Brazil Travel Guide

Brazil is vast—geographically, culturally, and emotionally. It’s the largest country in South America and the fifth-largest in the world. It spans multiple time zones, ecosystems, and cultural identities. From Amazon rainforest to colonial coastal cities, from Afro-Brazilian spiritual traditions to modern megacities, Brazil is not one destination—it’s many.

This page is designed to help you approach Brazil with both preparation and perspective. Below, you’ll find practical planning resources as well as region-by-region content as I continue traveling throughout the country.

Start Here: Practical Travel Tips for Brazil

If you’re currently in the process of preparing for your trip or literally landing in Brazil imminently, this foundational guide will ease any pre-trip anxiety you might be feeling and help you land more confidently:

Northeast Brazil

The Northeast is often considered the cultural heart of Brazil, shaped by Indigenous foundations, African diaspora traditions, and centuries of resistance and adaptation.

Bahia

Bahia is one of Brazil’s most historically layered states and home to Salvador, the country’s first capital.

Southeast Brazil (Coming Soon)

The Southeast includes:

• Rio de Janeiro

• São Paulo

• Minas Gerais

• Espírito Santo

This region blends colonial history, industrial modernity, and dramatic landscapes.

As I travel beyond Bahia, this section will expand.

Northern Brazil (Coming Soon)

Home to:

• The Amazon rainforest

• Manaus

• Indigenous territories

• River communities

Travel in Northern Brazil requires a different kind of preparation, and future guides will reflect that.

Because Brazil is continental in scale, most trips benefit from depth over distance.

Domestic flights are often necessary between regions. Buses connect cities extensively. Time zones shift across the country. Cultural rhythms vary by state.

Rather than trying to “see Brazil,” choose a region and explore it well.

This page will continue to grow as new state guides and city-level content are published.

Support the Blog While You Plan Your Trip

If you’re actively planning your trip or still have hotels and transport to book, you can explore the tools and platforms I personally use and recommend on my Travel Resources page—from travel insurance and eSIMs to transportation platforms and hotel booking platforms.

Many of the links there are affiliate partnerships with sites you’re probably already using, which means if you book through the links on that page, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s one of the ways this site is supported and how I’m able to keep researching, updating, and creating the in-depth travel guides you see on my site.

Thank you for planning thoughtfully—and for being part of it.

This page will keep evolving: Brazil is too complex for a single trip. This page will continue evolving as I explore new regions, cities, and states. If you’ve traveled somewhere in Brazil that deserves deeper coverage, feel free to reach out. You can find me on Instagram at @nomapsamber or send me an email at nomapsamber@gmail.com.