As when traveling to any new city or unfamiliar place, you need to also exercise common sense street smarts in Brazil. In my research for Brazil, I read in many guidebooks that exercising additional caution was necessary in Brazil than in any other city I’ve visited. I stood unconvinced as I’ve experienced some precarious situations in Naples and Paris, but those stories are for another time! These safety tips are applicable to any city in the world.
Here’s my list Brazil Safety Tips
Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s
- DO carry a decoy wallet with an amount of cash you would be okay to part with and a few fake cards (old membership cards work well). Keep everything else in a hidden money belt
- DO keep your passport, extra money and major credit cards in the hotel safe
- If you must take the metro, DO take it during the day and taxis at night
- If you must carry a dSLR, DO bring one to main attractions that require purchased tickets (Sugarloaf Mountain, for example). These areas are safer for expensive cameras but in other places, keep the dSLR in your bag when not in use
- DO only visit favelas with a tour guide
- DO join small organized group tours
- DO take radio taxis or yellow taxis from hotels, especially when traveling far distances
- DO go to any nearby hotel or restaurant and ask them to call you a taxi if you can’t locate a taxi stand
- DO get a spray tan to blend in with the tanned bodies! I did … and avoided looking like a ghost in headlights
Don’ts
- DON’T walk on the beaches past sunset. Once the daytime crowds die out for the day and light turns to dark, you could get mugged on the beach
- DON’T attempt to hike up the Corcovado. As you pass through quiet sections of Parque Nacional da Tijuca, you could get mugged
- DON’T flaunt anything flashy. This goes for costume jewelry or inexpensive wristwatches. You don’t want to look like an easy target
- DON’T blatantly flip open a large map or guidebook on the street
- DON’T look like a tourist. Avoid carrying backpacks, bottled water and wearing your camera around your neck
On the surface, everything was fine in Rio, even as we walked through the favela. We felt safe at all times, especially where we stayed in Leblon.
In São Paulo, however, we witnessed a dramatic police takedown just 6 ft away from us. Near the Mercado Municipal de São Paulo we were in our taxi at a red light when the Brazilian police SUV in front of us pulled to a halt. 3 officers jumped out in their berets, kevlar body armour & M4 rifles to takedown a topless teen in a backpack & headphones. We heard 3 sounds, (not sure if they were shots fired) before our taxi peeled away. My only regret is that I was too afraid to snap a picture on my phone!
Other than that life experience, the rest of São Paulo was just fine, particularly in the neighbourhoods of Jardim Paulista, World Trade Center, and Cidade Jardim.
Have you been to Brazil? Did I miss anything?
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Safe Travels!
xx Deb
stretchingittotravel says
Wow, that is a memory!
Deb Che says
It sure was! Thankful that we were safe inside a taxi!