Step 2: Short-Listing Possible Destinations

To narrow your selection, we suggest you need to think about the type of holiday you may want, and the region most likely to meet your needs. For example, Northeast Brazil has a coastline of spectacular beaches, a warm ocean and tropical weather - making it a great place for beach and water sport holidays. You might enjoy a similar holiday in southern Brazil, but not all year as the south experiences winter months.

Again, budget may be a factor in your decision. Generally speaking the north and northeast of Brazil are cheaper than a holiday in Rio de Janeiro, for example. On the other hand, tourist hotspots, such as the Amazon or Fernando de Noronha, can have a similar cost to Rio.

If you are not sure what kind of holiday you want, or which regions may meet your needs, you may need to do some research. First, you may need inspiration. So, take a look at our section “Trip Types”. If you click the links you will get an idea of the best regions for the type of holiday you want. You can then further research the regions, and the tourist destinations in those regions. These steps should help inform your choice.

Continue to Step 3

Step 1: Choosing Possible Destinations

When deciding your itinerary the first things you need to consider are your budget and available time. This will determine how much of the continent you can cover, realistically speaking. To help you judge distances and time we suggest using Google Maps. Find your start point on the map e.g. “Recife, Brazil”, then select “Directions” and find your destination. The result will tell you the distance, route and estimated travel time by various modes of transport.  

If your time is limited, you probably do not want to spend most of it on a plane, and as a responsible tourist we suggest you also give some thought to the environmental impact of doing so.

If you have time, but a limited budget, a Brazilian Airpass or South American Airpass may help you cover more ground than you might expect. But, if you do a lot of miles, please do consider off-setting the environmental damage via the Brighter Planet scheme, or that of a similar organization.

In addition to time and cost, another consideration is depth. Do you want to skim the surface of a big area superficially, or really discover a smaller area? Once you have made some decisions you can move on to the next step.

In addition to time, timing is also important. Weather conditions vary considerably in Brazil as climate conditions vary a lot in different parts of the country, and at differenttimes of the year. So, depending on when you travel you may find it hot or cold in the south, and in the north there are periods of the year when rainfall is heavier than usual. The BBC offers good information about Brazilian Weather,  and the site has details of the average weather conditions for several cities in each of the regions of Brazil including Belem and Manaus(North), Recife (Northeast),  Goiania, (Center West), Rio de Janeiro (Southeast) and  Porto Alegre (South).

Continue to Step 2