Brazil in March

If you’re looking for the best time to visit Brazil for good weather and fewer crowds, March could be the answer. It’s the start of the dry season in southern Brazil this month, with high temperatures and sunny weather making it a perfect time to explore this part of the country, especially now the crowds of New Year and Carnival have started to thin out.

Tick off Rio’s unmissable sights, including Sugarloaf mountain, Corcovado and the city’s beaches, or discover the St Tropez of Brazil at Buzios. Or team a visit to the historic cobbled streets of colonial Paraty with some downtime at laid-back Ilha Grande, as well as exploring a less-visited part of Brazil in Minas Gerais, the site of the 17th century gold rush.

It’s a good month to visit the Iguazu Falls too, with slightly less rainfall this month, but with the waterfalls at their fullest, and with visitor numbers down on peak season.

North-eastern Brazil is starting to get a little rainier this month, although you can still find plenty of sunshine to enjoy the country’s world-famous beaches without the crowds. Drive the beautiful Linha Verde route between Recife and Salvador, or make the most of having a quieter stretch of sand at Porto Galinhas, the protected Fernando de Noronha archipelago and gorgeous Bahia including unspoiled Boipeba.

It’s cooler in the Chapada mountains and you can expect more rainfall here during March but if you want to see the waterfalls and rivers at their best, it’s a good time to choose.

The rainy season is firmly underway in the Pantanal though, with some areas impassable and not a great time for wildlife-spotting, so it’s best to avoid the area this month. It’s also very wet in the Amazon as the area starts to experience its rainiest months, so while it’s possible to visit, it’s not the best time to choose.

Festivals: Carnival can sometimes fall during March, depending on the dates of Easter, most famously in Rio de Janeiro, but in other locations across Brazil too.

Best for: Exploring Southern Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, beaches, Iguazu Falls