Backpacking Brazil: 16 best places to visit
The most rewarding stops for backpackers in Brazil, ranked and mapped — and real routes through them, written by travellers who went.
Read Brazil stories1
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Beaches, Christ, sugarloaf.
2
Foz do Iguacu
Parana
The Brazilian side of the falls.
3
Salvador
Bahia
Afro-Brazilian old town.
4
Florianopolis
Santa Catarina
Island of 40+ beaches.
5
Fernando de Noronha
Pernambuco
Pristine protected archipelago.
6
Manaus
Amazonas
Gateway to the Amazon.
7
Chapada Diamantina
Bahia
Plateaus, caves, waterfalls.
8
Lencois Maranhenses
Maranhao
Dunes with turquoise lagoons.
9
Paraty
Rio de Janeiro
Colonial coast and islands.
10
Pantanal
Mato Grosso
Best wildlife-watching wetland.
11
Bonito
Mato Grosso do Sul
Crystal-clear river snorkelling.
12
Jericoacoara
Ceara
Sand-street dune village.
13
Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo
Vast art-and-food megacity.
14
Ilha Grande
Rio de Janeiro
Car-free jungle island.
15
Ouro Preto
Minas Gerais
Baroque gold-rush town.
16
Chapada dos Veadeiros
Goias
Highland waterfalls and cerrado.
Backpacking routes through Brazil
Real trips through Brazil, drawn on maps by the people who took them.
Rio to São Paulo the Slow Way: Ilha Grande and Paraty on the Costa Verde
Backpacking Brazil's Costa Verde from Rio to São Paulo via Ilha Grande and Paraty — boat schedules, hostel and camping costs, and the best months to go.
Hammocks on the Amazon: The Slow Boat from Belém to Manaus
Riding Amazon riverboats from Belém to Manaus via Alter do Chão — hammock-deck prices, what to pack, jungle stops, and how many days the river really takes.
Dunes, Lagoons and Kite Wind: The Northeast Run from São Luís to Fortaleza
Brazil's Rota das Emoções backpacker-style: Lençóis Maranhenses dune lagoons, 4x4 hops along the delta, and beach nights in Jericoacoara before Fortaleza.
Been backpacking in Brazil?
Write your route on farpacker — drop your stops on a real map, tell the story, and help the next backpacker find their way through Brazil.
Write your route