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Travel guide
Northeast Brazil
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: August to November
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Welcome
Northeast Brazil, in a few days
More than 3,000 km of coast with a constant soundtrack: drums in the cobbled lanes of Salvador, forró from an Olinda bar, the sails of jangada boats offshore. Behind the palms the land changes fast, to the white dunes of the Lençóis Maranhenses, the canyons of the Chapada Diamantina and fishing villages where dinner is eaten with your feet in the sand.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Pelourinho, Salvador free · about 2 hSalvador's colonial centre of pastel houses and baroque churches; behind its plain front, São Francisco church hides a nave lined with gilded wood.
- Afternoon · Morro de São Paulo · a full dayA car-free village on Tinharé island, two hours by boat from Salvador, with numbered beaches running from lively Segunda to near-empty Quinta.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Aram Yami Hotel€120 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Chapada Diamantina · a full dayA sandstone national park five hours from Salvador: hike to the Fumaça falls, swim in amber pools and visit the flooded caves of Poço Azul.
- Afternoon · Porto de Galinhas · about 2 hAn hour south of Recife, where low tide turns the reef into warm natural pools that jangadas reach in minutes, full of tropical fish.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Pousada dos Quatro Cantos€60 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Olinda and historic Recife free · half a dayColourful houses, 16th-century convents and open artists' studios on Olinda's hills, with tapioca stalls at the Alto da Sé facing Recife's towers.
- Afternoon · Fernando de Noronha · a full dayA volcanic archipelago and tightly controlled marine park with Brazil's best underwater life; Baía do Sancho is reached by a ladder down the cliff.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Pousada Vila Serrano€80 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Jericoacoara · an eveningA village of sand streets between dune park and windswept sea, where everyone climbs the Sunset Dune each evening before dinner in the open air.
- Afternoon · Lençóis Maranhenses · a full dayAbout 1,500 km² of white dunes that fill with freshwater lagoons after the rains; 4x4s run from Barreirinhas to Lagoa Bonita and Lagoa Azul.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel de Lençóis€75 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Feijoada: black beans slow-cooked with pork, eaten on a Saturday.
- Pao de queijo: small cheese breads, chewy and served warm.
- Acai: the Amazon berry, frozen into a bowl with banana and granola.
- Moqueca: fish stewed in coconut milk and dende palm oil.
- Caipirinha: cachaca, lime and sugar, and nothing else.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Go out light: no jewellery, no phone in hand, only the cash you need that evening.
- Use Uber rather than a street taxi, above all after dark.
- Do not walk into a favela without a guide from the community.
- On the beach, take turns watching the bags. Nothing left on a towel stays there.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Portuguese
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Hello | Olá |
| Thank you | Obrigado |
| Please | Por favor |
| Yes | Sim |
| No | Não |
| Excuse me | Com licença |
| Goodbye | Adeus |
| Do you speak English? | Fala inglês? |
| I don't understand | Não compreendo |
| How much is it? | Quanto custa? |
| Where are the toilets? | Onde fica a casa de banho? (BR: banheiro) |
| The bill, please | A conta, por favor |
| Help! | Socorro! |
| Cheers! | Saúde! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyBrazilian real (BRL, R$)
BudgetAbout €68 a day, mid-range
Best seasonAugust to November
PlugN/C · 127/220V
Tap waterBottled is safer
TippingAround 10%, often already on the bill
Emergency190 / 192
EntryVisa-free for 90 days for EU and UK passports. US, Canadian and Australian passports need an e-visa, applied for online before departure.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. A yellow fever vaccination is needed for the Amazon, and malaria is limited to the lowlands. Repellent, morning and night.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/northeast-brazil
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.