Best Party Hostels in South America

Best Party Hostels in South America: The Complete Guide

South America's 32 cities run on salsa, carnival, and rooftop bars. Medellin leads the continent's party hostel revolution. El Poblado's Parque Lleras district packs clubs, rooftop bars, and social hostels into a few walkable blocks, with dorm beds from $8/night. We review 125 hostels across 8 countries.

Buenos Aires' Palermo Soho and San Telmo districts keep the energy high with milonga nights, underground clubs, and late-night steak dinners that don't start until midnight. Argentine nightlife is famously late: clubs open at 2am, peak at 4am. Rio de Janeiro's Lapa district adds samba bars and street parties to the mix, peaking during Carnival but running year-round.

The Gringo Trail connects Bogota, Cartagena, Cusco, La Paz, and Santiago through a mix of buses and cheap flights. Cusco's Plaza de Armas is surrounded by bar-hopping circuits that fill up every night, fuelled by altitude and anticipation of Machu Picchu. Bolivia's La Paz adds the world's highest pub crawl. Prices across the continent range from $6/night in Bolivia to $15/night in Rio and Santiago.