Best Time to Visit Brazil
Experience the ultimate Amazon adventure with pristine rainforest and elusive jaguars
The 5th largest country in the World, Brazil is home to the Amazon Jungle and the Amazon River and also has an Atlantic coastline stretching almost 7,500 kilometres.
Brazil is home to numerous exotic animals and birds, mostly found in the Pantanal Wetland area bordering Bolivia in the west of the country. The Amazon is also home to millions of creatures great and small, but they are sometime harder to see due to the thickness of the forest, but it is still an amazing experience. So when is the best time to visit Brazil?
There is no bad time – when you travel should be dependent on what you would like to do.
Climate
In Rio the temperature hovers around 28C in the summer. The wettest months tend to be October to January when the average temperature is 23C but with a mix of rainy and sunny days there is no need to avoid this period.
The northeast coast is usually warmer, at an average of 31C but the breeze means it is seldom overly hot. The rainy season here runs from mid December to July.
The Amazon is one of the world’s wettest places with rainfall occurring most frequently from December to May, travel is exceedingly difficult during this time.
The Pantanal has rainy and dry seasons and it is best to travel during the dry season from mid April to late September.
The south has the most extreme temperature changes and is particularly cold from June to August.
Wildlife
May to September is the best time to see mammals, reptiles and birds in the Pantanal as it is the dry season and they can be spotted gathering around watering holes. This is also the best time of year to go to the Amazon for bird watching and spotting land mammals and butterflies as the forest becomes drier here too, especially from July until late October.
Brazil Jaguar Safari - June through to October are the best months to see this elusive predator in its natural habitat. We offer a variety of Brazil Jaguar Safaris which trawl the rivers of the Pantanal providing the ultimate opportunity to see the jaguar in its own Natural World.
Going in the dry season also means that it is cooler and there are fewer m
osquitos than in the wet season.
Festivals and Events
Carnival is the most important festival in Brazil but there are many other celebrations too. Below are listed some of the main festivals in Brazil, please ask about regional events.
Feb/Mar Carnival - Shrove Tuesday, Rio, Salvador, Olinda
Mar/Apr Semana Santa (Holy Week), Ouro Preto or Cidade de Goias
Apr/May Pirenopolis – 50 days after Easter
Late June Boi-Bumba
Jun-Aug Bumba Meu Boi, Sao Luis
Mid Aug Festa da NS de Boa Morte, Cachoeira
Late Aug Folclore Nordestino, Olinda
October Cirio de Nazare, Belem
Mid Oct Oktoberfest, Blumenau
31 Dec Reveillon and Festa de lemanja, Rio
Visitors are welcome to join in with festivities but should always observe religious and private gatherings from a respectful distance, unless invited to join in!
Public Holidays
New Years Day (Jan 1), Carnival (Feb), Good Friday, Remembrance of Tiridentes (Apr 21), Labour Day (1May), Independence Day (7 Sep), Nossa Senhora Aparecida (12 Oct), Dia dos Finados (2 Nov), Proclamation of the Republic (15 Nov), Christmas Day (25 Dec)
Costs
Prices rise during the high season from December to March and particularly around carnival time in February. The cheapest and less crowded time to visit is from May to September (excluding July which is school holiday time) but it can be cool in the south.
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To speak to our specialist in this region please call or email sales@worldbigcatsafaris.com
Tel: 0044 (0) 1273 691 642
US Toll Free: 1866 357 6569
