Brazil 2027
14 days in Brazil. My thoughts are: Part 1 in my home state, and the second part of the trip depends on when and where you feel like going.
Part 1: Minas Gerais
Colonial towns, best food in the country, according to the unbiased opinion of yours truly.
Days 1–6The eating part
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Days 1–2
Belo Horizonte (BH)
Land. Find a proper Minas dinner. Then Mercado Central (a huge food market), Pampulha (a pretty lake area with cool architecture), or a food crawl. I have some friends here that could join in maybe.
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Days 3–4
Ouro Preto
Old colonial town. Just wander, see some old stuff. Then we can do either Mariana or Inhotim, and back toward BH.
Mariana: Ouro Preto’s little sister, about 15 min away. One of the oldest towns in Minas, more old churches, quieter, fewer tourists. There’s also an old train that runs between the two.
Inhotim: A giant open-air art museum in the middle of a botanical garden, about an hour from BH, never been there but seems cool. Weird sculptures and galleries scattered around a huge park.
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Days 5–6
Hometown or Rocky Hills
OptionalOption 1Hometown: Governador Valadares (GV)
Smallish city (by brazilian standards) where I was born, about 280K people, some friends here maybe, Pico da Ibituruna has a cool view.
Pico da Ibituruna: The big rock that looms over the city. You can hike up for the view, and it’s a famous paragliding spot, so you might see people jumping off it.
Flights between BH and GV aren’t guaranteed but are often available. The bus is 6 hours, a flight is 1 hour.
Option 2Rocky hills: Serra do Cipó
A national park about 1.5–2 hours north of BH. Rocky hills, canyons, waterfalls you can swim under.
Part 2: places I also never been to
Days 7–14. Tap them to get details.
Where we’d go
- A Maranhão
- B Bahia
- C Jalapão
- D Iguaçu + Rio
- Minas
- *Optional detour
Hello Jake. You didn't make a choice above, so there's nothing here. Pick the thing.
Part 2 · Option A
Maranhão
White dunes meets forest, looks cool, never been there but I’m interested.
TLDR
- When
- June 2027. Best shot at full lagoons.
- Vibe
- Food, views, culture. Moderate effort.
- Catch
- Lots of travel days.
Days 7–14The dunes
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Day 7
Fly to São Luís
Back to BH if needed, then fly north to São Luís. Probably with a connection, sorry.
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Day 8
The dune gateway
Drive to the gateway town. Sunset on the dunes if we make it in time.
Santo Amaro: A tiny, sleepy town right at the edge of the dunes. Sandy streets, small guesthouses, not much nightlife. The quiet way into the park.
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Days 9–10
Desert?
Guided lagoon circuits. Swim, walk a bit, take photos.
From what I’ve gathered, we’d be walking on sand, up and down dunes, from lagoon to lagoon. No trails or shade, and it’s hot. Short walks are easy, full-day circuits are tough (for me, you’ll be fine lol).
June is a good bet at full lagoons. It depends on the rain though so we never know for sure.
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Day 11
Wildcard day
One more lagoon trip, or head toward Barreirinhas.
Barreirinhas is the park’s bigger gateway town, with more hotels and restaurants than Santo Amaro and boat rides on the Preguiças River.
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Days 12–13
São Luís
Slow evening, historic centre, Maranhão food, events if any are on.
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Day 14
Fly home
Leave loads of time for connections.
Part 2 · Option B
Bahia
Several days hiking around Chapada Diamantina, a region of mountain plateaus, waterfalls and caves. Then Salvador for the food and music.
TLDR
- When
- April 2027 is the best bet. June also works, depending on the weather.
- Vibe
- More active. Hiking, waterfalls, big mountain views.
- Catch
- Long transfers between Salvador and Chapada.
Days 7–14The mountains
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Day 7
Fly to Salvador
Back to BH if needed, then fly to Salvador. Evening in the city.
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Day 8
Lençóis
Drive or take a bus from Salvador to Lençóis, the gateway town for Chapada Diamantina. Settle in.
Not the same Lençóis as the dunes.
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Day 9
First hike
Morro do Pai Inácio and other nearby spots that are easy to reach. Pai Inácio is a flat-topped hill with a short climb and a big view over the valley.
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Day 10
Waterfall day
A waterfall hike, picked based on how fit we feel and what the weather is doing.
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Day 11
Caves and pools
Caves, natural pools, or a second hike with a local guide.
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Day 12
Back to Salvador
Long travel day.
This is where Aislan is from.
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Day 13
Salvador
Pelourinho (the old historic centre), live music and Bahian food.
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Day 14
Fly home
Leave loads of time for connections.
Part 2 · Option C
Jalapão
A guided 4x4 expedition through Jalapão, a remote part of Tocantins in the middle of Brazil. Savanna, clear springs, waterfalls and dunes.
TLDR
- When
- June 2027. Generally drier in the Tocantins savanna.
- Vibe
- Guided 4x4 trip, probably some scenic stops, maybe swimming? But less independent travel.
- Catch
- Long, bumpy driving days and a fixed tour itinerary.
Days 7–14The expedition
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Day 7
Fly to Palmas
Back to BH if needed, then fly to Palmas, the capital of Tocantins. We sleep near where the tour picks us up.
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Day 8
Ponte Alta
The 4x4 tour starts. Scenic canyon or waterfall stops along the way.
Jalapão: A huge, remote state park in the middle of Brazil, in the Cerrado (the Brazilian savanna). Golden dunes, clear rivers and very few towns. Seems like a more modest area, not a lot of logistics and urban development.
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Day 9
Mateiros
A long, remote drive across the savanna. Dunes at sunset if the weather lets us.
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Day 10
Springs and crafts
Fervedouros, and a community that makes crafts from golden grass.
Fervedouro: A freshwater spring where the water pushes up through the sand so hard that you float without trying.
Golden grass: A shiny, straw-like grass that the local community weaves into crafts.
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Day 11
São Félix
More freshwater springs and a waterfall circuit.
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Day 12
Back to Palmas
The guided tour ends and we head back to Palmas.
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Day 13
Buffer day
A spare day, then a domestic flight toward the international connection.
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Day 14
Fly home
Leave loads of time for connections.
Part 2 · Option D
Iguaçu + Rio
More conventional first time to the country kind of trip. Foz do Iguaçu Waterfalls, Rio for the Christ statue and some of the most famous landmarks.
TLDR
- When
- April 2027. The falls still have plenty of water after the rainy season, and Rio is past the worst of the summer heat.
- Vibe
- Classic tourist mode. City walks, see things, chill, try not to get robbed lol.
- Catch
- Crowds. But right after Carnival so tourism dies down a little.
Days 7–14The postcards
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Day 7
Fly to Foz do Iguaçu
Back to BH if needed, then fly to Foz, way down where Brazil meets Argentina and Paraguay. Probably with a connection through São Paulo.
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Day 8
The Brazilian side
The national park on our side. A long walkway along the canyon with the falls in front of you the whole way, ending on a platform right next to the Devil’s Throat. I've done this one when I was 14 actually.
Macuco Safari: A speedboat that drives you right under the falls. Touristy as hell but could be fun.
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Day 9
The Argentine side, or birds
Cross the border for the other half of the falls. More trails, closer to the water, and a little train out to the top of the Devil’s Throat.
Devil’s Throat: The biggest, loudest part of the falls, a U-shaped drop where a huge chunk of the river just disappears into the mist.
You might need a visa into Argentina as well to go on this side.
Or, Parque das Aves: If we skip Argentina, there’s a bird sanctuary right across from the park entrance. Big walk-in aviaries with toucans, macaws and a lot of birds I can’t name, most of them rescued. Half a day, probably. Itaipu, one of the biggest dams in the world, is close by too.
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Day 10
Fly to Rio
Short flight, there are direct ones. Check in, walk on the beach holding hands drinking capirinhas. 👀
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Day 11
The two big postcards
Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf. It's a staple so we should check them out. Fun fact, even though my dad was born here and I've been to rio a dozens times, I never actually went to the Christ itself. Sugarloaf during sunset looks nice, theres a cable car going up.
Morro da Urca trail: Instead of the first cable car, we can walk up. The trail starts at Praia Vermelha, inside an army area so it’s patrolled, and it’s about 30–40 minutes through the forest to the middle station, there are monkeys there. Then take the second cable car to the top.
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Day 12
Gardens, lake and Arpoador
Jardim Botânico in the morning, a 200 year old botanical garden with an avenue of giant royal palms and monkeys around. Then Parque Lage next door for coffee.
Parque Lage: An old mansion with a café around a pool in the courtyard, and the Christ right above.
Afternoon we could rent bikes and do the loop around the Lagoa, the big lake behind Ipanema. Flat, about 7 km, full of locals running and kiosks selling beer. Then over to Arpoador, the rock between Ipanema and Copacabana, for sunset.
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Day 13
Santa Teresa and Lapa
The hilly old neighbourhood with the artsy streets, then down to Lapa for the arches and the tiled steps. Samba and bars at night maybe?
Selarón steps: A staircase covered in colourful tiles from all over the world.
Santa Teresa has phone snatchers on the quiet side streets. We stick to main streets, daylight, then down to Lapa. I'm a bumpkin in these streets so I don't want to risk quiet places lol.
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Day 14
Fly home
Leave loads of time for connections. Leaving from Rio should be the easiest of all the options, at least.
The annoying stuff
- Guides neededLots of dune routes are protected, so we book accredited local transport.
- RainJune is usually good for the lagoons but can't be sure, weather is a bitch sometimes.
- Local guide neededChapada is huge. Outings and driving times need planning with a local operator. I’ve never been, so I can’t guide us.
- WeatherWaterfall access and trail conditions depend on the weather, so not every hike is a guarantee.
- Long transfersSalvador to Chapada and back eats a lot of the days.
- Pick a good operatorWe need a 4x4, an experienced driver-guide and confirmed inclusions.
- Swimming limitsIf that's something you want to do it seems that it has local restrictions and time limits.
- Long, bumpy daysFive expedition days mean a lot of driving and basic places to sleep. The tour sets the route, so there’s less freedom to wander.
- Passports, twiceThe Argentine side means crossing the border and coming back the same day. The lines at customs can be slow.
- CrowdsThe most touristy option by far. Lines for the Christ and the Sugarloaf cable car, so we book ahead and go early.
- Rio street smartsDon’t walk around with your phone out, don’t bring anything to the beach you’d cry about losing. Normal big city stuff, just more so.
- PricierFoz and Rio are the expensive end of this list, especially hotels near the beach.