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Colombia
1. The Dreamer - Santa Marta, Colombia
The first two picks in Colombia are amazing party hostels both in the same town of Santa Marta, Colombia.
The Dreamer Hostel is just outside of the main part of town and is the preferred stay of backpackers who to be spending some time by the pool.
The dorms surround a large pool and outhouse that has a bar, pool table and chillout space upstairs. There are also loads of bean bags and hammocks surrounding the pool so it’s a great place to nurse a hangover during the day.
The Dreamer is a great party hostel as they have something going on every night from salsa lessons to pool competitions. Most people then end up at the bar enjoying drinks before heading in to town to the rooftop bar at La Brisa Loca (the second party hostel on this list).
Whilst the late night party usually ends at La Brisa, the Dreamer hosts local DJ’s every Saturday for some epic pool parties.
They also have a sister hostel in the beach town of Palomino (70km away) which is just as good!
- The Dreamer – Booking / Hostel World / Website
2. La Brisa Loca - Santa Marta, Colombia
La Brisa Loca is in the centre of town, and while not as nice as The Dreamer, this is where everyone ends up partying by the end of the night.
The rooftop bar and dancefloor are huge, and the ocean breeze keeps you cool while you dance the night away.
The party wheel downstairs is also a fun edition. Backpackers who are feeling lucky can spin the wheel to win a prize, but it often ends in a forfeit that leads to something wild happening – you won’t want to miss it.
Top tip – stay at The Dreamer and then take a taxi to La Brisca Loca in the evenings when you are ready to dance.
- La Brisa Loca – Booking / Hostel World / Website
3. Casa en el Aqua - San Bernado Islands, Colombia
This will be the third hostel on the list from Colombia, but it’s impossible to leave it off. The famous hostel set out in the middle of the ocean has two floors, one for sleeping and one for partying.
Don’t expect to sleep much here though if the crowd is a lively one.
You can relax with a beer during the day, jump in the sea to nurse your hangover, swing lazily in hammocks watching the sun set, and then get yourself ready for another wild night as the sound system starts up again.
- Casa en el Agua – Website
Casa En El Agua has also made it onto our best hostels list for the whole of South America. For more on our favourite hostels in South America, check out the post below:
Peru
4. Loki Hostel - Cusco, Peru
The quality of the hostel chains in Peru is unrivalled in South America, with Loki, Wild Rover and Kokopelli all providing amazing accommodation paired with vibrant social events.
Loki wins out on this one though, with the Cusco branch being known as the best in the country for delivering epic nights out. The Loki Hostels, named after the mischievous Norse God of thunder, are certainly up to no good when they plan their insane party nights.
Themed parties such as the Playboy Party and Anything But Clothing Party give you an idea of what to expect.
- Loki (Cusco) – Hostel World / Website
For more great places to stay in Cusco, our list of hostels has everything from relaxed backpacker hangouts to other party hostels that come close to rivalling Loki. Or for city and activity guides, check out some of the other links below:
5. Wild Rover Hostel - Huacachina, Peru
Wild Rover has a reputation for being one of the best party hostel chains in South America.
The hostel in Huacachina has a decent sized pool, large bar area and beer pong tables. If you’re looking for a great social scene with an even better party – this is your place. The nights are wild, and it’s a great place to meet other travellers.
Most backpackers spend the day sandboarding in the desert before starting their night off at Wild Rover. You’ll spend a few hours here meeting backpackers, making new friends, playing beer pong and loads of other party games before heading to one of the clubs in town.
This will be one of the best nights out you have in Peru.
- Wild Rover Huacachina – Booking / Hostel World / Website
If you are interested in visiting Huacachina when you visit Peru, check out our backpacker guide for everything you need to know:
Bolivia
6. Wild Rover Hostel - La Paz, Bolivia
We’ve chosen the Wild Rover La Paz instead of Cusco to give Loki a deserved place on this list. However, the Wild Rover chain is renowned across South America and any of the hostels you go to across will be mad.
The Irish themed hostels can be also found in Lima, Arequipa, Huacachina, and Mancora in Peru as well.
The La Paz hostel is great for its organisational capabilities. They usually manage to lead the entire hostel through several drinking games before taking them all on a night out.
The bar staff usually begin with beer pong tournaments and games, getting everyone drunk before heading to a club in town. Pretty impressive stuff and it always means you have a great night without ever needing to organise anything.
- Wild Rover La Paz – Booking / Hostel World / Website
For more travel guides and advice on La Paz, head to the links below:
Ecuador
7. Secret Garden - Quito, Ecuador
Not known for being a super crazy party hostel, this is still one of the best places in the capital to have some fun nights out on the town.
They have a fantastic rooftop space with a bar, hammocks and sofas, perfect for socialising. They also run a reliable schedule of activities with beer pong tournaments starting mid-week and a bar crawl on both Friday and Saturday night.
They also have a sister hostel in Cotopaxi National Park which is one of our favourite hostels in the whole of South America. However they cater more towards trekking and enjoying the park rather than partying.
- Secret Garden Quito – Booking / Hostel World / Website
For more great travel guides and hostel recommendations for Quito:
8. Community Hostel - Banos, Ecuador
Community Hostel in Banos is perfect for solo backpackers looking to make friends easily. It’s an incredibly social hostel with lots of nightly activities on offer to get people to interact and make friends.
In the common area, there’s a large communal table where they serve breakfast and dinner and it’s the perfect place to make friends as everyone ends up eating and drinking in the same place.
They host activities every night including movie nights, burger evenings and $2 cocktail parties. Community is an excellent place for a party and to meet other travellers. Then as it gets later into the evening, the hostel will help to organise nights out in town. The nightlife in Baños is all contained to pretty much one street which you won’t be able to miss.
Most nights out start on Calle Eloy Alfaro where all the bars are located. Then everyone in town ends up partying in ‘The Leprechaun’ by the end of the night – nice and easy!
- Community Hostel Banos – Website
If you are interested in visiting Banos when in Ecuador, check out our backpacker guide for everything you need to know:
Argentina
9. Milhouse - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Milhouse is infamous across Argentina and South America.
They now have two venues (Avenue and Hipo), and the Avenue venue is the place to be for a party and a much livelier time.
The Avenue building has enough beds for hundreds of guests and they are always organising events to keep the huge crowd entertained. They host in-house DJs, tonnes of themed party nights and get you discount on selected nightclub events in BA. With a friendly and vibrant staff that also organise tango lessons and trips to football games, you won’t struggle to meet people and make new friends.
The best nights will be on drinking on the rooftop as the staff work away on the classic Argentinian barbeque and bringing round jugs of wine to keep your cup refilled. Then at the late hours of the morning, you will finally head out to a club to carry on partying until the early hours of the morning.
The Argentinian’s know how it’s done.
- Milhouse (Avenue) – Booking / Hostelworld / Website
Having an all-nighter at Milhouse in Buenos Aires is one of many great reasons to add Argentina to your South America trip. For more great reasons, head to the post below:
Brazil
10. Books Hostel - Rio De Janiero, Brazil
Whilst you aren’t close to the beach at this hostel, you are right in the mix for parties, bars and clubs. Books Hostel is in the Lapa district, close to the Centro area where some of the best street parties in Brazil happen on the weekends.
While not the cosiest hostel in the world, it’s set up in a way so that you will meet people instantly and be out and about on the town before you know it.
- Books Hostel – Booking / Hostel World / Website
Partying in Rio is one of the many reasons why backpacking South America is well worth it. For more great reasons, head to the post below:
11. Che Lagarto - Rio De Janiero, Brazil
If you prefer to be closer to the beach, then the Che Lagarto chain of hostels that are popular throughout Brazil have one right on Copacabana beach.
With a rooftop terrace and swimming pool which boasts incredible views over the world’s most famous beach, this hostel has a reputation for getting lively. You can spend the day drinking and then head down to the beach for some caipirinhas or vice versa. Either way you are going to have the time of your life.
- Che Lagarto Copacabana – Booking / Hostel World / Website
Rio has one of the most famous stretches of beach in the world – Copacabana – and it’s a great place to catch some sun and party. Check out the post below for more of the best party beaches in South America:
Popular South America Itineraries
If you have more than two-weeks to spare then why not check out our other South America itineraries ranging from three weeks to three months: