Destinations in Brazil: how to choose where to go

One border, several countries

A traveller arriving in Brazil for the first time usually has three or four names in mind and assumes they can be strung together. In practice those names sit in different biomes, different climates and often different hemispheric seasons, separated by distances comparable to crossing a continent.

The country spans rainforest, a flooded plain the size of a small nation, thousands of kilometres of coast, highland savanna cut by canyons, and a cool southern region with cold winters. These are not variations on a theme. They are different holidays.

How to decide

The useful first question is not where but what: clear water, wildlife, coast, mountains, cities or culture. Once that is settled, the map narrows itself, and the second question becomes practical — which of those regions can be combined without spending the trip in airports.

Distance is the constraint nobody plans for

There is no useful long-distance passenger rail, and the realistic options between regions are flying or very long bus journeys. Most domestic routes connect through a small number of hubs, so a flight between two secondary cities can cost a whole day.

Inside a region the distances are also larger than they look. A nature destination is commonly three or four hours from the nearest airport, and its attractions are often an hour apart on dirt roads. Two attractions a day is a realistic plan; four is a schedule that collapses on the second morning.

The season is regional, not national

There is no single best time to visit Brazil. In most of the interior and the south-east it rains in the southern summer, from December to March. On much of the north-eastern coast the wettest months fall around the middle of the year. In the Amazon the relevant division is not rain but river level.

That means the same month can be excellent in one region and difficult in another, and it is why choosing the destination and choosing the dates are the same decision rather than two.

Fewer places, more days

The most reliable improvement to a Brazilian itinerary is to cut it. Two regions in two weeks is a good trip; four is a sequence of transfers with sightseeing attached. A region given five days shows you its ordinary life as well as its postcards, and that is usually what people remember.