When to go to Rio and other Brazil places to check out

[pierrot]

Wow! My partner and I have been thinking of going to Brazil but were kind of nervous about the crime problem. Now I find so much helpful information here and am really encouraged to try it.

Although we are not essentially "sexual tourists", I would definitely want to try out the escort and/or sauna scene in Rio. There are so many incredible Brazilian men. I just want to find out how to do it so we have fun with a minimum of risk, etc.

But my question of the moment is: what is Brazil like in June? Seems most people go in February or, at least, in the southern hemisphere summer. Are May/June/July good times to go as well? Or is the weather less pleasant? How are hotel rates, tourist attractions, restaurants, and, of course, the escort/sauna scenes different in the autumn?

 

Also, what other cities should we visit besides Rio?

 

Thanks for your good advice, guys.

[trilingual]

In the Brazilian winter, your best bet is to visit Rio and destinations in the Northeast, if you're looking for pleasant tropical weather. (June is the equivalent of December, south of the Equator.) It's cooler than the summer, and Rio tends to be less rainy in the winter. The coldest it's ever likely to be in Rio is 60ºF (15ºC), and that's not usual. More likely the weather will be in 70s or 80s (20s Celsius). You may want to bring a light sweater, a sweatshirt and/or a light jacket in case of a chilly day. When it's a gray, windy and damp day in the 60s it can feel considerably colder and the wind cuts through you. But those days are rare.

 

For sun and beach lovers, the part of Brazil south of Rio is best avoided during the winter. The beaches will mostly be deserted. São Paulo and Curitiba are both relatively high cities, nestled in the Serra do Mar, and temperatures at higher altitudes tend to be more extreme. In São Paulo the temperature at night can reach 40ºF (4ºC), and it's often overcast and drizzly. In Curitiba the temperatue can reach freezing at night, and once in a long while there's a dusting of snow. Porto Alegre and Florianopolis are at sea level, but cold fronts from the Antarctic can drop the temperatures into the high 40s and 50s at night, and it can be overcast and rainy. Similar temperatures are found in Montevideo and Buenos Aires in the winter.

 

If you don't care about sun and beaches, the winter is a good time to visit destinations in the South. The weather isn't consistently chilly -- it varies between a few cold days followed by several warmer ones. It's low season, so hotel prices are cheaper, but in the big cities the cultural season will be in full swing, with lots of exhibitions, theater, opera and popular music concerts to keep you busy. The saunas, of course, keep certain parts of the populace well heated all winter long!

 

Throughout Brazil, the "high season" for tourism (and prices) is the southern summer, between December 15 and the end of February. Carnival is the peak of the season, when rates can be very high. New Year's in Rio is another peak event and hotels charge higher prices then, too. Semana Santa (Holy Week) is another peak travel period, when hotels are full and prices increase. The winter school holidays are in July, which is a mini-high season and when prices may be higher in popular destinations.

 

Without knowing your particular tastes and interests, it's hard to tell you what other cities or places to visit in Brazil. To help you decide, you should buy a good general guidebook to Brazil (like the Footprints Brazil Handbook or the Rough Guide). All of the bigger cities (and many of the smaller ones) have gay scenes including bars/clubs. Virtually all of the largest cities also have gay saunas, including saunas with guys for rent, so you can go to almost any city that interests you without worrying that you'll have to spend your nights alone. . .

 

Happy vacation planning! You'll have a fabulous time in Brazil!

[buckguy]

I've been to Brazil in Aug of 2004 and Aug of 2003. It's probably warmer than in June, but I can tell you that I didn't need a jacket last August in Rio and only needed it a couple times at night in 2003. Outside of Rio, I went to Bahia (Salvador, Itacare & Chapada Diamante [?sp] National Park--the "Grand Canyon of Brazil") one year and Amazonia (Manuas and points West including Mamuraia Reserve and the Triple Frontier) the other year. The weather was pleasantly tropical in Salvador & Itacare (which is a beach town). At the national park, it was very hot during the day and pleasant at night. In Manuas and further inland it was very hot in the afternoon, but pleasant in the evening weven w/o air conditioning. I would heartily recommend all of those destinations--Itacare is a surf resort (I don't surf but liked it anyway), Salvador is a city with a lot of history and Afro-Brazilian culture and the other places were for the really outdoorsy (although on e can do the Amazon in some comfort). Crime will be an issue in Salvador, although it's relatively easy to find out where to go and where to avoid. The various tips given here for Rio work and also will work in Salvador. I had little concern about crime anywhere else.

 

I was disappointed with the Footprint guide, esp. for the Amazon. Footprint is historically the best series for South America. I wasn't that crazy about the Rough Guide either, esp. for the Amazon.The Lonely Planet has numerous minor errors on its city maps (lots of things are a block of so off) and didn't mention the surfing aspect of Itacare, which is pretty obvious. Still, I found it otherwise more useful than the Footprints or the Rough Guide. I think the moral is to buy more than one, esp. to get accurate maps.

[pierrot]

Thank you both. Very helpful info.