Brazil is famous for its carnivals, soccer stars, beaches and rainforests, but this largest country of South America has yet much more to offer for visitors. As a nation of great size and diversity, Brazil contains some of the biggest cities in the world, packed with nice restaurants, lively nightlife and things to see, as well as scenic mountain areas, indigenous tribes, world-famous musical styles, tropical jungles and wetlands teeming with wildlife and little colonial towns with world-renowned cultural and historical attractions.
Nature of Brazil is equally diverse. The world-famous rainforests of The Amazon region attract visitors with their exotic flora and fauna as well as indigenous cultures, and the wetlands of Pantanal are the other stunning ecotourism destination in Brazil. The state of Bahia offers its visitors unique African-influenced culture and food as well as baroque and colonial architecture in its capital Salvador, as well as great trekking opportunities. The Iguacu Falls in the border of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina are yet another natural wonder in Brazil you should not miss.
Brazilian beaches offer everything beach-goers could hope for. Fortaleza and Natal in the sunny Northeast of Brazil are home to great beaches and the best climate for sunbathing in Brazil. Jericoacoara is another place in Brazil for relaxing beach holidays, and Recife and Paraty also have excellent beaches as well as historic and cultural attractions. The remote Fernando de Noronha archipelago is renowned for its excellent diving possibilities, and Florianopolis in the South of Brazil for its beaches and surfing. Although you can find carnivals from every corner of Brazil, the biggest ones are the carnivals in Salvador, Rio de Janeiro and Recife. Brazil surely has something in store for every taste!
Traveling to Brazil is usually done by air, and most foreign visitors arrive to Brazil via Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo airports. Flights to Brazil are available from all major cities all over the world.
Tourism attractions in Brazil: beaches, carnivals, cities, wildlife and jungle tours
Where to go in Brazil, since it is such big country? There are plenty of choices. Rio de Janeiro is one of the world’s most intriguing cities. With famous white sand beaches, great surfing, wild nightlife with samba and bossa nova music and the famous carnivals, Rio has it all. São Paulo is the business and culture capital of whole South America that is also one of the biggest cities in the world, offering visitors nightlife, shopping and some world-class museums. The capital city Brasília, on the other hand, is famous for its modern architecture and city planning, Curitiba for its parks and museums, and Ouro Preto for its colonial architecture.Nature of Brazil is equally diverse. The world-famous rainforests of The Amazon region attract visitors with their exotic flora and fauna as well as indigenous cultures, and the wetlands of Pantanal are the other stunning ecotourism destination in Brazil. The state of Bahia offers its visitors unique African-influenced culture and food as well as baroque and colonial architecture in its capital Salvador, as well as great trekking opportunities. The Iguacu Falls in the border of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina are yet another natural wonder in Brazil you should not miss.
Brazilian beaches offer everything beach-goers could hope for. Fortaleza and Natal in the sunny Northeast of Brazil are home to great beaches and the best climate for sunbathing in Brazil. Jericoacoara is another place in Brazil for relaxing beach holidays, and Recife and Paraty also have excellent beaches as well as historic and cultural attractions. The remote Fernando de Noronha archipelago is renowned for its excellent diving possibilities, and Florianopolis in the South of Brazil for its beaches and surfing. Although you can find carnivals from every corner of Brazil, the biggest ones are the carnivals in Salvador, Rio de Janeiro and Recife. Brazil surely has something in store for every taste!
Brazil travel information and practical tips
The climate in Brazil varies greatly between different regions of this vast country. While most parts of Brazil are tropical with just dry and rainy seasons, the temperate south of the country has four seasons. There are also big differences in precipitation: While The Amazon region is one of the world's rainiest places, Northeast Brazil is very dry and is the sunniest part of Brazil.Traveling to Brazil is usually done by air, and most foreign visitors arrive to Brazil via Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo airports. Flights to Brazil are available from all major cities all over the world.
Photo: Mike Vondran, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)
International bus services connect Brazil with most of the surrounding countries and comfortable long distance buses are the main transport form between different regions in Brazil. There is also a good network of domestic flights between Brazilian cities. The road network in Brazil is not in the best condition but it is easy to navigate on the main highways. The railway network of Brazil, on the other hand, is today reduced to minimal.
Hotels in Brazil are available for every taste and budget, ranging from luxury resorts to modest and cheap hostels or guesthouses. Restaurants and nightlife is easy to find in all Brazilian cities. English is not widely spoken in Brazil but in the tourist areas many people speak a bit of English. Spanish is more widely understood.
Safety. Brazil and especially the big cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have reputation for being dangerous places. Street crime is not uncommon in Brazil and violent attacks against both foreigners and locals do happen, but lately the crime rates in Brazil have dropped substantially thanks to the state’s efforts of reducing crime. Still, it is advisable to be very cautious while in the city streets or beaches in Brazil as well as in traffic.
Short history of Brazil
Originally inhabited by indigenous people of mainly Tupi and Guarani origin, Brazil was founded by the Portuguese in 1500. It became a colony of Portugal for the following three centuries, and a plantation-based economy based on slave labor was set up. Millions of Africans were brought to Brazil to work in the sugarcane fields and gold mines of the colonies, as the indigenous population of Brazil was being exterminated.Brazil became independent in 1822 as an empire and turned into a republic in 1889. In the 1800s, there was a second wave of European immigration into Brazil, mainly from Italy and Germany. In the 1900s there were long periods of military rule in Brazil until 1985. Because of the natural resources of its vast interior and its large population, Brazil is today the leading economic power in South America, but inequality in income distribution and high crime rates are still major problems.
