Skip to content

Start here

First time in Brazil? Read these in this order.

There is a lot on this site and no obvious front door, so this is the front door. Six steps, an hour of reading in total, and by the end you will know roughly when you are going, which part of the country you are going to, and what still needs sorting.

  1. Work out when you can go

    Do this first, even though nobody does. Brazil is bigger than the lower forty-eight and it has no single high season: the Pantanal is at its best when the Amazon is hardest, and the far northeast is warm in the month Florianópolis empties out. Pick the month you can actually travel and the shortlist writes itself.

    Open the calendar

  2. See which part of the country that points at

    Five regions, and they are five different countries as far as a traveler is concerned. This is the fastest way to understand which one you have been picturing, and which one your month is pointing you toward.

    Open the map

  3. Read up on two or three places, not ten

    The most common mistake on a first trip is trying to see everything. Two hubs and one landscape is a good two weeks. Pick a few that keep coming up and read those properly.

    All destinations

  4. Look at a trip somebody has already worked out

    Seeing a real route with real day counts is the fastest way to understand what fits and what does not. Follow one yourself, or use it to work out what you would change.

    See the itineraries

  5. Sort the practical half

    Visas, safety, money, phones, getting around. Americans have needed an eVisa since April 2025 and it is the single most common thing people find out too late. This shelf is being written now, so check back as it fills in.

    Before you go

  6. Ask me the thing you are still stuck on

    There is always one question a website does not answer, and it is usually the one holding up the whole trip. I do four free calls a week for exactly that. No pitch, nothing to buy.

    Get trip advice

One thing worth saying plainly: you do not need all of this to have a good trip. Plenty of people land in Rio with a vague plan and come home happy. This is for the people who would rather not leave it to chance, and who would rather hear it from someone who lives here than from a list of the top ten beaches.

Free · 29 pages

Free guide

Beginner's Guide to Brazil

A free 29-page guide to everything a first-time visitor should know before landing: visas, safety, money, getting around, where to go, and what to eat.

We'll email you a link to confirm your address. Click it and the guide opens right away.

See what's inside

I am offering free consultation calls for anyone that’s interested in traveling to Brazil. Learn directly from someone that has traveled throughout Brazil. Even if you have no ideas for your trip, let’s talk about it!

Get trip advice