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Brazil 🇧🇷

backpacking South America Brazil 🇧🇷Rainwater dune lagoons, jungle treks and sunset crowds on Rio’s rocks.

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Backpacking Brazil in 2027

A complete guide including when and where to go, costs, transport, itineraries, and practical travel advice.
What a trip here is really like

Backpacking Brazil
By Johan Kruseman 🇳🇱 | Updated October 20, 2026

In São Paulo, the best cheap night out is at a SESC.
These cultural centers, funded by a levy on Brazilian commerce, run dozens of venues across the city with concerts, exhibitions and public pools, and many of the art shows cost nothing. SESC Pompeia, a converted drum factory reworked by architect Lina Bo Bardi, puts on gigs for a fraction of what clubs charge.
Brazil earns the long flight through range: rainwater lagoons between the dunes of Maranhão, the wetlands of the Pantanal, colonial gold towns in Minas Gerais and a music culture that spills onto the street every Friday. The food matters as much. In Belém I had açaí the way the north eats it, unsweetened and gritty, cold against my teeth, spooned beside fried fish and a heap of toasted cassava flour, and the sweet smoothie version has tasted like candy to me ever since. Plan around four practical problems. Distances are enormous (Rio to Salvador is roughly 1,600 km by road), so overland hopping eats days; book domestic flights a few weeks out, when fares drop. Phone snatching is common in Rio and São Paulo, so keep yours in a front pocket on the street. US, Canadian and Australian travelers need an e-visa again, so apply well before you fly. And skip Carnival in Rio unless it’s the whole point of your trip: rooms cost several times the normal rate and come with multi-night minimums.
Compared with Peru or Bolivia, Brazil costs more day to day and has far fewer ruins, but its beaches and social life are in another league. Argentina, its rival for steak and late nights, has nothing like the tropical coast. Brazil suits travelers who want two or three weeks in a couple of regions, who will dance badly with strangers and learn some basic Portuguese. It doesn’t suit anyone trying to tick off ten cities on a tight budget, or anyone expecting Spanish to carry them.

👉 Get the 📖 Travel Guide of Brazil
Brazil is larger than the contiguous United States, and the most expensive mistake here is cramming in too much. On a month-long trip, pick two or three of these regions and fly between them, because overland legs between them run 20 to 30 hours. São Paulo earns a day for its food if you land there. Brasília only justifies a stop if modernist architecture is your thing.

Rio de Janeiro and the Costa Verde (Rio de Janeiro, Paraty, Ilha Grande)

Rio is loud, social and steep: volleyball at Ipanema’s Posto 9, samba in Lapa past midnight. Christ the Redeemer eats a whole morning in queues unless you ride the first cog train from Cosme Velho. The 45-minute Morro Dois Irmãos hike from Vidigal gives a better view for less. Keep your phone pocketed on Copacabana’s sidewalks. Buses reach Paraty in 4.5 to 5 hours. Car-free Ilha Grande, about 3 hours by van plus a boat, suits hikers more than partiers.

Bahia (Salvador, Morro de São Paulo, Chapada Diamantina)

Salvador is Brazil’s most African city, with drum rehearsals echoing through Pelourinho and acarajé frying in dendê oil on corners. Refuse the Senhor do Bonfim ribbons pushed onto your wrist, because the tie-on “gift” becomes a payment demand. The 2-hour catamaran to Morro de São Paulo gets rough, so take seasickness pills. Overnight buses reach Lençóis in 6 to 7 hours. Hire a local guide there, since trails are badly marked. The multi-day Vale do Pati trek is the best walking in the Northeast.

The Amazon (Manaus, Rio Negro, Alter do Chão)

Manaus is a hot, traffic-clogged city of two million with a famous opera house and very little forest. The rainforest worth seeing starts hours upriver. Ignore airport and harbor touts selling one-day jungle tours, which amount to the Meeting of the Waters and a captive sloth photo. Book a Rio Negro lodge for at least three nights. Flights from São Paulo take about 4 hours. Alter do Chão’s white river beaches appear from roughly August to December, and hammock boats from Manaus take 2 to 3 days.

Iguaçu Falls (Foz do Iguaçu, Iguaçu National Park, Itaipu Dam)

Foz do Iguaçu is a functional border town, and the falls are the only reason to come. Flights from São Paulo take under 2 hours. The Brazilian side needs just a half day for its panoramic walkway and the spray-soaked platform at the base. Give the Argentine side a full day, because its catwalks run right over the Garganta del Diablo. Bring your passport for the crossing. Arrive at opening to beat the tour buses. Two days is right, and a third is mostly waiting around.

Pantanal and Bonito (Cuiabá, Transpantaneira, Campo Grande, Bonito)

The Pantanal is flat, hot, mosquito-thick wetland, and the best place in South America to see wild jaguars, mainly by boat from Porto Jofre at the end of the Transpantaneira, from July to October. Skip it during the December to March floods on a short trip, when wildlife scatters and roads wash out. Cuiabá and Campo Grande are about 2 hours by air from São Paulo. Bonito, 4 hours by road from Campo Grande, caps daily visitors on its clear-river snorkels, so book before arriving in high season.
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Why go?What makes this country worth the trip

Scenery

Brazil’s scenery is strongest where rock meets water: granite domes dropping straight into the Atlantic … read more 👉
Brazil’s scenery is strongest where rock meets water: granite domes dropping straight into the Atlantic around Rio, and waterfalls pouring off sandstone plateaus deep in the interior. Chapada dos Veadeiros, about three and a half hours north of Brasília, is the best inland example, with canyons, quartz-studded trails and falls over 100 meters high crossing a high plateau of grassland and twisted cerrado trees. Fernando de Noronha, a volcanic archipelago off the northeast coast, has the country’s most dramatic coastline, though a daily environmental fee and island prices make it a splurge rather than a backpacker stop. Be blunt with yourself about the famous Rio viewpoints: Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf justify the queue on a clear day and waste your money in cloud, when the view is solid white. Also know that much of the interior between scenic areas is flat farmland, so a long bus ride often means ten hours of soybean fields.
I would check a live webcam before heading up Corcovado, and on a clear morning I’d go at opening time to beat the tour groups.

Wildlife

Brazil is the most biodiverse country on Earth by most counts, but whether you actually see anything … read more 👉
Brazil is the most biodiverse country on Earth by most counts, but whether you actually see anything depends entirely on where you go. The Pantanal wins easily: open wetland means animals are in plain view, from capybara families and caimans by the hundred to hyacinth macaws and giant otters. Between July and October, boat trips from Porto Jofre on the Cuiabá River find jaguars on the riverbanks with high success rates. The Amazon is the opposite. The forest is dense, most animals live high in the canopy, and first-timers often come away with birds, distant monkeys and pink river dolphins. Go for the river life and the forest itself, and keep animal expectations modest. On the coast, humpback whales calve around the Abrolhos archipelago off southern Bahia from about July to November, and the Atlantic Forest near Rio and São Paulo shelters marmosets and toucans within an hour of the cities. Skip any outfit offering to let you hold a sloth or a caiman for a photo; the handling harms the animals.
Pack binoculars. In Brazil they make a bigger difference than a better camera.

Backpackers

Brazil’s backpacker scene stands out because so much of it is Brazilian. Students and young professionals … read more 👉
Brazil’s backpacker scene stands out because so much of it is Brazilian. Students and young professionals travel their own country hard during the January holidays and long weekends, alongside Argentines, Chileans and Europeans, so common rooms mix languages and you’ll often be the one learning Portuguese card games. The best hostel towns are compact and walkable: Paraty, Jericoacoara, Itacaré, Vale do Capão and Ilha Grande, where everyone ends up at the same handful of bars by midnight. In Rio, Botafogo and Santa Teresa make the most social city bases. Florianópolis is excellent in summer and dead in winter, when many beach hostels close or empty out. The big party hostels in Rio’s Lapa district are fun for a night or two, but the noise and the hard-drinking crowd wear thin fast. Hostels here are generally well run, with kitchens, included breakfasts and staff who organize outings.
In small towns like Jericoacoara or Vale do Capão, sign up for the hostel’s own day trips; they’re the fastest way to find your crew for the week.

Beach life

Brazil has roughly 7,500 km of Atlantic coastline, and the beach works as the country’s living room. … read more 👉
Brazil has roughly 7,500 km of Atlantic coastline, and the beach works as the country’s living room. Families, office workers and grandparents share the same sand, rent a chair and umbrella from a barraca (beach kiosk), and order grilled cheese on a stick, cold beer and green coconuts without getting up. In Rio, watch the footvolley games or join a frescobol rally and you’ll understand the city faster than in any museum. Bring a canga, the thin sarong locals lie on; towels collect sand and mark you as a visitor. For swimming, Copacabana is a poor choice, with rough surf, cooler water and more vendors than swimmers. Head north instead, where the coast around Maceió, Porto de Galinhas and Bahia stays warm year-round and offshore reefs create natural pools you can snorkel. Fernando de Noronha has the country’s best diving, with visibility that often passes 30 meters. Nightlife follows the sand: in Jericoacoara and Itacaré, forró dancing starts late and runs toward dawn.
Check the tide table before planning a snorkel day, because the reef pools only appear at low tide.

People

Brazilians tend to treat a foreigner as someone worth talking to. Ask for directions and you may get … read more 👉
Brazilians tend to treat a foreigner as someone worth talking to. Ask for directions and you may get walked to the corner, plus a question about where you’re from and what you make of Brazilian football. Physical closeness comes easily, with a hand on the arm mid-sentence and goodbyes that take ten minutes, and humor runs on gentle teasing and self-mockery about the country’s chaos. People you chat with at a bar will add you on WhatsApp within minutes, and a casual invite to a Sunday churrasco is usually sincere. Accept it. Spanish only gets you partway: plenty of people understand it, but replying in Portuguese, even clumsily, earns a far warmer reaction. Drop one gesture before you arrive: the OK sign made with thumb and forefinger is offensive here, while the thumbs-up is used constantly for everything from thanks to yes. Directness about plans is rare, so a vague yes can mean no.
Football is the quickest way in. Watch a match at a neighborhood bar in a neutral shirt and the regulars will explain everything, loudly and at length.

Food

Brazil’s food is regional, filling and built around a big lunch. The everyday hero is the comida a quilo, … read more 👉
Brazil’s food is regional, filling and built around a big lunch. The everyday hero is the comida a quilo, a self-serve buffet where you pay by plate weight, which lets you try ten dishes without ordering blind. The prato feito, rice, beans, meat, salad and farofa on one plate, is the workers’ lunch and the best-value meal in any town. Eat by region: Minas Gerais for pão de queijo and tutu (mashed beans) with pork and garlicky kale, Bahia for moqueca stewed in coconut milk and dendê oil, and Belém for tacacá, a sour shrimp broth with jambu leaves that make your lips tingle, sold from street stalls in the late afternoon. Feijoada, the black bean and pork stew, traditionally appears on Wednesdays and Saturdays; eat it at a busy lunch spot rather than a tourist restaurant. The all-you-can-eat churrascarias aimed at visitors in Copacabana are poor value, and a neighborhood botequim grilling picanha serves better meat for less.
Juice stands are everywhere, so order the fruits you can’t name, such as cajá, cupuaçu or acerola.

Low cost

Backpacking Brazil on a budget runs about R$165 to 300 a day (roughly US$30 to 55), covering a hostel … read more 👉
Backpacking Brazil on a budget runs about R$165 to 300 a day (roughly US$30 to 55), covering a hostel dorm, two meals out, local transport and the occasional entry fee. That sits above Bolivia or Peru and below Uruguay, and the spread between regions is wide. Minas Gerais and the interior of the Northeast are the easiest on your wallet, while Rio, Florianópolis in summer, Fernando de Noronha and the Pantanal lodges push the average up fast. Savings come built into daily life: hostel breakfasts big enough to carry you to a late lunch, supermarket beer, and street snacks like coxinha and pastel at local prices. Pix, the instant bank transfer system, is how Brazilians pay for almost everything, but it generally needs a Brazilian bank account, so carry a card and some cash for small stalls. Airport exchange counters give poor rates; withdraw reais from bank ATMs such as Banco do Brasil or Bradesco instead.
Avoid Brazilian school holidays (January, July) and long weekends if you can, since beach-town rooms climb noticeably and the cheap dorm beds go first.

Mountains

Brazil’s mountains are old, green and made of granite: no snow or glaciers, but sheer rock towers, cloud … read more 👉
Brazil’s mountains are old, green and made of granite: no snow or glaciers, but sheer rock towers, cloud forest and ridge walks above the Atlantic coast. The Serra dos Órgãos near Rio is the classic, home to the needle-shaped Dedo de Deus and the Petrópolis to Teresópolis traverse, a roughly 30 km, three-day route over exposed granite and one of the country’s toughest popular hikes. Itatiaia, Brazil’s first national park, has the jagged Agulhas Negras and Prateleiras massifs, while Pico da Bandeira (2,892 meters) on the border of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo draws a pre-dawn crowd for sunrise. Heights stay modest. The highest summit, Pico da Neblina at 2,995 meters, lies on Yanomami land in the Amazon and requires permits and a full expedition, so it isn’t a realistic backpacker target. The dry winter months, roughly May to September, bring clear views and nights that can drop below freezing on the high ground; summer brings afternoon storms and slick trails.
Hire a guide or join a group for the traverse, because fog rolls in fast and the paint markings on bare rock vanish in it.

Uniqueness

Most visitors to Brazil stick to a short circuit of Rio, Iguaçu and Salvador, in a country bigger than … read more 👉
Most visitors to Brazil stick to a short circuit of Rio, Iguaçu and Salvador, in a country bigger than the contiguous United States, so you only need to go slow to leave the crowds behind. River travel in the Amazon shows this best. Passenger boats run between Belém, Santarém and Manaus, and you sling a hammock on a crowded deck beside families, sacks of produce and the odd motorbike, stopping at riverside towns with no road link. Belém to Manaus takes around five days upstream. In late June the island town of Parintins hosts the Boi Bumbá festival, where the rival groups Garantido and Caprichoso stage enormous folk performances in a stadium shaped like a bull’s head; it rivals Carnival for spectacle with a fraction of the foreign visitors. There are also quilombos, communities founded by people who escaped slavery, and some receive visitors, such as the Kalunga near Chapada dos Veadeiros and the villages of the Vale do Ribeira. Skip the short “indigenous village” tours sold around Manaus, which are staged performances for boat groups.
Buy your hammock and rope at the port market and board early to hang it far from the toilets and engine.

⭐ HighlightsKey places and experiences

  • Iguaçu Falls: On the Brazilian side, a walkway pushes out over the river toward the Garganta do Diabo, the horseshoe where most of the water drops, and within seconds the spray soaks you to the skin while the roar makes conversation pointless. The canyon trail gives the full panorama of roughly 275 separate falls (the count changes with the water level), something the Argentine side can’t match, while Argentina gets you closer to individual drops; give each side a day. Coatis patrol the snack kiosks and will raid any open bag, so keep food sealed.
  • Lençóis Maranhenses: From the crest of a dune, white sand runs to the horizon, broken by hundreds of blue and green lagoons that fill with rainwater each year. The sand stays cool enough to cross barefoot at midday, and the lagoons are bath-warm, with small fish darting around your ankles. Barreirinhas is the main base for 4x4 trips, while the village of Atins is quieter and closer to the emptier dunes. Stay into the late afternoon, when the light
… read more 👉
  • Iguaçu Falls: On the Brazilian side, a walkway pushes out over the river toward the Garganta do Diabo, the horseshoe where most of the water drops, and within seconds the spray soaks you to the skin while the roar makes conversation pointless. The canyon trail gives the full panorama of roughly 275 separate falls (the count changes with the water level), something the Argentine side can’t match, while Argentina gets you closer to individual drops; give each side a day. Coatis patrol the snack kiosks and will raid any open bag, so keep food sealed.
  • Lençóis Maranhenses: From the crest of a dune, white sand runs to the horizon, broken by hundreds of blue and green lagoons that fill with rainwater each year. The sand stays cool enough to cross barefoot at midday, and the lagoons are bath-warm, with small fish darting around your ankles. Barreirinhas is the main base for 4x4 trips, while the village of Atins is quieter and closer to the emptier dunes. Stay into the late afternoon, when the light turns the sand orange and the wind drops.
  • Vale do Pati, Chapada Diamantina: Brazil’s best multi-day trek spends three to five days in a deep valley walled by flat-topped mountains, with nights in the homes of farming families who still live there. Mornings start with roosters and wood-smoke coffee, dinners are rice, beans and chicken off a wood stove, and days go to waterfalls and viewpoints such as Morro do Castelo. Hire a local guide in Lençóis or Vale do Capão, because the trails fork constantly and signage is minimal.
  • Pelourinho, Salvador: The old upper city is a slope of pastel colonial houses and baroque churches, including São Francisco, whose interior is covered in gold leaf. On Tuesday nights drumming groups pack the steep lanes, and the air smells of acarajé, black-eyed-pea fritters fried in dendê palm oil by women in white Baiana dress. After dark, stay on the main lit streets and take a ride-hailing car back instead of walking down to the lower city.
  • Arpoador, Rio de Janeiro: The rock between Ipanema and Copacabana fills an hour before sunset with locals holding cans of beer, and when the sun slides behind the twin Dois Irmãos peaks, the whole crowd applauds. Surfers bob in the swell below, vendors shout their way through carrying iced mate and lemonade in metal barrels, and the granite stays warm under your palms long after dark. Arrive early in summer to claim a ledge.
Further out, the prehistoric rock paintings of Serra da Capivara in Piauí, the orange dunes and spring-fed fervedouros of Jalapão, and the white river beaches of Alter do Chão near Santarém all justify the extra flights, and Jalapão is where I would go first.
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🧭 RoutesLogical itineraries covering the highlights

The 14-Day Rio and Costa Verde Route


Two weeks in one corner of Brazil, trading highway time for city viewpoints, car-free islands and colonial cobbles. It’s an easygoing loop powered by buses and boats, ideal for a first visit.
  • Sunset from the cable car above Rio’s bay
  • Turquoise boat days in Arraial do Cabo
  • A jungle trail to Lopes Mendes on Ilha Grande
  • Schooner days around Paraty

👉 explore this 14-day route

The 21-Day Falls and Bahia Route


Three weeks that pair Rio’s icons with the thunder of Iguazu and the drum-filled streets of Salvador. The heart of it is a canyon trek and slow island days on the Bahian coast.
  • The Devil’s Throat walkway at Iguazu Falls
  • Pelourinho’s plazas and capoeira circles
  • A homestay trek through Vale do Pati
  • Car-free beaches in Morro de São Paulo

👉 explore this 21-day route

The 30-Day Grand Brazil Route


A month that crosses the country from baroque gold towns to the white dunes of the far north. Expect clear-river snorkeling, Bahian kitchens and a sand-road finale along the … read more 👉

The 14-Day Rio and Costa Verde Route


Two weeks in one corner of Brazil, trading highway time for city viewpoints, car-free islands and colonial cobbles. It’s an easygoing loop powered by buses and boats, ideal for a first visit.
  • Sunset from the cable car above Rio’s bay
  • Turquoise boat days in Arraial do Cabo
  • A jungle trail to Lopes Mendes on Ilha Grande
  • Schooner days around Paraty

👉 explore this 14-day route

The 21-Day Falls and Bahia Route


Three weeks that pair Rio’s icons with the thunder of Iguazu and the drum-filled streets of Salvador. The heart of it is a canyon trek and slow island days on the Bahian coast.
  • The Devil’s Throat walkway at Iguazu Falls
  • Pelourinho’s plazas and capoeira circles
  • A homestay trek through Vale do Pati
  • Car-free beaches in Morro de São Paulo

👉 explore this 21-day route

The 30-Day Grand Brazil Route


A month that crosses the country from baroque gold towns to the white dunes of the far north. Expect clear-river snorkeling, Bahian kitchens and a sand-road finale along the north coast.
  • Art pavilions at Inhotim and the churches of Ouro Preto
  • Floating down the glass-clear rivers of Bonito
  • Sunset dune walks in Jericoacoara
  • Rainwater lagoons in Lençóis Maranhenses

👉 explore this 30-day route

🌤️ When to go?A month-by-month overview

The best months for backpacking Brazil are May, June and September, when the Southeast and the interior are dry, the Brazilian school holidays are not running, and dorm beds sit at their normal R$60 to 120 (US$11 to 22) instead of the double or triple you pay in high summer.
The country is bigger than the contiguous United States, so timing shifts by region. The Amazon and the Pantanal run on a wet-dry cycle, the coast from Salvador to Recife takes its heaviest rain between April and July, and the south gets a proper winter with frost.

  • Summer peak (December to March): Rio and São Paulo swing between 28 and 38°C with sticky humidity and violent afternoon storms. Brazilian families are on vacation, New Year and Carnival land in this window, and coastal prices jump accordingly. The Amazon is at its wettest and much of the Pantanal floods, cutting off some lodges. Iguaçu Falls thunders at full volume, and beach towns are at their liveliest.
  • Autumn shoulder (April to June): Rain fades across the Southeast and Rio settles into 20 to 28°C days with clear skies. Rates drop after Easter, and the Amazon’s flooded forest lets canoes slip between treetops. Salvador and Recife are soggy, so this is the season for Rio, Minas Gerais and the lagoons of Lençóis Maranhenses.
  • Winter dry season (July and August): The interior dries out, which makes this the start of prime wildlife time in the Pantanal. July school holidays push domestic prices up in Bonito, Jericoacoara and the mountain towns. The south drops to 5 to 15°C, and the trade winds on the Ceará coast pick up for kitesurfing.
  • Spring shoulder (September to November): Central Brazil is at its driest and the Amazon at its lowest, exposing white river beaches near Santarém. Fernando de Noronha has its calmest, clearest water. Prices stay moderate until December, though rain returns to the Southeast from late October and wildfire smoke can haze the Cerrado and Pantanal.
The price gap is large: an Ipanema dorm bed that costs R$80 in September can top R$300 over New Year, with a four-night minimum attached.
If your dates touch New Year or Carnival, I’d book beds and long-distance buses two to three months out. Any other time I’d book a night or two ahead and pack a fleece, because air-conditioned night buses and June evenings in Curitiba both get properly cold.

source: climatestotravel.comJANJanuary: fair for travelingFEBFebruary: below average for travelingMARMarch: fair for travelingAPRApril: good for travelingMAYMay: highly recommended for travelingJUNJune: excellent for travelingJULJuly: fair for travelingAUGAugust: highly recommended for travelingSEPSeptember: excellent for travelingOCTOctober: good for travelingNOVNovember: good for travelingDECDecember: fair for traveling
!2022-02-13-16.33.37a50

💰 Costs (as of 2026)What things cost day to day

Backpacking Brazil costs most budget travelers US$35 to 55 a day, if you sleep in dorms, eat lunch-counter meals and get around by bus.
That puts the country well above Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, about level with Argentina these days, and below Chile and Uruguay. Prices are set in Brazilian reais, and they jump in Rio, Florianópolis and the beach towns between late December and Carnival.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Dorm accommodationUS$10 to 22 per nightA bed in a Copacabana or Botafogo hostel in Rio usually costs US$14 to 22. In Salvador’s Pelourinho or in Paraty you’ll more often pay US$10 to 15, and breakfast tends to be included. Expect double or triple rates over New Year and Carnival. Book stays of a week or longer directly with the hostel to get a lower rate. Bolivia runs closer to US$6 to 10.
MealsUS$10 to 18 per dayA “prato feito” (rice, beans, meat, salad) at a lunch counter costs US$4 to 7. A coxinha or pastel from a street stall runs US$1 to 2. Pay-by-weight “por quilo” buffets are US$6 to 10 for a full plate. Bread, fruit and coffee from a supermarket for breakfast and snacks add US$3 to 5. Overall, eating here costs about 30 percent more than in Peru.
Local transportUS$3
… read more 👉
Backpacking Brazil costs most budget travelers US$35 to 55 a day, if you sleep in dorms, eat lunch-counter meals and get around by bus.
That puts the country well above Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, about level with Argentina these days, and below Chile and Uruguay. Prices are set in Brazilian reais, and they jump in Rio, Florianópolis and the beach towns between late December and Carnival.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Dorm accommodationUS$10 to 22 per nightA bed in a Copacabana or Botafogo hostel in Rio usually costs US$14 to 22. In Salvador’s Pelourinho or in Paraty you’ll more often pay US$10 to 15, and breakfast tends to be included. Expect double or triple rates over New Year and Carnival. Book stays of a week or longer directly with the hostel to get a lower rate. Bolivia runs closer to US$6 to 10.
MealsUS$10 to 18 per dayA “prato feito” (rice, beans, meat, salad) at a lunch counter costs US$4 to 7. A coxinha or pastel from a street stall runs US$1 to 2. Pay-by-weight “por quilo” buffets are US$6 to 10 for a full plate. Bread, fruit and coffee from a supermarket for breakfast and snacks add US$3 to 5. Overall, eating here costs about 30 percent more than in Peru.
Local transportUS$3 to 30 per dayA city bus in Rio or São Paulo costs about US$0.85 to 0.95. A Rio metro ride is roughly US$1.40. Long-distance buses are the cheapest way to cover the country: Rio to São Paulo (about 6 hours) runs US$18 to 33, and an overnight ride to Foz do Iguaçu costs US$45 to 70. Sale fares on domestic flights sometimes come in under the bus fare for the longest routes.
ActivitiesUS$0 to 35 per dayThe beaches, trails and street parties are free, so the cost drivers here are the big attractions. The Sugarloaf cable car costs about US$35 and the Corcovado train about US$20 to 25. Entry to the Brazilian side of the Iguaçu Falls is US$18 to 20, and boat or island tours in Paraty run US$15 to 30. I would skip the cable car, hike Morro da Urca for free, and spend the savings on a Iguaçu Falls boat ride, which gets you right up to the falls.
MiscellaneousUS$4 to 10 per dayA beach caipirinha costs US$3 to 5, a fresh coconut US$1.30 to 2, and a can of beer from a kiosk US$1 to 1.50. Renting a beach chair and umbrella in Rio costs US$2 to 4 each. A local SIM with a month of data comes to US$8 to 15, and laundry service is about US$5 to 8 a load.
Total Daily BudgetUS$35 to 55A day in Salvador with a dorm bed, two prato feito meals and a city bus ride comes to around US$35. A day in Rio with one paid attraction and a few drinks on the beach reaches US$50 to 55. The same kind of day in Bolivia costs around US$25 to 30.
⚠️ Prices can change and everyone travels differently, so take this as a rough guide. Hope it helps you plan your adventure!

✈️ The backpacker research shortcutBrazil Travel Guide

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🛏️ Where to stay?Best areas to base yourself

Brazil has plenty of hostels, with dorm beds typically running R$50 to 120 (about US$9 to 22) a night and private rooms in simple guesthouses (pousadas) from roughly R$150 (US$27). In Rio de Janeiro, Ipanema and Copacabana put you a short walk from the beach and metro with decent street safety, while Botafogo is cheaper and full of bars, and Santa Teresa and Lapa trade easy beach access for hillside character and loud weekend nightlife that gets sketchy on empty streets after dark. In São Paulo, Vila Madalena and Pinheiros offer the best mix of bars, street art and safety near the metro, and in … read more 👉
Brazil has plenty of hostels, with dorm beds typically running R$50 to 120 (about US$9 to 22) a night and private rooms in simple guesthouses (pousadas) from roughly R$150 (US$27). In Rio de Janeiro, Ipanema and Copacabana put you a short walk from the beach and metro with decent street safety, while Botafogo is cheaper and full of bars, and Santa Teresa and Lapa trade easy beach access for hillside character and loud weekend nightlife that gets sketchy on empty streets after dark. In São Paulo, Vila Madalena and Pinheiros offer the best mix of bars, street art and safety near the metro, and in Salvador the Pelourinho is atmospheric but deserted and risky at night, so many travelers pick seafront Barra for quieter, safer streets.

If you enjoy meeting fellow travelers, consider choosing hostels with high ratings for atmosphere. On the other hand, if you prefer having your own space, a hotel might be a better option.

Best hostels in Brazil


Best quality hotels in Brazil

🚌 Getting aroundTransportation options and logistics

In Brazil, booking domestic flights three to six weeks ahead is the single habit that saves the most, because a 30-hour bus ride often costs as much as a sale fare on the same route. Distances are continental: Rio to Salvador is roughly 1,600 km by road. Price the fare with a checked bag included before you celebrate, since the cheapest tickets usually cover only a small carry-on.
  • Domestic flights: LATAM, Gol and Azul reach almost every city, with one-way fares typically R$300 to 900 (US$55 to 165)
… read more 👉
In Brazil, booking domestic flights three to six weeks ahead is the single habit that saves the most, because a 30-hour bus ride often costs as much as a sale fare on the same route. Distances are continental: Rio to Salvador is roughly 1,600 km by road. Price the fare with a checked bag included before you celebrate, since the cheapest tickets usually cover only a small carry-on.
  • Domestic flights: LATAM, Gol and Azul reach almost every city, with one-way fares typically R$300 to 900 (US$55 to 165) when booked early and often double that in the final week. Rio to Salvador takes about 2 hours, São Paulo to Manaus about 4. Book on the airline sites or a fare-comparison engine; adding a 23 kg bag at booking costs roughly R$100 to 200 per leg, and more at the airport. Budget an extra hour for airport transfers in São Paulo and Rio, where the main airports sit 15 to 30 km from the neighborhoods you’ll sleep in.
  • Long-distance buses: comfortable and mostly punctual on major routes. São Paulo to Rio is 6 to 7 hours for R$100 to 250 (US$18 to 45); Rio to Foz do Iguaçu is around 22 hours. Pay up for “leito” (near-flat seats) or “semi-leito” on overnight runs, because conventional seats get brutal after 10 hours. Buy at the rodoviária (bus terminal) or through apps such as ClickBus; some sites ask for a CPF (Brazilian tax number), so if checkout stalls, go to the company counter with your passport. The air conditioning runs arctic, so keep a warm layer in your daypack.
  • City metro and buses: a metro ride costs about R$5.40 in São Paulo and R$7.50 in Rio, and city buses run R$4.50 to 5.50. Tap a contactless bank card at the turnstiles in both cities and skip the ticket queue. Avoid near-empty buses late at night, and keep your phone pocketed near the doors, where snatch-thefts happen.
  • Ride-hailing apps: Uber and the local 99 app are cheaper and safer than flagging street taxis; a 5 to 10 km ride across Rio or São Paulo usually costs R$20 to 45 (US$4 to 8). Check the plate before you get in, and expect surge pricing during rain and when Carnival street parties break up.
  • Amazon riverboats: the slow link between Manaus, Santarém and Belém. Manaus to Belém takes about 4 days downstream; hammock space costs roughly R$400 to 700 (US$75 to 130) with basic meals, a cabin several times more. Buy directly at the port ticket offices, bring your own hammock and lock your bag to a post. If you’re short on time, skip it: you get days of wide brown river with the same tree line, and one flight covers the distance in about 2 hours.
With three weeks, I’d book an open-jaw international ticket (into Rio, out of Salvador or Manaus) and put the savings toward one internal flight instead of doubling back by bus.
Every major airport in Brazil has a cheap public transport link to town, usually a train, metro or bus for R$5 to 25 (about US$1 to 5), with ride-hailing apps as the fast, affordable backup.
São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport (GRU): about 25 km (16 miles) from the center.
  • CPTM train Line 13-Jade (45 to 70 minutes to Luz with a change, R$5.20 / about US$1): the station sits by Terminal 1, linked to Terminals 2 and 3 by a free shuttle bus, and trains run roughly 4am to midnight.
  • Airport Bus Service (45 to 90 minutes depending on traffic, R$45 to 50 / about US$8 to 9): comfortable coaches leave from outside the arrivals halls for Avenida Paulista, Congonhas airport and the Tietê and Barra Funda bus stations, with tickets sold at the counter or onboard by card.
  • EMTU bus 257 (40 to 60 minutes to Tatuapé metro, R$7 to 8 / about US$1.30 to 1.50): it stops outside each terminal and gets you onto metro Line 3 for the rest of the ride.
  • Taxi (45 to 90 minutes, R$150 to 220 / about US$27 to 40 to Paulista): official airport cabs have fixed-price ticket desks in arrivals and accept cards.
  • Uber or 99 (45 to 90 minutes, R$70 to 130 / about US$13 to 24): pickups are at signed app zones on the departures or parking levels of each terminal.
Rio de Janeiro Galeão International Airport (GIG): about 20 km (12 miles) from Centro and 35 km (22 miles) from Copacabana.
  • BRT TransCarioca plus Metro Line 2 (60 to 80 minutes to Centro, about R$12 to 13 / US$2.20 combined): catch the articulated buses outside Terminal 2 to Vicente de Carvalho, then switch to the metro, paying with a contactless bank card or a Jaé card from the station machines.
  • Premium airport bus line 2018 (60 to 120 minutes, R$20 to 25 / about US$4 to 5): it leaves from the arrivals level of both terminals and runs along the waterfront via Santos Dumont airport to Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, roughly 5:30am to 11pm.
  • Taxi (40 to 70 minutes, R$100 to 160 / about US$18 to 29 to the beach districts): use the prepaid desks inside arrivals for a fixed fare rather than drivers who approach you.
  • Uber or 99 (40 to 70 minutes, R$60 to 110 / about US$11 to 20): follow signs to the app pickup point, which keeps you away from the informal driver hustle.
Brasília International Airport (BSB): about 11 km (7 miles) from the Plano Piloto center.
  • Bus line 0.113 Aeroporto-Rodoviária (25 to 40 minutes, R$5.50 / about US$1): it stops outside arrivals and ends at the central Rodoviária do Plano Piloto, near the hotel sectors, running from early morning until around midnight.
  • Taxi (15 to 25 minutes, R$45 to 65 / about US$8 to 12): cabs queue directly outside arrivals and most take cards.
  • Uber or 99 (15 to 25 minutes, R$25 to 45 / about US$5 to 8): pickups are at the marked app area outside the terminal.
Recife Guararapes-Gilberto Freyre International Airport (REC): about 11 km (7 miles) from the center and 3 to 5 km (2 to 3 miles) from Boa Viagem.
  • Metro Linha Sul (20 to 30 minutes to Recife station in the center, about R$4 to 5 / US$0.80): a covered walkway connects the terminal to Aeroporto station, and trains run roughly 5am to 11pm.
  • City bus to Boa Viagem (15 to 30 minutes, about R$4.30 / US$0.80): local lines stop on the avenue outside the terminal, and you pay the conductor in cash or by card.
  • Taxi (10 to 30 minutes, R$30 to 60 / about US$5 to 11): the official rank is outside arrivals, with fares depending on whether you head to Boa Viagem or the old center.
  • Uber or 99 (10 to 30 minutes, R$15 to 40 / about US$3 to 7): the app pickup zone is signposted outside the arrivals hall.
Salvador Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport (SSA): about 28 km (17 miles) from the Pelourinho and historic center.
  • Metro Line 2 to Line 1 (50 to 70 minutes to Lapa or Campo da Pólvora, about R$5 to 6 / US$1): Aeroporto station is a short walk or free shuttle ride from the terminal, you change at Acesso Norte, and trains run roughly 5am to midnight.
  • Taxi (35 to 60 minutes, R$100 to 150 / about US$18 to 27): cooperative cabs wait outside arrivals and quote fixed fares by neighborhood.
  • Uber or 99 (35 to 60 minutes, R$50 to 90 / about US$9 to 16): follow signs to the app pickup point outside the terminal, and expect higher fares at night.
⚠️ Prices and routes can change, so take this as a rough guide and ask for local advice when you arrive.
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🔒 Safety (risk Level: medium)Staying safe while traveling

Safety for solo travelers, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals
Brazil is safe enough for solo travelers who take street crime seriously: theft, phone snatching and occasional armed robbery are the main risks, especially in Rio, São Paulo, Salvador and Recife after dark, so use ride-hailing apps at night, carry a cheap backup phone and avoid empty streets and beaches. Solo women travel here widely but should expect catcalling and persistent flirting, and taking extra care with drinks in nightlife areas is wise. Same-sex marriage has been legal nationwide since 2013 and São Paulo hosts one of the world’s largest Pride parades, making big cities generally welcoming for LGBTQ+ travelers. Still, the country records high levels of anti-LGBTQ+ violence, particularly against trans people, so discretion is sensible in rural areas and conservative small towns.


Full official government travel advisory (live updates)
View details 👉
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source: www.gov.uk

✈️ VisaVisa requirements for Brazil

Citizens of the EU, UK, most of South America and many other countries can visit Brazil visa-free for up to 90 days, but since April 2025 travelers from the United States, Canada and Australia need an e-visa. The e-visa is applied for online through the official portal linked from Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, costs about US$81 and usually takes around 5 to 10 business days to process. Other nationalities requiring a visa apply through the nearest Brazilian embassy or consulate, and all visitors need a passport valid for the length of their stay.

source: gov.br
⚠️ Visa requirements can change over time, so always check the latest visa requirements with the official embassy or government website before you travel.

🎒 What to pack?What to wear and bring

Packing for Brazil means planning for heat and humidity most of the year, with heavy tropical downpours, especially in the Amazon and on the coast during the rainy season, so quick-drying fabrics beat cotton every time. Don’t assume it’s always hot: the south (Curitiba, Porto Alegre, the Serra Gaúcha) and highland towns can drop close to freezing in June to August, and overnight buses and malls blast air conditioning. Beach culture is relaxed and skimpy swimwear is completely normal, but Brazilians dress neatly in cities, so bring at least one smart-casual outfit for restaurants and nightlife. Pack light and low-key, since an expensive-looking bag or flashy gear makes you a target, and leave room for strong sun and mosquito protection.

Apart from this country specific advice, I have also crafted a general packing list that should help on any trip. authorOver the years, I've learned the importance of packing minimally. It's so much easier to jump on the back of a truck or squeeze yourself into the last spot of a minibus without that supersized backpack. If you're headed to a warm destination, leave your winter jacket at home; for colder regions, opt for thin thermal underlayers. Instead of packing your entire wardrobe, bring just three sets of clothes, as laundry facilities are available everywhere.

View the full list 👉

🙋 FAQThings travelers often ask

Trip Planning

Planning a backpacking route through Brazil can be tricky — you need to balance must-see places, travel times, budget, and how long to stay in each destination. Our free personalized Brazil itinerary planner creates a route based on your travel style, trip duration, and interests, so you can spend less time researching and more time exploring.



Personal tip: I normally search on good rating for atmosphere (for meeting people) and location (for easy exploring). Cleanliness as a bonus.


Travel Essentials

No vaccinations are mandatory to enter Brazil for most travelers, but make sure routine shots (MMR, tetanus, diphtheria, polio) are up to date and consider hepatitis A, hepatitis B and typhoid. Yellow fever vaccination is strongly recommended for the Amazon, the Pantanal, Iguaçu Falls and much of the interior, and outbreaks have also reached rural parts of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais states. Rabies vaccination is worth considering for long stays in remote areas, and dengue, Zika and chikungunya are widespread, so reliable mosquito protection matters year-round.


vaccination requirements
When I first started traveling, I often spent part of my first day in a new country hunting for a local SIM card. While this can still be slightly cheaper, it also takes time and planning.

These days, it's much simpler to install an eSIM before leaving home. Once you arrive in Brazil, you can activate it immediately and have mobile data from the moment you land — which is especially useful for ordering transport or navigating away from busy airports.

There are many providers nowadays, and price differences are usually small. I personally go with Holafly, as it offers excellent network coverage throughout the country and strong global coverage, so you can manage multiple countries from a single app.


HolaFly eSim

Culture & Customs

Brazilians are warm, tactile and stand close when talking, so don’t read touching on the arm or shoulder as anything more than friendliness. Do dress neatly in cities and save swimwear for the beach; walking into a shop or restaurant in just a bikini or shirtless is frowned upon. Don’t use the OK hand sign (thumb and forefinger in a circle), which is an obscene gesture here, and don’t assume Brazilians speak Spanish or lump the country in with the rest of Latin America. Punctuality is relaxed at social gatherings, where arriving 30 minutes late is normal, but business meetings and tours run closer to on time. Toilet paper often goes in the bin rather than the toilet, and in churches you should cover shoulders and knees. Football is close to religion, so tread carefully with jokes about local clubs. Women may face machismo and unwanted attention, and a firm, clear no works better than politeness; same-sex couples can show affection freely in areas like Ipanema or São Paulo’s Frei Caneca and Rua Augusta, but keeping it low-key in rural areas and the conservative interior is advisable.
Trying traditional food is always a great way to experience the culture. Here are some must-try dishes for Brazil.
  1. Feijoada: a slow-cooked black bean stew with pork cuts and sausage, served with rice, collard greens, orange slices and farofa (toasted cassava flour). It’s Brazil’s unofficial national dish, traditionally eaten as a long lunch on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
  2. Moqueca: fish or shrimp stewed in a clay pot with tomatoes, onions and cilantro. The Bahian version adds coconut milk and dendê (palm) oil, while the Espírito Santo version skips them, and locals in each state will defend theirs loudly.
  3. Acarajé: black-eyed pea fritters deep-fried in dendê oil and split open with vatapá (a shrimp and peanut paste), dried shrimp and hot sauce. Sold by baianas in white dresses on Salvador’s streets, it has West African roots and is a sacred offering in Candomblé.
  4. Churrasco: Brazilian barbecue, with picanha (top sirloin cap) as the star cut. At a rodízio churrascaria, waiters carve skewers at your table until you flip your card to red, and the gaúcho tradition from the far south shapes the whole ritual.
  5. Pão de queijo: chewy cheese bread rolls made with cassava starch, naturally gluten-free. Originating in Minas Gerais, they’re eaten at breakfast and with coffee everywhere.
  6. Coxinha: a teardrop-shaped fritter of dough filled with shredded chicken and creamy cheese. It’s the top-selling snack in Brazilian lanchonetes (snack bars) and a cheap, filling meal on the go.
  7. Brigadeiro: a fudge ball of condensed milk, cocoa and butter rolled in chocolate sprinkles. No birthday party in the country happens without a tray of them.
Tap water in Brazil’s major cities is treated, but most locals don’t drink it straight from the tap and instead use household filters or bottled water. Drinking tap water isn’t recommended for travelers, especially in rural areas and the north, where treatment and old pipes are less reliable. Stick to bottled water (a 1.5-liter bottle costs about R$3 to 5) or a filter bottle, and you can safely accept the filtered water and ice served in restaurants and hostels.
The main language in Brazil is Portuguese. Backpacking is way more rewarding if you know a bit of the local language, so I'd suggest brushing up on the basics just in case your Portuguese skills have become a bit rusty.

Want to understand locals better?
The complete Travel Guide for Brazil includes 52 essential words and phrases — greetings, thank-yous, ordering food, transport, numbers, and common local expressions you'll actually hear.

Get your local basic phrases 👉

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English is not widely spoken in Brazil: you’ll find it at upscale hotels, tour agencies and some restaurants in Rio, São Paulo and Florianópolis, but even in big cities most shop staff, drivers and police speak only Portuguese. Younger, university-educated Brazilians and hostel staff are your best bet for English, while in rural areas and small towns in the north and northeast you should expect none at all. Spanish helps more than you’d think, since Brazilians often understand it when spoken slowly, even if they reply in Portuguese. Download Google Translate with the offline Portuguese pack and learn obrigado/obrigada (thank you), quanto custa (how much) and a conta, por favor (the bill, please), which carry you through most daily situations.

Money & Payments

The local currency of Brazil is BRL (R$).
ATMs are easy to find in cities across Brazil, but not every machine accepts foreign cards, so look for Banco24Horas, Bradesco, Banco do Brasil or Itaú ATMs, preferably inside malls, supermarkets or bank branches rather than on the street. Expect a local fee of roughly R$20 to 30 (US$4 to 6) per withdrawal on top of your own bank’s charges, and note that withdrawal limits drop sharply at night, so plan cash runs for daytime. Credit and debit cards, especially Visa and Mastercard, are accepted almost everywhere in cities, including bus terminals, supermarkets and many beach kiosks, though small towns, Amazon boats and street vendors may be cash-only or prefer Pix, the instant payment system that foreigners generally can’t use without a local bank account. Bring some US dollars or euros as a backup, as they are the easiest currencies to exchange. Change money at official casas de câmbio in cities, which give better rates than airport counters, and never change cash with people approaching you on the street.
Tipping in Brazil is simple: most restaurants and bars add a 10% service charge (“serviço”) to the bill, which is technically optional but customarily paid, and there’s no need to leave extra unless service was exceptional. Taxi and Uber drivers don’t expect tips, though rounding up is appreciated. Small tips of R$5 to 20 (US$1 to 4) for hotel porters, tour guides and beach chair attendants are welcome but not obligatory.

🧩 Nearby countriesNearby backpacking alternatives

📸 PhotosA visual impression of the trip

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Photographed by: Johan Kruseman

Travel stories from Brazil

Making a cup of coffee in the jungle

Making a cup of coffee in the jungle

Brazil | Making a cup of coffee takes a little more effort in the Amazon than hopping by your local Starbucks. You go by boat in search for some nice peace of wood You cut it and try to not let it fall in the water (#failed) You make a fire and cook the coffee The finishing touch is by putting the burining wood blo...
Read more
Trekking 21km barefooted through desert for one photo

Trekking 21km barefooted through desert for one photo

Brazil | Some photos require a little more effort than others. This one didn’t come cheap: 21km trekking barefooted through the desert, 35 degrees, in a burning sun without shadows for the full day. How rewarding was the swim in this little rainwater-filled laguna in between those beautiful endless sand dunes!...
Read more

Traveling full day to end up in a ghost town

Brazil | Traveling can be tough sometimes. I was trying to make my way to Jericoacoara on a Sunday and that appeared to be not the best idea. In the first step-over town I had to kill 3 hours; ended up chatting with the owner of a pet shop and to kill some more time went to a barbershop to get my beard removed. Finally a bus arrived and brought me to the n...
Read more
7 tattoos, 7 world wonders

7 tattoos, 7 world wonders

Brazil | Nailed it! I actually didn’t realise I would complete the seven world wonders this trip until I met a guy with all seven tattooed on his arm, half of them with dates. Checking his full arm brought me to the conclusion that I only needed Christ the Redeemer. Well buddy, here I am! Collosseum*: May 1994 Machu Picchu*: November 2003...
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Carnaval in Rio

Carnaval in Rio

Brazil | Woow. Carnaval in Rio! Not sure where to start. Rio was a concatenation of epic events. At one moment I found myself in the middle of some happy football hooligans supporting Flamengo (luckily they came back from 0-2, otherwise the ending would not have been happy), another moment you ask yourself why you decided to hike the steep trail to Christ t...
Read more
More stories

We 💚 feedbackIs Brazil worth visiting?

Brazil costs more than most of South America, and its social life makes up for it. The downside is plain: the big cities rarely feel cheap, and the sheer size of the country means a three-week trip can disappear into bus terminals and departure lounges. The upside is how quickly strangers turn into company. For a trip under a month, I’d pick two regions and stay at least five nights in any place you like. Social life here runs on repeat contact. The second time you show up at the same juice stand, botequim or capoeira class, you’re a regular, and that’s when the invitations and the good local advice start arriving. Go slower than feels efficient, carry a light rain jacket even to the beach, and leave a few days unplanned so you can say yes when someone offers to show you their town.

✈️ When did I visit Brazil?
Call it good timing or luck, but I was able to celebrate Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro in February 2022, after a round trip in the north and east coast. Originally written after my visit, this guide has been kept up to date with input from locals and recent travelers (last update: 20 October 2026)

✍️ Help improve this page!
The information on this page is based on my own backpacking experience in Brazil, supplemented with up-to-date research and feedback from other travelers. Travel details can change, so if you notice anything outdated or incomplete, feel free to let me know.



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👋 Meet the founderWho’s Behind Take Your Backpack?

Johan, backpacker and founder of TakeYourBackpackHi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.

This site is built on a combination of firsthand travel experience and carefully curated insights from other backpackers. Many guides are based on places I’ve personally visited, while others bring together tips, observations, and practical advice shared by trusted travelers I’ve met along the way.

The goal is to provide realistic, experience-driven guidance — not generic itineraries — so you can explore destinations with better context, clearer expectations, and more confidence.

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