Brazil A world of samba, jungle, beaches and extraordinary natural diversity

Brazil is unusual in running both 110V and 220V depending on the specific city or even building, with no single national standard the way most countries have, so checking the voltage at your specific accommodation before plugging in anything without built-in voltage conversion matters here more than almost anywhere else. Most modern phone and laptop chargers handle either automatically, but older hairdryers or straighteners are worth checking specifically.

The Brazilian Real (BRL) is the local currency, and ATMs are widely available in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, so arranging currency on arrival is straightforward. Cards are increasingly preferred to cash for both convenience and security reasons in the larger cities.

Portuguese is the official language, though Brazilian Portuguese has genuinely distinct pronunciation and some vocabulary differences from the European Portuguese spoken in Portugal, enough that speakers of one sometimes need a moment to adjust to the other. English is spoken in tourist areas of Rio and São Paulo but becomes considerably less reliable elsewhere, including much of the Amazon region.

Yes, mainland Brazil spans more than one time zone, with Rio and São Paulo on Brasília Time (BRT, UTC-3) while the western Amazon region runs an hour behind on UTC-4. This is worth factoring into scheduling if your itinerary combines a Rio stay with an Amazon extension, since flight and activity timings shift accordingly.

Tap water in Rio and São Paulo is generally treated, though bottled or filtered water is still the recommended default for visitors, and this becomes a firm necessity rather than a precaution once you’re in the Amazon region. Reputable lodges throughout the Amazon provide filtered water as standard.

Cards are increasingly preferred in Rio and São Paulo’s hotels, restaurants and shops, partly for the convenience and partly as a safer alternative to carrying visible cash in busier tourist areas. A modest amount of Real in cash is still useful for smaller purchases, beach vendors and tipping.

A 10 percent service charge, “serviço,” is often already included on restaurant bills, similar to French practice, and additional tipping beyond this is a genuine bonus rather than an expectation. Checking the bill for this charge before adding more avoids unnecessarily doubling up.

Brazil uses a mix of Type C and Type N sockets, sometimes both within the same building, adding to the voltage variation already worth checking on arrival. A universal adapter that covers both types is worth packing rather than assuming one standard applies throughout a trip.

Carnival transforms Rio and several other Brazilian cities into a genuinely different experience, with hotel prices rising substantially and availability becoming scarce well in advance, so booking considerably earlier than usual is essential if your trip falls during this period. It’s an extraordinary time to visit if you’re prepared for the scale and cost, but confirming this with your specialist as early as possible avoids a late scramble.

Malaria risk and yellow fever vaccination requirements both apply to much of the Amazon region, though not typically to Rio or São Paulo themselves, so precautions depend entirely on whether your itinerary includes an Amazon extension. Confirming specific requirements with a travel health clinic based on your exact route, well ahead of departure, is more useful than a blanket assumption about the whole country.