Brazil

Rio, the Amazon, Iguaçu and endless beaches.

US travel advisory: Level 2 · checked 2026-11-02

Photo: Rafael Rabello de Barros · CC BY-SA 3.0

This is a first draft of the Brazil list. The full region guide is being written, and tiers may still change.

The Short List

Must-See

Cities · UNESCO

Rio de Janeiro

The most spectacular city setting anywhere, with Sugarloaf, Christ the Redeemer, Copacabana and Ipanema.

Guide Coming Soon

Must-See

Nature · UNESCO

Iguazu Falls

Paraná and Misiones

Hundreds of waterfalls on the Brazil-Argentina border, wider than Niagara and taller too. See both sides.

Guide Coming Soon

Must-See

Nature · Amazon

Manaus and the Brazilian Amazon

Amazonas

Jungle lodges and river trips from a rubber-boom city with a famous opera house.

Guide Coming Soon

Must-See

Festivals & Seasons · Carnival

Rio Carnival

Rio de Janeiro

The world's biggest party: samba schools parade through the Sambadrome, and street parties take over.

Guide Coming Soon

Must-See

Nature · UNESCO

Pantanal

Mato Grosso

The world's largest tropical wetland, and the best place to see jaguars.

Guide Coming Soon

Worth a Detour

Cities · UNESCO

Salvador

Bahia

The heart of Afro-Brazilian culture, with a colorful old town, capoeira and drums.

Guide Coming Soon

Worth a Detour

Nature · UNESCO

Lençóis Maranhenses

Maranhão

White dunes with blue rainwater lagoons, from about June to September.

Guide Coming Soon

Worth a Detour

Beaches · UNESCO

Fernando de Noronha

A protected island chain of spinner dolphins and Brazil's finest beaches. Visitor numbers are limited.

Guide Coming Soon

Worth a Detour

Beaches · UNESCO

Paraty and Ilha Grande

Rio de Janeiro

A cobbled colonial port and a car-free jungle island, between Rio and São Paulo.

Guide Coming Soon

Worth a Detour

Cities · UNESCO

Ouro Preto and Minas Gerais

Minas Gerais

A gold-rush town of baroque churches, by the sculptor Aleijadinho. Inhotim's art park is nearby.

Guide Coming Soon

Worth a Detour

Cities · Food

São Paulo

South America's giant, with superb food and art and huge Japanese and Italian communities.

Guide Coming Soon

Worth a Detour

Nature · Rivers

Bonito

Clear rivers for snorkeling among fish, by the Pantanal.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Nature · Hiking

Chapada Diamantina

Bahia

Tabletop mountains, caves with blue water, and Fumaça Falls.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Cities · UNESCO

Brasília

A planned 1960 capital shaped like an airplane, with Oscar Niemeyer's modernist buildings.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Beaches · Beaches

Florianópolis

Santa Catarina

An island city of 40-plus beaches, Brazil's surf and party favorite in summer.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Beaches · Kitesurfing

Jericoacoara

Ceará

A sandy-street beach village among the dunes, famous for kitesurfing.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Cities · Mountain towns

Gramado

A Bavarian-style mountain town, in southern Brazil.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Cities · Mountain towns

Petrópolis

Brazil's imperial summer capital, in Rio's mountains.

Guide Coming Soon

If You're Nearby

Nature · UNESCO

Chapada dos Veadeiros

Waterfalls and crystal-rich rock in Brazil's high savanna.

Guide Coming Soon

On the Map

Grey pins: guides still being written.