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Brazilians are a peaceful and extremely friendly people. Brazil hasn’t terrorist activities or political violence, and is a safe place for travelling… But petty crime is also very common, due to the extreme poverty of many people.
The big risk a foreign visitor faces is, indeed, petty crime, or, more precisely, small robbery. If you left your things unattended at the beach, the chance of them being stolen is high. If you walk in some unlit areas at night, the risk of hold-up exists. If you wear flashy
gems, rings and expensive watches in some places, that would be too careless.
So, do not align on some exaggerated sense of insecurity. Do not allow worries about robbery to interfere with your travel. Just be vigilant, particularly in big cities. Get some advice at the hotel. Don’t forget small robbery risk, and avoid
remote places, special at night. Take some basic precautions.
Src: / Brazil Crime /
Basic precautions
- do not act like a tourist.
- ask for information about local safety and local precautions to be followed, at your hotel reception.
- avoid jewels, expensive watches and all that can call undesired attentions. If you got nothing to be stolen, you can’t be robbed.
- don’t leave your things unattended (at airports, at beaches...).
- put your money and documents in your hotel safes. Use a photocopy of your ID documents (and of your passport), instead of originals.
- avoid lonely and clearly unsafe squares and streets, especially at night
- avoid crushes; avoid buses or tram in Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Salvador, Fortaleza and Sao Paulo. Taxis and metro are better options, in those cities.
- avoid unlicensed taxis. You can buy pre-paid taxi tickets at one of the various taxi offices, in airport arrival halls, and use them with licensed taxis.
These rules are applicable to the big Brazilian cities. Robbery and hold-up perils are far more reduced, or practically inexistent, in other places and in most tourist resorts. There are many Brazilian destinations where you will feel extremely secure, with no beggars or the robbery risk. Brazil is a very big country, very diverse, and these places really exist.
The luxurious resorts assure highly security: Buzios or Angra dos Reis, just outside Rio de Janeiro, or Costa do Sauipe, near Salvador da Bahia, are some examples. But they are just examples. There are, for instance, dozens of traditional fishery villages in the Northeast, with excellent animation and beaches, where you will feel extremely secure.
SOME EXCELLENT BRAZILIAN PLACES WHERE YOU WILL FEEL IN EXTREME SECURITY
Brazil Crime – Travel Warning
Buzios and Angra dos Reis
Just two-three hours drive from Rio de Janeiro, these two top beach resorts offer what many places of Rio de Janeiro – special at night - don’t offer: extreme security.
For more details, see:
Buzios or Angra dos Reis
Porto Seguro
Porto Seguro is a small town in a bucolic landscape (warm sea waters and palms, lagoons, rivers and sea cliffs), with modern animation but also with colonial and Indian past, where fishermen and common people are extremely friendly, without robbery or security problems.
Porto Seguro is 406 miles/653 Kms from Salvador da Bahia and 696/1120 Kms from Rio de Janeiro (land distances), and has its own airport, 1 mile/2km from the city.
For more details, see:
Porto Seguro
Praia do Forte
Praia do Fort is a top eco-resort with 7 miles/12 Kms of unspoiled beaches surrounded by palm groves. It’s an ecological paradise, where people are very friendly and without reported problems of petty crime.
Land distances: 40 miles/65 Kms from Salvador da Bahia, 1024 miles/1649 Kms from Rio de Janeiro
For more details, see:
Praia do Forte
Comandatuba Island
Just some miles from Ilheus, Comandatuba Island is a luxurious leisure destination, extremely safe. The island is a mixture of sophistication, ecology, comfort, peacefulness and amusement.
Land distances: 40 miles/70 km from Ilheus, 287 miles/462 Kms from Salvador da Bahia, 720 miles/1200 Kms from Rio de Janeiro
For more details, see:
Comandatuba
LOCAL TRAVEL: INFORMATION & SAFETY
Brazil Crime – Travel Warning
Local travel/Car rental
If you like to drive, car rental can be a good option for exploring some regions, or some city tours or suburban tracks, but you must take some precautions and inform yourself, previously. Driving in Brazil isn’t, in many cases, an advisable option..
Transit, at some places, is chaotic, and the Brazilian roads outside urban areas are generally bad, and poorly lit, signposted and policed. Unless for well known tracks, don’t drive, mainly at night. Be prepared to stop unexpectedly, and be careful with people, animals, slow vehicles, vehicles without lights, driver’s break of rules, or potholes.
Ask for safety advises and regional specific information at the car rental office, or at your hotel.
You will find many car rental offices (Locadoras) at Brazilian airports and at every sizeable town. Hertz, Avis, and other big international companies operate all over Brazil. Unidas, Interlocadora, Nobre or Localiza are also good Brazilian alternatives in car rental.
Src: / Brazil Crime /
Domestic air travel
As a big country, Brazil relies largely on air travel for internal travel. The main operators
are Varig, Tam, Vasp, Gol (for budget airlines), Riosul (covering south Brazil), RioNordeste (covering the Amazon region) and ViaBrazil (connecting São Paulo and Rio with the Northeast: Fortaleza, Recife, Salvador).
If you are planning a multi-destination visit to Brazil, with intense travel in the country, you must use or ponder the use of the Brazilian Airpass. Your internal air travel will be much cheaper.
For more details, see:
Brazilian Air Pass
Bus and taxi travel
There is a large bus net linking all the main Brazilian cities. But you must consider the downsides. Bus is inexpensive, but the distances can turn your voyage uncomfortable. Some northern Brazilian cities (Belém, Fortaleza…) are more distant from Rio de Janeiro than the capital of Argentine, Buenos Aires.
The bus stations (called rodoviárias) are usually situated on city outskirts or near airports, and the reservations should be made in advance through a local travel agent or at the bus terminal.
When travelling in the big Brazilian cities, choose licensed taxis. Trams or buses, at some hours and places, are unsafe. Look for local information about that point, in your hotel.
Src: / Brazil Crime /
For information about planning your travel to Brazil, see:
Planning your tour to Brazil
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