Tap Water Safety in South America
South America's tap water quality tracks closely with infrastructure investment. Chile and Uruguay lead the continent with reliably safe urban water, and Argentina's major cities are largely safe. Elsewhere — Peru, Ecuador, and much of Colombia and Brazil — treatment at the plant is often undone by distribution problems, making bottled or filtered water the sensible default for travelers.
Caution (7)
City Guides in South America
Bogotá
Safe
Colombia
Buenos Aires
Safe
Argentina
Cartagena
Caution
Colombia
Cusco
Not Safe
Peru
Lima
Not Safe
Peru
Medellín
Caution
Colombia
Montevideo
Generally Safe
Uruguay
Quito
Caution
Ecuador
Rio de Janeiro
Caution
Brazil
Santiago
Generally Safe
Chile