Brazil

Located in the east of South America, Brazil is the largest country in the continent, spanning across 4 standard time zones (UTC−2, UTC−3, UTC−4 and UTC−5). It is bordered by 10 other countries: French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana and Venezuela to the north, Colombia to the northwest, Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay to the west, Argentina to the southwest and Uruguay to the south. This means that every country in South America, with the exception of Ecuador and Chile, borders Brazil. The east of the country is bathed by the South Atlantic Ocean, offering incredible beaches and seaside cities like Rio de Janeiro.

Being the 7th most populous country in the world, with a population of about 200 million (2022 estimate), Brazil is a mostly Christian country (almost 89%), around 65% being Roman Catholics and 22% Protestants. It is also one of the most diverse countries due to its high rate of immigration. 

Due to its large size, Brazil has a great variety of landscapes and weather conditions. Most of its climate is considered tropical, but there are different climate and microclimate types across the country (about 11), and you can even see snow in Southern Brazil, in the highlands of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.

The currency used in Brazil is the Brazilian real (R$).

The capital of Brazil is one many people get wrong. Despite their popularity and importance, it is neither Rio de Janeiro nor São Paulo, but Brasília. Unlike other countries, where their capital is a historical city and one of the top places to visit, Brasília was built between 1956-1960 to serve as Brazil’s administrative division, and as a cosmopolitan city, it lacks the charm and beauty that you can find in other places across the country – making it less appealing to tourists. Top things to do here include cultural activities such as visiting museums like MUSEU Nacional da República and Memorial JK as well as religious and interesting buildings like Cathedral of Brasília and Temple of Good Will.

While Brazil holds a special place in my heart, it is also one of the countries I visited with the highest corruption and crime levels – something you should definitely not ignore while visiting. It is true that you might not even encounter a situation where you feel unsafe, but many tourists have been mugged, threatened and even killed during their time in the country, so it’s important you keep your guard up and follow a few rules that will help you enjoy your time here as opposed to remember it as a bad memory:

• Do not walk alone at night, especially as a female. This is a rule that you should follow in many other countries, and Brazil is definitely no exception
• Do not walk around displaying your belongings. No matter how much you are used to doing so, do not walk around with your phone, watch, jewelry, camera gear and other belongings. If you decide to carry expensive gear, make sure to insure it, hide it in a non-flashy backpack and be prepared to give it away if robbed.
• Which takes me to the next point – Don’t be a hero. Always prioritise your life. No matter how expensive whatever someone is trying to take away from you is, it is never as valuable as your life. There is no room for haggling with muggers – just hand over whatever they ask from you, and go about your life
• Have a dummy wallet and phone – this might actually help you in case of being mugged, as long as you have your actual wallet and phone well hidden
• Try to blend in and avoid attracting attention. Tourists are easy targets, especially when they do not speak the language. Traveling in groups and if possible, having a Portuguese speaker with you makes your visit go a lot smoother
• Police might not be on your side. Just like many other countries where corruption is high, police might not always be able (or want to) help you. There have been cases where tourists ran to the police station seeking for help just to be asked to leave – meanwhile, their attackers were waiting for them on the outside of the building. This is obviously not a rule, and many might be willing to help, but don’t be surprised if this happens to you
• Do your research and stick to touristic areas. Do not walk into any dodgy alleys or streets, if possible take Uber instead of public transportation, hire a guide if visiting a more deserted, less touristy location and only use your phone and camera in places that are safe to do so. Touristic areas are generally safe.
• Be skeptical about spontaneous invitations coming from locals. This is probably the rule that hurts the most. As someone who has a lot of Brazilian friends and knows that many of them are friendly, kind and even givers, there is also the other side of the coin: people who pretend to be approachable and have your best interests at heart, so that they can take advantage of you when you least expect it. While this is true all across the globe, I have unfortunately heard enough stories of people who have felt victim to this while staying in Brazil, some of them ending in a more tragic note than others.

Like any other country, it is important to check travel vaccination before you visit Brazil. Please consult with your health provider about which vaccines you should get. Some of these might include Hepatitis A, Rabies, Typhoid and Yellow Fever. When booking your vaccination, have in mind that you might react badly to certain vaccines, and so, booking just before your day off might be a better option. A lot of people have reported getting bad side effects from Yellow Fever while in my case, I only reacted badly to the combined Hepatitis A + Typhoid jab.

Unlike other countries where you can just rent a car and drive around to explore the entire area, Brazil is too big for that. Driving from one end to another would take days and unnecessary detours since you will have mountains and lakes on the way, forcing you to go around them. For that reason, you will most likely have to fly around when travelling across different states. When exploring the area, I would recommend using Uber over a rental car, mostly for safety reasons – rental cars are easy targets for mugging and carjacking, especially during high traffic and in the event of a breakdown. On top of that, Uber can be quite cheap in Brazil at least for most visitors.