Country guide
Brazil
Rio's beaches and carnival, the Amazon, Iguacu Falls and the Pantanal's jaguars, a continent inside one country.
Currency
BRL
Language
Portuguese
English
Limited
Payment
Cards everywhere
Power
Type C / N
127/220 V, 60 Hz
Dialing
+55
Destinations
Brasilia
The great modernist experiment: a capital drawn on paper, built on an empty plateau in under four years, and still standing as it was designed.
✓ best May-SepFernando de Noronha
Brazil's protected island of spinner dolphins, clear water and the twin peaks of Dois Irmaos.
✓ best Jun-JanFlorianopolis
More than 40 beaches, a lagoon full of bars and some of Brazil's most consistent surf, all on one island.
✓ best Jun-AugFortaleza
The northeast's big beach city, and the front door to Ceara's dunes, red cliffs and kite beaches.
✓ best Jul-DecIguazu Falls (Foz do Iguacu)
The whole three-kilometre sweep of the world's greatest waterfall seen head-on, and a catwalk that walks you into the spray of the Devil's Throat.
✓ best AugMaceio
A city beach with a coral reef offshore, where the tide decides the day and the sea turns green-blue over the sand.
✓ best Oct-FebManaus
A rubber-boom opera house deep in the Amazon, with the rainforest starting at the city's edge.
✓ best May-OctOuro Preto
Brazil's most complete gold-rush town, and the place to see Aleijadinho's baroque at its best.
✓ best Apr-SepPantanal (Cuiaba)
The best place in the Americas to see a wild jaguar, and the wildlife in between is almost as good.
✓ best May-JulRecife
Brazil's frevo Carnival city, with the oldest synagogue in the Americas and colonial Olinda on its doorstep.
✓ best Sep-DecRio de Janeiro
Granite peaks, Atlantic rainforest and the world's most famous beaches, inside one restless city that runs on samba, football and sunset.
✓ best Mar-NovSalvador
Brazil's first capital and the beating heart of Afro-Brazilian culture.
✓ best Sep-MarSao Paulo
No beach, no postcard, just the best eating, art and nightlife in Brazil, spread across a megacity of immigrants.
✓ best Apr-SepThe sweet-spot windows
Good weather, thinner crowds, better prices: the windows worth aiming for.
| Where | When | Why it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Jul-Sep | Dry season: wildlife trails, lower water. Manaus at its best | Feb-Apr wettest |
| Rio/Southeast | Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct | Warm, drier, fewer crowds. Carnival (Feb) is peak | Dec-Feb hot, wet, priciest |
| The northeast (Salvador, Recife) | Sep-Nov | Dry, sunny, warm sea. Avoids the Apr-Jul wet season | Jun wettest |
Climate zones, month by month
Brazil has 13 distinct climate zones. The right month depends on where in the country you're going.
Brasilia →
✓ Best May-Sep · ✗ Avoid Nov
Watch for Nov monsoon flooding risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Fernando de Noronha →
✓ Best Jun-Jan
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Florianopolis Santa Catarina →
✓ Best Jun-Aug
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Fortaleza Ceara →
✓ Best Jul-Dec · ✗ Avoid Mar-Apr
Watch for Mar-Apr monsoon flooding risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Iguazu Falls (Foz do Iguacu) →
✓ Best Aug
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Maceio Alagoas →
✓ Best Oct-Feb · ✗ Avoid May-Jun
Watch for May-Jun monsoon flooding risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Manaus Amazon →
✓ Best May-Oct
Conditions Jan-Feb Wet · Mar Wettest · Apr High water · May Wet easing · Jun Low water · Jul Dry, wildlife · Aug Driest · Sep Dry · Oct Warming · Nov Wet building · Dec Wet
Watch for Dec-Apr monsoon flooding risk
Cards tinted by verified verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Ouro Preto Minas Gerais →
✓ Best Apr-Sep · ✗ Avoid Dec-Jan
Watch for Dec-Jan monsoon flooding risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Pantanal (Cuiaba) →
✓ Best May-Jul
Watch for Sep-Oct extreme heat risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Recife Pernambuco →
✓ Best Sep-Dec · ✗ Avoid Apr-Jul
Watch for Apr-Jul monsoon flooding risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Rio de Janeiro →
✓ Best Mar-Nov
Conditions Jan Hot & wet · Feb Hot, Carnival · Mar Hot · Apr Warm · May Mild · Jun-Jul Mild & dry · Aug Mild · Sep Warming · Oct-Nov Warm · Dec Hot & wet
Cards tinted by verified verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Salvador Bahia →
✓ Best Sep-Mar · ✗ Avoid Jun
Conditions Jan Warm & sunny · Feb-Mar Warm · Apr Wet starts · May Wet · Jun Wettest · Jul Wet · Aug Wet easing · Sep Drying · Oct-Nov Warm & dry · Dec Warm
Watch for Apr-May monsoon flooding risk
Cards tinted by verified verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Sao Paulo →
✓ Best Apr-Sep · ✗ Avoid Jan-Feb
Watch for Jan-Feb monsoon flooding risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions