Brazil
Beaches, Jungle, Dunes and Everything That Surprised Me
Not Sure Where to Go? Check Out This Route
If you're not sure how to plan your trip across Brazil, I put together a full route covering the highlights.
You'll find the best route to see most of Brazil, from Rio's beaches to waterfalls and colonial towns, with real tips from my own experience on the road.
Rio de Janeiro
More Than a Postcard
Everyone has an opinion on Rio before they arrive.
Most of them are wrong. It's bigger, more layered, and more intense than anything you've read.
I've covered it from multiple angles — the best things to actually do (not just the obvious postcard stops), where to go out properly when the sun goes down, and a full breakdown of Carnaval if you're timing your trip around it.
Rio takes energy. Bring it.
Ilha Grande
The Paradise Island Near Rio
Ilha Grande is an absolute must when you're passing through Rio.
This stunning island feels like another world, with beautiful beaches & lush jungle trails.
One of the best things to do there is hike to Lopes Mendes, often ranked among the most beautiful beaches in Brazil, maybe even the world. It's a few hours' trek through the forest, but well worth the effort once you reach that stretch of white sand.
Check out my full guides below to learn more and plan your visit.
Bahia
I went to Itacaré in January thinking it'd be a quick stopover before Rio Carnaval. I ended up staying longer than planned.
The beaches are walkable from the center, the food is some of the best regional cooking in Brazil, and Pedro Longo street at night with a caipirinha in hand is about as good as slow travel gets.
Then there's Barra Grande — quieter, more remote, coral reefs you can snorkel without booking anything.
And Chapada Diamantina sits inland in its own category entirely: waterfalls dropping hundreds of meters, a three-day trek into a valley with no roads, and a viewpoint called Cachoeirão where I was flying my drone when an eagle decided to challenge it.
Bahia keeps delivering.
Northeast
Lençóis Maranhenses looks fake in photos. White sand dunes stretching to the horizon, filled with blue and green lagoons after the rains.
It's not fake — it's just one of those places where reality is better than the picture.
Jericoacoara is the other one: a quiet, windswept town at the end of a dirt road where you arrive thinking you'll stay two days and leave five days later wondering where the time went.
The Northeast is the part of Brazil that doesn't try to impress you, and that's exactly why it does.
Curitiba & Ilha do Mel
Curitiba and Ilha do Mel don't always make the classic Brazil itinerary, but they should.
Curitiba is a beautiful, green city full of surprises, with some vibes of Europe, at least when it comes to the weather.
Ilha do Mel, on the other hand, is a car-free island paradise like Ilha Grande, and one that everyone should visit if they're passing by.
Check out my full guides below for things to do, where to stay, and honest tips from my time there.
Adventure in Brazil
Iguazu Falls is the kind of place that makes you go quiet. 275 waterfalls on the border with Argentina — do both sides, no debate.
Inland, Chapada Diamantina delivers three days of trekking through canyons with capuchin monkeys in the canopy and zero phone signal.
And if budget is a concern — it shouldn't stop you.
The Northeast coast, Chapada and Iguazu are three of the cheapest destinations in all of South America.
I've done the numbers so you don't have to.
Watch Brazil My Videos From the Ground
From Jericoacoara's dunes to Rio's hikes and Chapada's valleys — everything I filmed in Brazil.