How to get to Brazil

Unless you’re entering Brazil overland from a neighbouring country , you’ll almost certainly arrive by air. Airfares always depend on the season: specific dates vary between airlines, but high season is generally July and August, then again mid-December to Christmas Day; low season is any other time. Fares don’t normally rise over Carnaval (Feb–March), but getting a seat at this time can be difficult. For flights to Rio and São Paulo, airline competition is fierce, meaning deals pop up regularly. If you're planning a trip to Brazil, booking in advance can help you lock in the best prices.

Though most journeys will route through these two main cities, non-stop flights to other destinations such as Salvador, Fortaleza and Manaus are available (especially from the US), potentially saving lots of time and avoiding the long lines at Galeão (Rio) and Guarulhos (São Paulo) airports. On the downside, these services can be more expensive and the planes are often much smaller, even for long-distance flights.

Note that when you fly into any Brazilian airport on an international flight you must clear immigration and claim your luggage, even if connecting with a domestic flight – you’ll have to re-check in once you’ve cleared customs (even if your airline insisted you were checked-in “all the way”). Once in the terminal there should be a special transfer desk so you can check-in again. Don’t be surprised for it to take an hour or more to clear customs and immigration at airports in Rio or São Paulo. If traveling with children, go straight to the front of the lines: pregnant women and seniors also have priority.

Visas and red tape

Citizens of the UK, most EU countries, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States only need a valid passport and either a return or onward ticket (or evidence of funds to pay for one) to enter Brazil. You fill in an entry form on arrival and get a tourist stamp allowing you to stay for ninety days. If you need a visa, application and payment of fees is all handled online at https://formulario-mre.serpro.gov.br. 

You should receive visa confirmation via email within four to five business days (the visa is valid for two years, but stays in Brazil are limited to ninety days per year). Try not to lose the carbon copy of the entry form the officials hand you back at passport control; you are meant to return it when you leave Brazil, but you are no longer fined if you don’t.

Visa extensions

If entering on a 90-day tourist permit, you can extend it for an additional ninety days by applying at least fifteen days before their initial one expires, but it will only be extended once. To extend your visa you will need to visit the nearest federal police (Polícia Federal) office – such as Rio’s airport , or in São Paulo – bringing your passport, tourist card, onward flight ticket and proof of funds (a bank statement, for example). You also need to fill in an extended stay application form (Requerimento de Prorrogação de Estada), which you can download online www.bit.ly/formcorretoturista, and bring proof of payment; start by completing another form (the Guia de Recolhimento da União or GRU) online at http://consulta.tesouro.fazenda.gov.br/gru_novosite/gru_simples.asp then print it out, taking it to a branch of Banco do Brasil where you can make your visa extension payment and pick up the receipt (you must show this to get an extension).

If you want to stay even longer, you’ll have to leave the country and re-enter; there’s nothing in the rulebook to stop you re-entering immediately, but it’s advisable to wait at least a day.

Flights from the UK and Ireland

There are plenty of choices of carrier to Brazil from the UK, though São Paulo and Rio are the only destinations for non-stop flights. If your ultimate destination is neither of these cities, it is usually best to connect in Rio, or connect with a TAP flight in Lisbon to Belém, Recife, Salvador, Fortaleza, Natal, Belo Horizonte or Brasília. If you only want to go to the Amazon, Manaus via Miami with LATAM (www.latam.com) is your best bet, but it’s unlikely to be cheaper or quicker than a flight to Rio or São Paulo and then a connection north.

British Airways (www.britishairways.com) and LATAM operate non-stop flights to Brazil from London Heathrow. The cheapest fares, however, are often offered on routes via Europe – with Alitalia (www.alitalia.com) via Rome, TAP via Lisbon (www.flytap.com), Iberia via Madrid (www.iberia.com), Lufthansa via Frankfurt (www.lufthansa.com) and Swiss Air via Zurich (www.swiss.com) – all to both Rio and São Paulo. Prices tend to be the same whether you begin your journey in London or at one of the UK’s regional airports. Expect to pay around £800 for a round trip in low season, and around £1000 in high season (July, Aug and Dec 14–15).

As Brazil is such a large country, an open-jaw ticket – flying into one city and leaving from another – may, according to your itinerary, make sense. Rio and São Paulo offer most airline possibilities, but flying with TAP, for example, broadens your options.

There are no direct flights from Ireland to Brazil: you can connect via London or other European capitals, though the cheapest deals often route through the US on Delta and American with rates around €1000 return from Dublin in high season, but with journey times of around 24 hours or more.

RTW ticket options

Combining Brazil with a longer trip in the southern hemisphere, or putting together a round-the-world (RTW) ticket, is possible but expensive. The most popular ticket option is a one-way to Sydney via Brazil and Argentina and a separate ticket back to London via Southeast Asia or North America. Another possibility is onward to Johannesburg from São Paulo on South African Airways (www.flysaa.com).

Flights from the US and Canada

There are numerous gateways to Brazil from the US and Canada, with direct flights from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, Washington and Toronto – most West Coast flights route through Dallas or Houston. LATAM Airlines Brasil (www.latam.com) is the major Brazilian carrier serving the US, while Avianca Brazil (www.avianca.com) also operates flights from Miami to São Paulo. American (www.aa.com), Air Canada (www.aircanada.com), Delta (www.delta.com) and United (www.united.com) also carry passengers between the US/Canada and Brazil.

Almost all flights go to Rio or São Paulo, but there are several other options; LATAM from Miami to Belém, Fortaleza, Manaus, Recife and Vitória; Azul Brazilian Airlines (www.voeazul.com.br) from Orlando to Belo Horizonte, Campinas and Recife; Delta from Atlanta to Brasília; and American from Miami to Manaus, Brasília and Belo Horizonte. If your ultimate destination is somewhere other than these cities, it is usually best to connect in Rio or São Paulo.

Ticket prices vary considerably depending on how early you book your flight and on your length of stay in Brazil. Fares to Rio and São Paulo are almost always the same. The cheapest return fares typically range from US$700 to US$1000 out of New York; figure on US$850–1200 from Miami.

Flights via other countries

For slightly cheaper fares (but longer flight times), or if you’re tempted to break your journey up, it’s worth checking out what the national airlines of Brazil’s Latin American neighbours have to offer. Copa Airlines (www.copaair.com) will fly you to Manaus via Panama City from various airports throughout the US, for example. Aerolíneas Argentinas (www.aerolineas.com.ar) flies to Rio and São Paulo from Miami and New York via Buenos Aires. If you do route yourself via another South American country, however, you may need a vaccination certificate for yellow fever.

Flights from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa

The best deals and fastest routes to Brazil from Australasia are offered by Qantas (www.qantas.com) and LATAM. Round-the-world fares that include South America tend to cost more than other RTW options, but can be worthwhile if you have the time to make the most of a few stopovers.

From Australia, the most direct route is with Qantas/LATAM, which involves a twelve-hour forty-minute non-stop flight from Sydney to Santiago followed by a four-hour flight to São Paulo or Rio. Aerolíneas Argentinas also flies non-stop to Buenos Aires, from where there are good connections direct to Florianópolis, Porto Alegre, Rio and São Paulo. From New Zealand LATAM and Air New Zealand (www.airnewzealand.co.nz) also run non-stop flights from Auckland to Santiago (11hr 5min) for connections to São Paulo or Rio.

Flying via Santiago with Qantas/LATAM, you can expect to pay around A$2400–3200/NZ$3300–4400. An open-jaw ticket – flying into Rio and out of São Paulo (or vice versa) on Aerolíneas Argentinas or LATAM, for example – won’t cost you any more than a straight through-fare to Rio.

From South Africa, LATAM and South African Airlines (www.flysaa.com) fly non-stop from Johannesburg to São Paulo (10hr 30min), where you can switch to domestic airlines for Rio and other destinations. Prices range from ZAR12,000 to ZAR24,000 for a return ticket.

Traveling overland to and from neighbouring countries

You can enter Brazil by land from virtually all the countries with which it shares a border (Suriname crossings are for professional adventurers only): Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, French Guiana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Crossing the Argentinian border

Foz do Iguaçu in Paraná is well-connected by bus and taxi to Puerto Iguazú in Argentina, where there are regular flights to Buenos Aires and numerous buses south. There are also several crossings from Rio Grande do Sul, notably Uruguaiana and São Borja .

Crossing the Bolivian border

From Brazil, the main entrance point to Bolivia is the city of Corumbá in Mato Grosso do Sul, close to the Bolivian city of Puerto Quijarro . From Quijarro you can travel to Santa Cruz by train or bus. There’s another minor land crossing in the far east of Bolivia at San Matías (with flights to Santa Cruz), with connections to Cáceres in Mato Grosso . You can also cross between Bolivia and Brazil at several points in Amazonia, most notably from Brasiléia in Acre to Cobija and Guajará-Mirim in Rondônia across the Rio Mamoré to Guayaramerín in Bolivia.

Crossing the Colombian and Peruvian borders

The point in the Amazonas region where Brazil meets Peru and Colombia is known as the three-way frontier, with access to Leticia in Colombia and boats to Iquitos in Peru . Moto-taxis, lanchas and Colombian moto carros connect the three countries. Tabatinga is the place to complete Brazilian exit (or entry) formalities. Assis Brasil in the state of Acre also provides access to Peru; a bridge runs across the Rio Acre to Iñapari in the Peruvian Amazon, with onward connections by bus to Puerto Maldonado .

Crossing the French Guiana border

The northern Brazilian state of Amapá shares a border with French Guiana; boats zip across the river between Oiapoque in Brazil, connected to the state capital Macapá by bus and Saint-Georges (with bus connections to Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana). French Guiana is actually an overseas department and region of France, which means it’s part of the EU and uses the Euro as currency – entry requirements are the same as for France.

Crossing the Guyana border

The northern Brazilian state of Roraima provides access to Guyana via the small border town of Bonfim, where a bridge crosses the Rio Tacutu to Lethem, with customs and immigration on both sides .

Crossing the Paraguayan border

The easiest crossing between Brazil and Paraguay is at Foz do Iguaçu in Paraná, where buses and taxis zip across the Rio Paraná to Ciudad del Este . Both cities are well-connected by bus and plane to destinations in their respective countries.

Crossing the Uruguayan border

Crossing between the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul and Uruguay is easy and very casual; the border actually cuts through the town of Chuí/Chuy with no sign you’ve walked between the two , though you still need to find immigration offices to have your passport stamped. Other crossing points are at Quaraí and Santana do Livramento, while direct buses connect Porto Alegre and Montevideo.

Crossing the Venezuelan border

Roraima also borders Venezuela, with taxis running between Pacaraima in Brazil, connected by bus with the state capital Boa Vista and Santa Elena de Uairén in Venezuela (with bus connections to Ciudad Bolívar). Santa Elena has largely avoided the on-going troubles in Venezuela’s larger cities, though you should always check the current situation. Due to hyper-inflation and currency controls getting Venezuelan bolivars can be a tricky business – check the latest rules (and black-market rates), and bring plenty of US dollars.