Best Hostels in South and Central America

Hola and bienvenido to the best hostels in South and Central America.

We are keen to share this ultimate list of hostel-type accommodation – from Bogota over Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires and San José. South and Central America has plenty of gorgeous, curious and unique hostels to stay at.

Hostelgeeks is an independent travel brand and collective bringing you unique hostels.

This means, we do not belong to any booking or media agency. Make sure you read through our guide to hostels. We are your hostel mates, sharing with you the coolest and only safe hostels.

This list covers all budget accommodations we reviewed. That includes Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, you name it. All our guides include price comparisons and the basics you need to know. This can include safety tips, best locations, cool activities, average prices and few more decision-taking information.

Put on a map: best hostels in South & Central America

We only share the best hostels in every destination. Simply choose your #1 hostel with one click.

Filter the map by:

Best Party Hostels⁣ – Party Hostels

We did all the leg work for you to unbox the coolest places to stay. These hostels are recommended to solo-travelers as well as couples.

3 Simple Steps for you:

  1. Pick your city
  2. get the coolest hostel
  3. book it

Read this guide how to book a hostel the smart way

Tips & Tricks for Hostels

Our team at Hostelgeeks collects the coolest hostels around the continent. We introduce you to the best South America hostels in a genuine way. Especially in countries like Colombia, Argentina and Brazil you can now find beautiful hostels you do not want to leave any more.

You find anything from surf hostels to beach and even boutique hostels.

We collect for you only amazing and safe hostels. They are handpicked and reviewed by us in person.

You cannot book the hostels with Hostelgeeks. However, we give you the smartest booking recommendation on hand. Find all our guides to hostels here.

Here are 3 hostels-101 articles we highly recommend to read:

15 Essential Tips for Booking Hostels (incl. Apps, Discounts and Hacks) – The Starter Guide

Your Destination is not listed?

It simply means there is currently no 5 Star Hostel. Not to worry, there is a simple solution.

Here we cover all destinations with and without 5 Star Hostels. We compare the coolest hostels in town, so you can actually see if the 5 Star Hostel is your best hostels choice.

Questions? Drop us an email with your missing destinations. We will send you over the coolest hostel in town; and we reply in person – promised!

Other 5 Star Hostels

Besides the best hostels in South America, we also put together the best hostels in the world. You can find all top-notch hostels around the world with us: Show me all 5 Star Hostels.

Collection of the best hostels in South & Central America

So, here we go. Here are all our handpicked hostels across South America.

From family-projects in Buenos Aires to absolute stunning design hostels you will love, no doubt about it!

Hostel Packing List

It is time to see what you should pack in your backpack or suitcase. Make sure you always pick a quality hostel, it totally reduces the things you need to pack. Here is our ultimate hostel packing list. It features 23 items you should really throw in your backpack.

The most important things to pack are:

  1. earplugs
  2. eye mask
  3. key chain flashlight
  4. the right backpack, the Nomatic or Lowe Alpine Lightflite 45 Pack
  5. packing cubes
  6. generic padlock (fitting all locker types)
  7. quick-dry travel towel
  8. universal power adapter
  9. travel-sized toiletries

Get the full packing list here.

Download Hostel Packing List