The essential guide to visiting Brazil

South America’s largest country rattles every sense like a pandeiro (tambourine) in a samba circle, showcasing some of the world’s most jaw-dropping landscapes, an electrifying culture, and a welcoming attitude that greets travelers with arms open as wide as Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer). From Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Ipanema Beach to the jaguar-filled Pantanal to the Amazon rainforest, there’s no shortage of thrilling places to visit in Brazil. Here’s an essential guide to explore the fifth largest country in the world.

Best time to visit

Spring: During the southern hemisphere’s spring (September to December), book a safari in the Pantanal for peak wild jaguar sighting season and say prost (cheers) at one of the largest German festivals outside Europe at Oktoberfest Blumenau.

Summer: Peak season (December to March) brings the heat, summer rains, and parties to the streets of Rio de Janeiro for Carnaval (February or March) and Réveillon on New Year’s Eve. Or visit the culturally rich former capital, Salvador, to rediscover your axé (soulful, positive energy) at Lavagem do Bonfim (January) and the Yemanjá Festival (Festa de Iemanjá, February 2).

Fall: From March to June, world chart-toppers land in São Paulo for Lollapalooza (March) and on Rio’s Copacabana Beach for Todo Mundo no Rio (May). And it’s still warm enough for beaching – take your pick from more than 2,000 beaches on South America’s longest coast.

Winter: In June, Festas Juninas in the northeast features crowds dressing up in plaid and couples dancing to forró music. Winter, which lasts until September, also features the highest water levels between the dunes at UNESCO-listed Lençois Maranhenses, and the humpback whale migration off the coast of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro. Travelers should consider booking a tour with the partners of the conservation group Projeto Baleia Jubarte.

(10 iconic experiences in Brazil)

Key areas to explore

Southeast: Sip caipirinhas and sing along to bossa nova and samba hits in magical Rio de Janeiro. Cosmopolitan São Paulo has dozens of destination-worthy restaurants with must-try food, as well as numerous marvelous museums. Or take things slower in Minas Gerais, beloved for its cheese and colonial architecture. Visit Inhotim, an open-air museum spanning 346 acres with 24 galleries, 30 outdoor art installations, and eight themed botanical gardens. Wendell Silva, the site’s communication manager, says Inhotim is “a unique dialogue between art, nature and education which allows visitors to have unique and transformative experiences.”

Northeast: Go to the heart of Afro-Brazilian culture in Salvador, Brazil’s first capital, where drum beats, sizzling moqueca (fish stew), and demonstrations of capoeira (a martial art born out of resistance) are not-to-be-missed-experiences. From there, travel inland to hike around flat-topped peaks and gushing waterfalls in Chapada Diamantina. The former Dutch colony of Recife and its neighboring city of Olinda are vibrant arts hubs, home to UNESCO-listed frevo music and dance. They have some of the liveliest Carnaval celebrations too. Go surfing in Pipa and kitesurfing in Ceará, where there are nine months of good wind (July to February). Fernando de Noronha, an island with spectacular beaches frequented by dolphins and sea turtles, is also in the northeast.

North: Cruise the Amazon River from Manaus to see pink dolphins and stay in floating hotels. Visit Belém to taste unique Amazonian cuisine like tacacá (soup with shrimp, cassava, and jambu herb), and swim in white sand river beaches at Alter do Chão, the so-called “Caribbean of the Amazon.”

Center-West: Spotting a jaguar in the Pantanal, the world’s largest wetlands, isn’t just possible in dry season (June to November)—it’s pretty much guaranteed. It has hundreds more species, including giant anteaters, hyacinth macaws, and capybaras. “The Pantanal increasingly stands as an example of the strength and resilience of nature,” says Roberto Klabin, the conservationist founder of eco lodge Caiman House. Also in the centre-west is the Cerrado, the world’s most biodiverse biome—visit Chapada dos Veadeiros for a taste. And see Brasília’s modernist capital buildings designed by groundbreaking architect Oscar Niemeyer.

South: Work on that beach bod glow in health-conscious beach city Florianópolis, or trot along with Gaucho cattle ranchers in Rio Grande do Sul. Southern Brazil is also home to Iguazú Falls, an amphitheater of hundreds of massive waterfalls on the border with Argentina and Paraguay.

(The Pantanal wetland is Brazil's jaguar country—and a wildlife photographer's dream)

Taste of Brazil

Churrasco: Juicy steak cuts, including the showstopper picanha, sliced directly onto plates in a continuous carousel at all-you-can-eat rodizío churrascarías.

Feijoada: An Afro-Brazilian stew made with black beans and a mix of fatty beef and pork, served along with rice, collard greens, farofa (crunchy cassava flour), and an orange slice.

Moqueca: Sizzling seafood stew made with either pungent dendê palm oil (Bahia) or coconut milk (Espirito Santo).

Açaí: Antioxidant-rich superfood picked in the Amazon and served at room temperature or frozen and blended with fruit for the ultimate beach snack.

(Where to eat in Belem, Brazil's gateway to the Amazon)

Where to stay

Villa Paranaguá Hotel & Spa: Views of Pão de Açucár are more spectacular while you’re soaking in the pool at this 1930s mansion in Rio de Janeiro’s bohemian Santa Teresa neighborhood.

Uakari Lodge: The sustainable travel pioneer in the Amazon since opening in 1998, with floating lodges and tours that incorporate local Indigenous peoples.

Casa Caiman: A safari-style eco lodge in the Pantanal with a four-decade-long reputation for championing preservation.

(10 of the best hotels in Brazil for every kind of traveler)

Getting around

By air: Both São Paulo’s Guarulhos and Rio’s Galeão Airports have daily flights to the US and Europe. Domestic carriers include Gol, LATAM, and Azul.

By train: Urban metros are an effective and affordable way to get around cities like São Paulo, Rio, Brasília, and Belo Horizonte. For a scenic trip, take the Serra Verde Express from Curitiba through the Atlantic Forest to the coast of Paranaguá.

By bike: Download the Itaú Bike app, or scan via Uber to ride orange urban bicycles in São Paulo, Rio, Salvador, Recife, and Porto Alegre.

Know before you go

Portuguese: Few Brazilians speak English, and Spanish won’t be of much help to you. It’s ideal to learn some key words and phrases in Portuguese before the trip.

Safety: Brazilian cities struggle with high crime rates, but taking proper precautions and using common sense can help travelers avert mishaps. For instance, carry phones in an under-the-belt pouch when in crowds, and avoid walking at night on empty streets.

How to visit Brazil sustainably

Choose accommodations and operators wisely: Look for hotels and tours that work to preserve Brazil’s diverse biomes, which include limiting the use of single-use plastics and avoiding disruption to wildlife. Also, book with community-based operators run by residents who work closely with their neighbors and employ them as staff.

Learn about Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous cultures: Visiting Brazil from an Afrocentric perspective can also be a way of traveling sustainably, according to Carina Santos, director of Afrotrip Brasil. “For example, in Bahia, traditional communities called quilombos work to protect the environment and live in harmony with nature,” she says. Santos also recommends visiting a Candomblé temple, where ceremonies and rituals are sacred acts that honor and preserve the natural world.

Joel Balsam is a Rio de Janeiro-based journalist and author of more than a dozen travel guidebooks. Follow him on Instagram.