When to Go

Brazil's high season runs from December to March. This is when the country fills with both foreign visitors and vacationing Brazilian families (school holidays run from mid-December to carnival, usually in February). Prices rise during this time and you'll face more crowds, though this is also the most festive time in Brazil.

Brazil's low season corresponds to its winter, running from May to September. With the exception of July, which is also a school-holiday month, this is the cheapest and least crowded time to visit the country.

Depending on where you go, wheather may be a significant factor in your travel plans. In Rio de Janeiro, the humidity can be high in summer, even though temperatures rarely rise above 30°C (86°F); most of the rain falls from October to January. In the winter Rio de Janeiro temperatures hover around 23°C (73°F), with a mix of both rainy and superb days.

On the Northeast coast, from Bahia to Maranhao, temperatures are a bit warmer year-round than Rio. Rarely far from 28°C (82°F) but due to a wonderful tropical breeze and less humidity, it's rarely stifling. The rainy season runs from about mid-April to mid-July, though even then you'll encounter gorgeous days.

The Amazon region (the north) is one of the world's rainiest places and rainfall occurs most frenquently from January to May, making travel exceedingly difficult then. The rest of the year the region still receives plenty of rain, though showers tend to last only an hour or two.

The Pantanal also has rainy/dry seasons and if you plan to go there, do so during the dry season (mid-April to late September). The rest of the year, the wetlands receive tremendous rainfall, washing out roads and making traveling a nightmare.

The south of Brazil has the most extreme temperature changes, and during the coldest winter months (from June to August), Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Parana and Sao Paulo have temperatures between 13°C (55.4°F) and 18°C (64.4°F). In some towns, snow is even possible every winter. As elsewhere along the coast, summer is quite hot and you'll have lots of company on the beach.