: 1 Msg: #100648 Delete Edit

N Posts: 6

Hi friends, Just in the final stages of planning our trip & would really welcome any suggestions of the best places to party in South America. We are off for around 4 months & plan to party as hard as possible but taking in the culture along the way, any suggestions would be greatly welcome.

Itinerary is as follows:

Brazil & Argentina - 3 weeks combined.
Bolivia - 2 weeks
Peru - 2weeks
Colombia - 7 weeks.

Any info or tips would be greatly appreciated guys, also if anyone knows of any good jungle tours in Bolivia please let us know.

Many thanks

Joe

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14 years ago, January 21st 2010 No: 2 Msg: #100681 Delete Edit

Wanderly Wagon
Wanderly Wagon

B Posts: 177

I think you miss typed the Heading. Should it not be 90%!C(MISSING)ulture 10%!P(MISSING)arty!!

There will be no shortage of places to Party. Buenos Aires you could knock a few weeks out of. Dont think about heading out until 12am or 1am. If you don't like red wine start getting to like it. Its excellent and cheap in Argentina and a good way to start the night out in the hostel before the bars and clubs.

There is Lapa in Rio but be careful, it comes with a lot of dangers & annoyances!

Bolivia is where the coke is cheaper than a drink and I'm not on about coca-cola. Not my scene but lots/most of the people are indulging. Most people think Bolivia is the most amazing country ever but that is because they are clouded by a haze of drugs. Bolivia is an amazing country but for different reasons than narcotics. A hostel I stayed in (which will remain unnamed in case I get in trouble) has resident drug dealers and parties 24/7. When in La Paz it wont take long to find out the names of the ones I'm on about. Myself and my girlfriend were the only two drunk people in the hostel bar one night, while everyone discussed the varying degrees of quality and price of whatever substance they had up their noses.

Arequipa in Peru is a good weekend party town as too is Cusco. Huacchina is also good and you can sandboard there too. Great fun. Only one hostel has the parties though so check it out first!

Nearly everyone who has been to Columbia says it is the best country on the continent. We didn't get to go there but hopefully will one day. Are you going to take in Ecuador on your way from Peru to Columbia?

I don't want to sound like a dry person but South America is the best place I have traveled and it would be a shame to see it through the eyes of a hangover!

Enjoy!

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14 years ago, January 22nd 2010 No: 3 Msg: #100743 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

There used to be a website listing the worlds best parties. It hasnt worked for a while now. Does anyone know if there is a new one?

I think the best way to find the best party places is to hang out with the locals. Maybe make contact with some on the internet before you go. Try Couchsurfing.com to find out if there are folks in S. America who will show you where the top nightlife and beachlife is when you are in their town. Also you could put a post in the Looking for Travel Companions forum here on TravelBlog to find out if there are people in S. America who will adopt you as their party trainee. 😉

Mel

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14 years ago, January 22nd 2010 No: 4 Msg: #100773 Delete Edit

paaark1
Joseph Hallett

N Posts: 6

What are the dangers in Lapa? Thanks for the advice, I'm going with my best mate & we just want to party most nights!We visited Central America for 4 months & personally there are only so many cathedrals & markets you can visit!!!

Looking into Ecuador, do you recommend it? Montanita is suppose to be a special place?

Culture will come when I am settled with a girlfriend/wife but for now it is all about the party!! Reply to this

14 years ago, January 22nd 2010 No: 5 Msg: #100779 Delete Edit

Wanderly Wagon
Wanderly Wagon

B Posts: 177

Lapa is where they have a street party at the weekend in the Lapa area. Dangers are being mugged, robbed etc. Lots of locals and they just love to empty the pockets of travelers how ever that may be!

One guy told me he got out of a taxi there and some kid handed him a load of sweets. His natural reaction was to take them before he realised what he had done. He gave them straight back to the kid (around 10 and scrawny) and the kid started pushing him saying he had to buy them now that he touched him. He pushed him all the way up the street until some bigger locals stood beside then kid and gave him the expression to pay up or else. He paid. He said it was as dodgy as anything all night. I'd recommend finding a local to bring you if you go!

We were in Copacbana with a local at up until 3am one night, which is apparently a big no no but because we were with him no one said anything. Reply to this

14 years ago, January 22nd 2010 No: 6 Msg: #100783 Delete Edit

El Pene
Eartha Kit

N Posts: 2

well in my day we used to go to peru for some plonk plonky or honky honky, the streets smell sweet and the toilets smell sour as you would expect. But don't let the toilets put you off the plonky plonky or honky honky in club tonky tonky as its enough to send you wild. The school kids often wake you up whilst the bells chime singing " ringa linga ling, school bella ring, booyaka booyaka". Quite an event if ever i saw one, definatley a must for those thinking of heading to southern america. Reply to this

14 years ago, January 22nd 2010 No: 7 Msg: #100786 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

Looking into Ecuador, do you recommend it?

I loved the scenery in Ecuador, cloud mountains with little shacks clinging to them, tropical jungle...

And there was certainly nothing wrong with the night life in Quito. I and some German guys I met in Ecuador went to some really good clubs there with a few locals we met. I personally think the night life is part of the experience of being in S. America. Some may not think of it as culture but where else would you find a sizzlingly energetic club playing good salsa music. I cant dance, but watching some of those elastic bodies in those clubs is entertainment in itself.

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14 years ago, January 22nd 2010 No: 8 Msg: #100829 Delete Edit

EdVallance
Edward Adrian-Vallance

B Posts: 186

The party scene is Buenos Aires is really crazy. People go out to bars around midnight then to a club at 3 or 4am. After the normal clubs close around 7 or 8 the After Hours Clubs open and go on into the afternoon! Caix is a good example of an After Hours place and one of the dance floors is open-air and overlooking a beach. Reply to this

14 years ago, January 23rd 2010 No: 9 Msg: #100857 Delete Edit

El Pene
Eartha Kit

N Posts: 2

Does anybody know if there is a Co-op in Buenos Aires? Reply to this

14 years ago, January 23rd 2010 No: 10 Msg: #100869 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

A co-op for what? Reply to this

14 years ago, February 8th 2010 No: 11 Msg: #102939 Delete Edit

matty1
matt

B Posts: 171

why the idea that you have to split up the culture and the party into two categories?

your going to south america!
virtually all latin music is about partying.

my advice is go with an open mind. dont limit yourself only to the techno clubs and rock clubs that feel like home. inevitably the crowd from the hostel will opt for those places.
discovering new things always a little unconfortable, but thats the double edge sword of travel. let the locals show you how they dance salsa & cumbia. dont run a mile from reggaeton, when you see how the local girls shake their hips to it, it will give you a whole new perspective on life!

any spanish will be very VERY useful! learn before you go. 😉

you dont need me to point out that many backpackers highlight of south america is the cheap coke.. for anyone interested i would just say, dont let it lock you away in the hostel chattering to other travellers and missing the outside world.. you can do that at home..

obviousl you will meet all types but think most south americans do not intoxicate themselves much at all, they dont need drugs or much booze to have a fantastic time, once the music comes on, theyre up boogying instantly!

hit the small towns on the weekend so you get the friday and saturday nightclubs, then hit the large cities and tourist hostpots mid week , this way you never have a night off!

be careful with money etc.. dont bring much out with you and dont get plastered drunk because people can take advantage.

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14 years ago, February 11th 2010 No: 12 Msg: #103353 Delete Edit

Ben and Clare
Clare Woodsford

B Posts: 63

I was really surprised at the number of backpackers doing drugs in South America (other than weed). I think the morals are a bit dubious when it comes to visiting another country purely for cheap coke, which a lot of people seemed to be doing in Colombia, and thus encouraging the trade over there. Colombia, especially, is a country that is trying to move away from that side of its past and many of the hostel owners we spoke to said they feared drug tourism actually setting the country back. Somewhere like Taganga is a prime example of the bad side - a quiet fishing village once that is now a drug-fueled backpacker haunt with violent crime on the rise. Many backapckers don't even see the problem as they breeze in, do drugs, and then move on to the next place.

Anyways...

South America is, of course, a great place to party! We had some fantastic nights out in Rio - the Lapa street party is an absolute must and the caipirinhas are big and cheap! We didn't find it too dangerous but did go in a good sized group. We chatted and mingled with the locals. One of the best nights out we had.

Colombia is also great fun, especially in Cartagena, Medellin, and Bogota.

Not to forget Buenos Aires, you'll have an awesome time, but go to some of the sights as well!!

If you want to party in La Paz, I'd recommend the Wild Rover. We had a great time there, on our first visit, when we met some terrific people ad they have a good bar. The second time we were there was pretty awful but that's a long story!

Oh, and Loki del Mar in Mancora, Peru is another good place to party. You can surf all day and drink all night!

if you are doing coke, be careful out there as we met lots of people who had had frightening run-ins with the police, sometimes violent, after they had been set-up by the drug dealers/police, i.e. you buy the drugs, the police turn up, take you somewhere, threaten you with prison etc, and then you haggle over a bribe. One couple we met were marched to an ATM by the police and told to withdraw as much as they could.

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