16 Jun Is Brazil Safe to Travel to? Answered by a Solo Female Traveler

Posted at 21:29h in Brazil, Solo Travel by
0 Likes
View from Dois Iramos in Rio de Janeiro

“Is Brazil safe to travel to?” This is a question I receive often when I mention I traveled and lived in Brazil for 3 months as a solo female traveler. In short, yes, it’s safe enough to travel to but there is more than enough reason for wariness and you should practice caution while in the country.

In general, Brazil is reported to have high crime rates including violence and theft. But you can read more about specific statistics on the travelstate.gov website. I’m here to tell you about my personal experience and perspective as a tourist in Brazil.

But before I jump into it more, disclaimer that most of my time was spent in Rio de Janeiro which is considered a higher risk city. Safety totally differs area to area around the world, and that’s true of Brazil as well. However in general, a lot of locals cautioned me to be careful with myself and  belongings everywhere I went, so I think what I have to say could be applied to the whole country – at least for tourists.

So if you know me, crime rates don’t completely deter me from visiting a country, but I do make sure to practice caution and do research on what to be aware of.  In Brazil, I would say this is extremely important to do because I found more crime happening to tourists in Brazil compared to other Latin American countries that I had visited (not 100% sure if that’s a real statistic but definitely my experience). Therefore I think it’s important to travel to Brazil with knowledge of what  to look out for and things you can do (or shouldn’t do) to keep yourself safe. 

So what can you expect? Well thankfully during my time in Brazil, I never actually experienced any crime myself. However, I would say as high as 25-50% of tourists I met had. Now what exactly do I mean by experiencing a crime? 

Mostly pick-pocketing. Brazil is one of those places where everyone has a friend who’s phone was stolen in Rio. Unfortunately, this could happen by mugging, for example if you’re walking out alone especially at night. But mostly it’s by non-violent pickpocketing – which still sucks.

So what can you do? If you’re traveling to Brazil I recommend reading and following these safety tips that I put together. Shit can still happen, but I really think these can make a load of difference in your personal safety.

But with all this information,  you might still wonder if it’s even worth visiting Brazil. My answer is YES. It’s true, always having to look over your shoulder can suck, but to me Brazil is such an incredible country I can’t recommend traveling there enough. 

That being said, I would not recommend Brazil to a “rookie” traveler especially if traveling solo; that’s my personal recommendation, but do you; I went to South Africa as my first country outside of the U.S. which faces similar challenges as Brazil so it’s not totally impossible. Just make sure to follow my Brazil safety tips, stay extra cautious and be smart 😊

Also read: 21 Do’s and Don’ts to stay safe in Brazil

book your travel insurance and be covered

Travel insurance is a must for every trip, and I highly recommend it for Brazil. My go to is always WorldNomads which is made for backpackers. You can search for coverage  by clicking here and learn more below.

*Disclosure: World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers in over 100 countries. As an affiliate, I receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. I do not represent World Nomads. This is information only and not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.

More Resources for Your Trip to Brazil:

Planning your own trip? Here’s everything I used to book and coordinate my itinerary through Brazil.

Hostels

If you’re a budget traveler or looking for an easy way to meet others,  Hostelworld is the best place to search. 

Hotels

Booking.com has so many options in Brazil from affordable to more luxurious stays.

Flights

Flights to Brazil and within Brazil can be pricey if not booked ahead of time. To get the best prices I recommend using Skyscanner. The cheapest airport to fly into will most likely be São Paulo, but if visiting Rio de Janeiro it’s worth it to fly directly there.

BUSES

No matter the destination, I always check Rome2Rio to see options on how to travel. However I found using Brazilian bus companies to book could be a pain because you need a CPF often. The most useful sites to me were BusBud & FlixBus.

Insurance

Travel insurance is a must for every trip, and I highly recommend it for Brazil. My go to is always WorldNomads which is made for backpackers. You can search for coverage here.

Tours & Experiences

There’s a lot of free thing to do in Rio but joining a tour does have its advantages, and if you’re a solo traveler looking to meet people then tours are a great option. In Rio you can find awesome experiences on GetYourGuide, Viator, & Airbnb Experiences (hit or miss but mostly good).

Safety

Read this blog post about 21 do’s and don’ts to help keep you safe in Brazil

Was this post helpful? Pin it to support

Related posts

Tags:
, , ,
3 Comments
  • Ashleigh
    Posted at 07:07h, 31 December Reply

    I found this to be a super helpful blog post. I’m researching going to Brazil and I’m so glad I ran across this! Found via google search.

  • Anne sofie
    Posted at 20:40h, 21 July Reply

    Have you ever stayed more than 3 months on a turist visa , like staying 4 months? And what happened?

    • Caroline Rose
      Posted at 19:04h, 23 July Reply

      Hi, no I haven’t and I definitely recommend following the visa requirements to avoid fines which I believe accrue per day

Post A Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.