How To Plan A Trip To Brazil

It’s easy to want to go to Brazil; it’s much harder to actually plan a trip to Brazil. The country’s huge and diverse and not a common tourist destination. So where do you start with planning a trip? 

The same way you eat an elephant (or a capybara, in this case): By cutting it into bite-sized pieces. We’ll even label the pieces for you to make it easier. They are: 

1. Weather: Choosing the Right Time of the Year 
   
   
2. Tours: Guided vs. DIY 
   
   
3. Attractions: Cities vs. Wilderness 
   
   
4. Prepping for Travel: Shots and Visas 
   
   
5. Packing for Climate and Protection 
   
   

Weather: Choosing the Right Time of the Year 

Brazil is close to the equator, but because it’s so big it’s not really equatorial, in the sense that every day everywhere is about the same weather-wise. 

Much of Brazil has well-defined seasons, which means you need to choose a time to go that aligns with your climate preferences. 

• If you want to explore the country’s north, the most jungle-y part of the country, there’s no best time in terms of temperatures. It’s always hot (85-90 degrees) and steamy. However, you’ll want to travel during the country’s spring and early summer (September-December) to avoid the rainy season. 

• The country’s two major cities, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, have their hottest months in December-March, when temps regularly hit 95. It will feel cooler along the beaches but hotter in the cities proper – another reason why so many Brazilians flock to the beach. 

• If you visit a southern city like Florianopolis during the peak of our summer/their winter, nighttime temps can drop into the 30s and 40s – and many rentals can lack central heating, making for some very cold nights. (Days are in the 60s, though, which can make it a perfect time to visit.) 

Tours: Picking the Right Type 

Brazil may be a little outside of your comfort zone. You’ve heard the cities can be dangerous and the jungle can be frightening. 

For those reasons you may want to opt for a more structured vacation. Traditionally, that’s meant a tour. 

The definition of a tour has evolved. It’s no longer just a bus ride from destination to destination with a perky tour guide. Modern tours vary in the amount of structure they provide, often offering much more exploration time.  

In addition, modern tours are frequently more specialized, focusing on specific themes rather than just hitting all the major destinations in five and a half days. 

General tour types are: 

• Cities: Most of your time will be spent exploring Rio and São Paulo, with perhaps a sojourn to Brasilia, Florianopolis, Salvador, or Oro Preto. 

• Adventure: This is often but not always a tour of the Amazon, generally starting in Manaus and doing an out-and-back of the big river.  

• Culture: Tours emphasizing Afro-Brazilian and Portuguese culture can be fun, especially when they focus on things like: 

• • Dance 

• • Music (drumming, samba and bossa nova) 

• • Markets 

• • Cuisine 

• • Art 

• Relaxation: For those less adventuresome, spas and resorts at the edge of the Amazon get you up-close with the jungle amidst luxury and relaxation. 

• Nature sightseeing: Less intense and concentrated than an Amazon tour, these tours may include sights like Iguaçu Falls or the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park. 
  
  

Attractions: Cities vs. Wilderness 

Since a good rule of thumb is 10 days to see either the cities or the wilderness, and since 14 days is an average vacation length, you may have to choose between cities or adventure your first time in Brazil. 

(Don’t despair: You can always go back.) 

Here’s what you need to know about Brazil’s two main classes of attractions. 

Cities: Pleasure and Business Destinations 

Brazil’s cities can be informally classified as business- and pleasure-oriented, but in reality all of Brazil’s cities have pleasurable aspects, and all have a business element.  

However, if you’re looking to really let loose, the more pleasure-oriented cities include: 

Rio de Janeiro 

The iconic Brazilian city, Rio is the home of Carnaval, the world’s biggest and most well-known pre-Lenten bacchanal, as well as countless smaller festivals. 

But there’s so much more to Rio, including: 

• The world-famous Christ the Redeemer statue (hint: buy a “fast pass” before you go to skip most of the lines) 

• Copacabana Beach 

• Sugarloaf Mountain  

• The Santa Theresa neighborhood 

Much of what you’ve heard about Rio is true: Street crime and petty theft are real dangers no matter the time of year. Theft is a particular problem on Copacabana Beach. 

Also, traffic in Rio is insane. Don’t plan to drive if you can avoid it. 

Florianopolis 

An island-and-shoreline city, Florianopolis is one of the gateways to the Iguaçu Falls region and a vacation destination in its own right. 

People flock to Florianopolis from the north for the more temperate climate and find beautiful beaches, laid-back nightlife and a generally more relaxed vibe. It’s busy enough, but still a nice break from Rio and São Paulo. 

Salvador 

The center of Afro-Portuguese culture, Salvador is the place to go to really dive into Brazilian music and dance.  

Museums depict the history and development of Brazilian culture, but clubs bring the history lessons to life. 

On the more business-y side you have: 

São Paulo 

São Paulo is Brazil’s second city only in the perception of foreigners. In Brazil, Rio and São Paulo are 1 and 1a. 

Where Rio has Carnaval, São Paulo has the Brazilian Grand Prix. It’s like that. 

São Paulo is the place to experience many of the country’s best art museums and markets and dive headlong into Brazilian cuisine. 

This mashup of European, African and indigenous cuisine includes dishes like: 

• Feijoada, a rich black-bean stew  

• Moqueca, a seafood stew 

• Farofa, a rice-like dish made with cassava flour 

• Brigadeiros, fudgy bites covered in sprinkles 

There’s high-end shopping and lodging in the Jardins neighborhood while Vila Madalena draws creative travelers with boutique hotels and a buzzing nightlife scene. 

Brasilia 

The country’s capital, Brasilia is pretty much all business. 

Its “capital hacked out of the jungle and built as a piece of history” makes it interesting, but more as a curiosity than a place to spend a precious day in-country. It’s a long ways from anywhere, too. 

Ouro Preto 

This landlocked city in the mountains of eastern Brazil was once the center of Brazil’s gold-mining operations, where innumerable miners perished toiling under oppressive conditions. 

You see a different sort of Brazil in the city’s museums, baroque architecture and cobblestone streets, but that’s the point. 

Wilderness Adventures: From Jungles to Waterfalls 

For most people, the Amazon and Brazil and synonymous, and there all thoughts of wilderness end. It’s more complex than that. 

In Brazil you’ll find: 

• The world’s longest river (the Amazon) 

• The world’s largest rainforest (also the Amazon) 

• The world’s largest tropical wetlands (the Pantanal) 

• One of the world’s biggest waterfalls (Iguacu Falls) 

• One of the world’s largest savannas (Tocatins) 

If it’s wilderness you’re seeking, you’ll find it in Brazil. But you’ll likely have to make choices. 

• For the classic Amazon experience, opt for a cruise out of Manaus. Most cruises are relatively short out-and-backs, but longer cruises and jungle treks are possible. 

• The Pantanal, one of the world’s largest wetlands, is the place to spot jaguars and capybaras. But you’ll likely need a guide. 

• Lençóis Maranhenses National Park offers wavy white sand dunes that fill with water during the rainy season and are toured via dune buggy. 

• Tocatins is one of the most remote regions in Brazil, and home to a vast savannah known as the cerrado. The best place to experience it is Jalapão State Park. 

• Iguaçu Falls is not one waterfall but several, located in the country’s far south, on the Brazil-Argentina border. Part of the falls is in Argentina, though the usual port of departure for the not-to-be-missed boat tours is through the city of Foz do Iguaçu, in Brazil. 

Prepping for Travel: Shots and Visas 

In addition to the usual shots, the Centers for Disease Control recommends that travelers to Brazil be immunized for: 

• COVID-19 

• Chikungunya 

• Hepatitis A and B 

• Yellow fever 

In addition, the CDC recommends travelers carry prescription medicine for malaria and be aware of other insect-borne diseases like: 

• Zika 

• Chagas disease 

• Dengue fever 

• Screwworm Myiasis 

• Oropouche 

Visas 

American travelers to Brazil need an e-visa. Getting one is easy and you’re usually cleared for travel in five to 10 days. 

Packing for Climate and Protection 

Packing for a trip to Brazil is not too different from packing for any other sort of warm-weather vacation, except for three things: 

• Wilderness 

• Insects 

• Cities 

If part of your trip takes you into the wilderness, be sure to pack good hiking boots and perhaps water shoes as well. 

In addition, pack: 

• Long-sleeved, lightweight clothing 

• A sun hat 

• Shorts and/or convertible pants 

• Breathable rainwear 

• Plenty of socks 

These will also help protect against insects, though mosquito netting for a wide-brimmed hat as well as netting for a bed or hammock is recommended if you’re heading into a wild area and unsure if your accommodations will have mosquito protection. 

For travel in the cities, lightweight clothing is still recommended, along with some measures to deter thieves. A money belt or internal valuables pouch is a good idea, but also consider: 

• A portable safe 

• A phone lanyard 

• “Pickpocket-proof” pants and shirts 

Travel Insurance 

For a big vacation like a trip to Brazil, travel insurance is a must. The cost of a medical evacuation from the Amazon can be astronomical, so choose a plan like AdrenalineCare® from Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, with $750,000 in coverage for emergency medical evacuation. 

You can get a quote here and get covered quickly – and then get back to dreaming about your amazing Brazilian vacation.