Best Time to Visit Brazil

The Emerald Coast stretches along the northeastern state of Ceará, taking its name from the luminous green water that laps the beaches of fine white sand. This is a different Brazil from the famous postcard of Rio. There are no mountains here, no cable cars, no Carnival crowds. Just a long, quiet coastline of genuinely extraordinary beaches in Brazil, most of them accessible only by buggy or boat.

Jericoacoara sits at the heart of it. Buried behind dunes and accessible only by four-wheel drive along the beach, this former fishing village has become one of South America’s most celebrated low-key beach destinations. The streets are unpaved with sand. The sunsets over the dune lake are extraordinary. Kitesurfers work the consistent winds offshore. And the town’s remoteness keeps the atmosphere intimate in a way that more accessible destinations simply cannot maintain.

Further east, Canoa Quebrada offers terracotta cliffs above white sand and warm, calm waters. The beaches of Morro Branco, with their multicoloured sandstone formations rising directly from the shore, are among the most visually striking in South America. None of these places appears on the standard Brazil itinerary. All of them should.

EE recommends: The best time to visit the beaches of Brazil’s northeast is July to January, when the trade winds arrive from the southeast and keep temperatures comfortable and the skies reliably clear. This is also the peak kitesurf season, with consistent winds attracting enthusiasts from across the world. Explore our Brazil featured regions to see how the northeast pairs with other parts of the country.

The Amazon operates entirely on its own terms. The best time to visit depends on what you want to see, and the two main seasons deliver completely different experiences.

The dry season, from June to November, brings lower water levels and more accessible forest trails. Wildlife concentrates around the remaining water sources. Caiman bask on the exposed riverbanks. Pink river dolphins become easier to spot in the shallower channels. The forest floor is walkable, and guided walks into the interior reveal a world of insects, birds, and plant life that the flooded forest season conceals.

The wet season, from December to May, floods the forest floor by up to ten metres. Canoes navigate between the treetops. Fish swim through the submerged forest. The scale of the flood, visible from the air as an endless mirror of water, is one of the most extraordinary natural phenomena on earth. Wildlife remains plentiful, and the flooded forest experience is unlike anything available in the dry season.

Good to know: The natural wonders of Brazil include Iguazu Falls, which straddles the border with Argentina. The falls are at their most powerful between November and March, when rainfall in the watershed is highest. A visit in this window delivers the falls at full, thundering force. The spray reaches hundreds of metres into the air. In clear conditions, multiple rainbows form simultaneously across the width of the gorge.

Brazil pairs naturally with other South American destinations. The Galapagos Islands, Patagonia, and the Atacama Desert all sit within reach of a Brazil itinerary. Find out what an expedition holiday actually is and whether it is right for you.