South America

Brazil

Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador, Brasília, Manaus, Foz do Iguaçu, Florianópolis, Gramado, Fernando de Noronha, Jericoacoara, Bonito, Ouro Preto, Paraty, Lençóis Maranhenses, Maceió, Recife and Olinda, Porto Seguro, Chapada Diamantina, Natal, Fortaleza, Morro de São Paulo, Chapada dos Veadeiros, Búzios, Curitiba, Alter do Chão, Campos do Jordão, João Pessoa, Ilha Grande, Northern Pantanal, Jalapão and Belo Horizonte. For each city, the days the guide recommends, the best time to go and the estimated daily cost, excluding flights. Use these figures as a reference and check prices for your dates.

South AmericaRio de JaneiroIn Rio, beach, viewpoint, and forest sit inside the city, and the late afternoon on the boardwalk brings together residents and visitors. Capital of Brazil from 1763 to 1960, it has 6.7 million people among granite hills, Guanabara Bay, and about 30 km of urban beach.

Days: 4
When: Apr–Jun
Per person/day: Average 615 BRLMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaSão PauloFrom a distance, São Paulo is concrete with no view; what's worth it is in the restaurants, museums, markets, and galleries of each neighborhood. It's Brazil's largest city, at an altitude of 760 m, grew with coffee and immigration starting in 1867, and has about 11.9 million people.

Days: 2–3
When: Apr–May · Sep
Per person/day: Average 400–700 BRLMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaSalvadorBetween the Upper and Lower Towns, Salvador brings together the churches and squares of the Historic Centre, Baía de Todos os Santos and neighbourhoods where music, devotion and food shape a visit.

Days: 2–3
When: Jan–Mar · Sep–Dec
Per person/day: Average 350–550 BRLMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaBrasíliaBrasília is Brazil's capital, visited for Oscar Niemeyer's architecture, from Congress to the Cathedral, spread over long distances. Designed by Lúcio Costa and built in 41 months in the cerrado, it was inaugurated in 1960, at about 1,100 m above sea level.

Days: 1–2
When: May–Sep
Per person/day: Average 260–520 BRLMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaManausSurrounded by forest and river, Manaus is a metropolis of 2.3 million where the jungle is visited by boat and the street fills at dusk. Capital of Amazonas, it has no reliable road to the rest of the country and got rich twice: first from rubber and, after 1967, from the Free Trade Zone.

Days: 3–4
When: Jun–Sep
Per person/day: Average 400–700 BRLMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaFoz do IguaçuFoz do Iguaçu is the gateway city to the Falls, on the Brazilian and Argentine sides, and the crossing point into Paraguay. At the far west of Paraná, it has about 299,000 residents and grew with the construction of the Itaipu dam, between 1975 and 1984.

Days: 2–3
When: Apr–Jun
Per person/day: Average 350–550 BRLMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaFlorianópolisOn Ilha de Santa Catarina, the state capital brings together open-ocean beaches, Lagoa da Conceição, Azorean villages on the bays and the oysters farmed right in front of them.

Days: 3–5
When: Mar–Apr · Nov
Per person/day: Average 397 BRLMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaGramadoA town in the Serra Gaúcha at 830 m, with a German-inspired center, chocolate, fondue and café colonial, the Film Festival in August and Natal Luz from October to January; Canela, next door, has the Cascata do Caracol.

Days: 2–4
When: Mar–May · Sep
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaFernando de NoronhaA volcanic archipelago of Pernambuco 545 km from Recife, with a marine national park covering about 70% of its area, spinner dolphins that rest in a protected bay, and visits controlled by a daily fee, a ticket and tide-based booking.

Days: 4–5
When: Aug–Nov
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaJericoacoaraA sand village on Ceará's west coast, a base for Pedra Furada, the Jijoca lagoons, the Tatajuba dunes and the kitesurfing wind.

Days: 3–4
When: Jul–Sep
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaBonitoA town in Mato Grosso do Sul at the foot of the Serra da Bodoquena, with clear rivers to float down, caves and sinkholes, and visits controlled by voucher, a required guide and daily spots.

Days: 3–4
When: Sep–Nov
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaOuro PretoThe former Vila Rica keeps the churches of the gold cycle, with works by Aleijadinho and Mestre Ataíde, and the museum of the Inconfidência Mineira, in a city of stone slopes 96 km from Belo Horizonte.

Days: 2–4
When: May–Sep
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaParatyA colonial center of stone streets closed to cars, on a bay with dozens of islands on the south coast of Rio de Janeiro. It was the port for Minas Gerais gold in the 18th century and today forms, with Ilha Grande, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Days: 3–5
When: Jun–Sep
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaLençóis MaranhensesA town on the Preguiças River, in Maranhão, and the base for the dunes and rainwater lagoons of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park.

Days: 3–4
When: Jun–Aug
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaMaceióCapital of Alagoas between the Atlantic and Mundaú Lagoon, with natural pools on the Pajuçara reefs, sailing rafts, the filé lace of Pontal da Barra and the base for Gunga and the Costa dos Corais.

Days: 4–5
When: Jan–Mar · Sep–Dec
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaRecife and OlindaThe capital of Pernambuco between rivers and bridges, with the port where the city was born, and Olinda, the 1535 town on the neighboring hill, with churches founded in the 16th century, frevo, and giant puppets at Carnival.

Days: 3–4
When: Oct–Dec
Per person/day: Average 1,110 BRLMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaPorto SeguroThe Discovery Coast, between the Historic City, the cliffs of Arraial d'Ajuda, the Quadrado of Trancoso and the car-free village of Caraíva

Days: 3–4
When: Aug–Sep
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaChapada DiamantinaDiamond-prospecting town turned base for the trails, caves and waterfalls of Chapada Diamantina National Park

Days: 4–7
When: Apr–Sep
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaNatalDunes, natural pools and cliffs around a capital born from a fort at the mouth of the Potengi

Days: 3–4
When: Jan · Sep–Dec
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaFortalezaThe capital of Ceará, between a 19th-century Centro, the Beira-Mar waterfront and the barracas of Praia do Futuro

Days: 2
When: Aug–Dec
Per person/day: Average 442 BRLMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaMorro de São PauloCar-free village on Tinharé Island, with numbered beaches of calm water and Boipeba just to the south

Days: 3–5
When: Jan–Feb · Sep–Dec
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaChapada dos VeadeirosFull-day trails to the Rio Preto falls, farm waterfalls and villages born of crystal mining in the cerrado of Goiás

Days: 3–5
When: May–Sep
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaBúziosA peninsula of 23 beaches in the Região dos Lagos, with calm water to the north, waves to the east and south, and Rua das Pedras at night.

Days: 2–3
When: Apr–Sep
Per person/day: Average 484 BRLMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaCuritibaParks in old quarries, a historic center of fifteen blocks and the train that descends the Serra do Mar

Days: 3
When: Apr–May · Aug
Per person/day: Average 478 BRLMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaAlter do ChãoTapajós village with river beaches that appear at low water, canoe trips through the flooded forest at high water, and the Tapajós National Forest nearby

Days: 3–4
When: Aug–Dec
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaCampos do JordãoDry winter at 1,628 m, araucarias, classical music in July and fondue in Capivari

Days: 2
When: Apr–May · Sep
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaJoão PessoaCapital of Paraíba with a Baroque center on the river, a waterfront of low buildings and natural pools at low tide

Days: 3
When: Sep–Dec
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaIlha GrandeA car-free island off Angra dos Reis, with protected Atlantic Forest, numbered trails and beaches reached only on foot or by boat. The base is Vila do Abraão, and the island forms a UNESCO World Heritage site with Paraty.

Days: 3–5
When: Apr–Nov
Per person/day: Average 427 BRLMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaNorthern PantanalThe Transpantaneira, from Poconé to Porto Jofre: birds and capybaras on the road, jaguars on the river

Days: 4
When: Jul–Sep
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaJalapãoDunes, fervedouros and waterfalls in the Tocantins cerrado, based in Mateiros and reached via Palmas

Days: 4–5
When: May–Sep
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

South AmericaBelo HorizonteThe planned capital of Minas Gerais brings together Niemeyer's modernist Pampulha, the Mercado Central and the museums of Praça da Liberdade, and works as a base for Inhotim, 60 km away.

Days: 3
When: May–Sep
Per person/day: Explore costsGuide estimate
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

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