Brazil in December

Summer rains start; New Year's Eve on Copacabana fills Rio; book everything early.

• Rio and the Southeast coast · Rio de Janeiro, Paraty, Ilha Grande, São Paulorainy

  Hot, humid summers with heavy downpours and floods (December–March); dry, sunny, 20–26 °C winters are the sightseeing season. São Paulo is cooler and rainier.

• Northeast coast · Salvador, Recife, Olinda, Maceió, Porto de Galinhasbest weather

  Warm all year (26–30 °C); the rainy season is roughly April–July on the Salvador–Recife coast.

• North coast and dunes · Fortaleza, Jericoacoara, Lençóis Maranhensesfine

  Rain February–May fills the Lençóis lagoons, best to swim June–September; kitesurf wind July–January.

• Amazon · Manaus, Amazon lodges, Belémrainy

  Hot and humid all year; high water around May–July lets canoes enter flooded forest; low water August–November exposes beaches. Fire smoke can haze the sky in September–October.

• Pantanal · Cuiabá, Poconé, Transpantaneira, Bonitorainy

  Dry season (June–October) concentrates wildlife around waterholes: the jaguar season; the wet season floods roads. Fires and smoke have hit August–October in recent years.

• South and Iguaçu · Foz do Iguaçu, Florianópolis, Gramadohot

  Hot summers, cool winters with frost in the highlands; the falls are fullest after rains, most often in summer.

Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.

• Christmas big impact

  25 Dec

  Family holiday; summer travel peak starts.

Crowds · Brazil

High

Prices · Brazil

High

High-price month: see what to book ahead.

• Light, breathable clothes, a sun hat and sunscreen
• A rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that dry fast

Build the full packing list for your trip →

Rated best or good this month

• Northeast coast

  Best weather of the year (Salvador, Recife, Olinda, Maceió, Porto de Galinhas)