South & Central America
Highlights - Essential Info - Itineraries
Visa Requirements – Holders of UK passports do not require a visa for entry into Brazil, but you should have a full passport with a minimum of six months validity from the date of your return to the UK. Please also be aware that you need to have at least two blank pages in your passport.
Health Requirements – There are no mandatory vaccinations required for entry into Brazil although Tetanus, Typhoid, Polio, Hepatitis A and Meningitis are recommended. Malaria exists in some parts of Brazil such as the Amazon basin. It is therefore essential that you seek medical advice with regard to its treatment. Yellow Fever is required if you are coming from or via an infected country. Even if you have not come from/via an infected country, it is a generally recommended vaccine if travelling around Brazil.
We strongly recommend that you contact your doctor or the MASTA (Medical Advisory Service for Travellers Abroad) Travellers Healthline on 0870 60 62782 or their website at www.masta.org for all professional medical advice.
Time – GMT - 3 hours for Sao Paulo , Brazilia and Rio de Janeiro (due to the sheer size of the country, other cities are within different time zones).
Money – The currency of Brazil is the Peso. Foreign currency can be freely exchanged at most commercial banks, hotels and lodges and US$ denominated travellers cheques are usually accepted. The use and acceptance of credit cards such as Visa and MasterCard is growing and they are generally accepted in many of the larger hotels, restaurants and lodges, but an alternative payment source such as cash is sensible, especially in remote areas.
Flights
|
Airline |
Route |
Frequency |
Via |
|
British Airways |
Heathrow/Rio de Janeiro |
Tues, Thur & Sun |
Direct |
|
British Airways |
Heathrow/Sao Paulo |
Daily |
Direct |
|
TAM |
Heathrow/Sao Paulo & Rio |
Daily |
Sao Paulo |
|
TAP |
Heathrow/Salvador,Rio & Sao Paulo |
Daily |
Lisbon |
|
TAP |
Heathrow/Recife & Fortaleza |
Daily |
Lisbon |
|
Iberia |
Heathrow/Sao Paulo & Rio de Janeiro |
Sao Paulo: daily; Rio: daily, apart from Tue & Wed |
Madrid |
Climate - a rough guide
As large as it is, Brazil can really be divided into just four distinct geographical areas ranging from the low-lying Amazon basin in the north; the Brazilian Plateau which covers the vast majority of Brazil’s interior which ranges in altitude from 500m – 3000m; the Parana-Paraguai Basin in the south which is characterized by open forest, rivers and scrubland including the vast wetlands of the Pantanal; and finally the huge Coastal Strip, which is a narrow band of land stretching for almost 7500 kilometres from Uruguay in the south to Bahia in the north. This band lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the coastal mountain ranges and is characterised by rugged and rocky terrain, sheer mountains, granite peaks and little rugged islands.
When to go - The dry winter months run from April to October and are naturally a good time to visit as there tends to be less rainfall and the daytime temperatures average around 77°F in Rio, 73°F in Iguacu Falls and then around 90°F in both the Amazon Basin and the Pantanal. Even in the drier winter months rain can fall at any time throughout the country especially in the low-lying Amazon. It should be noted that it can get quite cool at night (60°F) in the south including places such as the Pantanal and Rio and even cooler in Iguacu (54°F).
The summer months run from November to March and rainfall tends to be significantly higher in most parts of the country with high levels of humidity and the daytime temperatures averaging around 89°F in Rio, Recife and Iguacu Falls. The temperatures in the Amazon remain relatively constant throughout the year at about 90°F and the Pantanal just marginally higher.
The summer season tends to be holiday and festival time particularly in Sao Paulo and Rio with people escaping the heat.
|
Rio de Janeiro |
||||||||||||
|
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Temp (F) |
90/ |
92/ |
90/ |
86/ |
81/ |
79/ |
79/ |
79/ |
79/ |
82/ |
86/ |
88/ |
|
Rain (in) |
5.3 |
5.0 |
5.3 |
4.5 |
3.1 |
1.7 |
1.6 |
1.6 |
2.6 |
3.1 |
5.0 |
5.7 |
|
Iguacu |
||||||||||||
|
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Temp (F) |
89/ |
90/ |
86/ |
82/ |
76/ |
71/ |
73/ |
75/ |
77/ |
82/ |
84/ |
86/ |
|
Rain (in) |
7.5 |
4.0 |
7.1 |
5.5 |
6.3 |
6.1 |
3.3 |
3.9 |
6.0 |
7.0 |
4.2 |
7.7 |
|
The Pantanal |
||||||||||||
|
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Temp (F) |
94/ |
94/ |
91/ |
91/ |
89/ |
89/ |
90/ |
93/ |
95/ |
95/ |
93/ |
91/ |
|
Rain (in) |
10.2 |
8.7 |
8.3 |
4.0 |
3.0 |
0.4 |
0.3 |
0.9 |
1.6 |
7.0 |
6.1 |
8.2 |
|
Recife |
||||||||||||
|
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Temp (F) |
89/ |
89/ |
89/ |
88/ |
87/ |
83/ |
83/ |
83/ |
86/ |
88/ |
88/ |
89/ |
|
Rain (in) |
2.6 |
3.8 |
7.9 |
9.3 |
11.7 |
11.7 |
9.8 |
6.2 |
3.0 |
1.4 |
1.1 |
1.8 |
F (Fahrenheit) = Average Maximum Temperatures (day/night)
Rain = Average Monthly Rainfall (inches)
