Currently, Brazil is one of the most accessible countries in South America when travelling from South Africa – but this is definitely not the only attraction! Sun, sea, and sand kaleidoscope together as Brazil. It is South America's largest country and is, perhaps, its most mythical.

Brazil ignites the imagination like no other destination. With a coast pushing out into the Atlantic, Brazil stretches to contain all within: rainforests and mountains, remote villages and pulsing cities, legends and myths, music and dance. It is the land of capoeira and Carnaval; it houses the world's largest rainforest (the Amazon) and one of its largest cities. Brazil is a land of extremes: beauty, poverty, wealth, and heat. It is not for the faint-hearted. For those who are passionate, clever, and eager to live each day with an appetite for adventure, pleasure, and intoxicating beauty, Brazil is not to be missed. You must travel here at least once in your life!

Flying in directly to Sao Paulo, it’s just a short flight or bus ride to Rio de Janeiro, the bustling, samba-ing, partying, ocean-edge city! Rio is also the doorway to two of our favourite little island getaways – Ilha Grande and Paraty.

Perhaps in a completely different trip to Brazil, you have to visit the Amazon Jungle, and spend some time travelling up the east coast.

When to go

What to do:

• Dance and experience the urban pulses of São Paulo and Rio
• See the big city sites: cable car, trams, favelas, and winding streets
• Explore the atmospheric cities of Salvador and Recife in the secret Northeast
• Visit Amazonia - cruise through the rainforest and fish for piranhas
• Lounge on the world-famous beaches along Costa Verde and Ilha Grande
• Take a boat-ride beneath the magnificent Iguazu Falls
• Taste Brazil's famous rum at a Cachaça distillery
• Dance samba in Carnaval

Where to go in Brazil

• Amazonia
• Costa Verde
• Fernando de Noronha (the Forbidden Island)
• Fortaleza
• Iguazu Waterfalls/Iguaçu National Park
• Ilha Grande
• Natal
• Paraty
• Porto de Galinhas
• Recife
• Rio de Janeiro
• Salvador da Bahia and the Northeast region
• São Luis
• São Paulo

Notable events

Visa and Health Requirements for Brazil

Vaccination - Yellow Fever vaccinations are compulsory; Hepatitis A, Typhoid and Malaria Prophylaxis are recommended.

Updated June 2010