Brazil Safety Guide
Health, security, and travel safety information
Emergency Numbers
Save these numbers before your trip.
Healthcare
What to know about medical care in Brazil.
In Rio, Hospital Samaritano and Hospital Copa D'Or have bilingual concierges and intensive-care wings that look like five-star hotel corridors. São Paulo matches them with Hospital Sírio-Libanês and Hospital Albert Einstein, where presidents and Formula-One drivers check in.
Farmácias sit on almost every block; red-and-green signs glow 24 hours in Copacabana, Vila Madalena and the coastal capitals. You can buy antibiotics without a script. But pharmacists rarely speak anything but Portuguese, so bring a translation app.
Insurance is not a legal entry requirement. Yet without it a helicopter evacuation from an Amazon lodge can cost US$30,000 and a private ICU bed runs R$4,000 a night.
- ✓ Bring prescription medications in original packaging with doctor's letter
- ✓ Private hospitals require upfront payment or insurance guarantee
- ✓ Dengue fever prevention essential - use repellent containing DEET
Common Risks
Be aware of these potential issues.
Pickpocketing and bag snatching, phones and cameras
Brief abductions where victims are forced to withdraw money from ATMs
Card cloning at ATMs and establishments
Scams to Avoid
Watch out for these common tourist scams.
Taxis without meters or 'broken' meters charge inflated fares to tourists
A smiling vendor loops a coloured string around your wrist, knots it, then demands R$20. Refuse and the surrounding crew turns aggressive. Keep your hands in your pockets and keep walking.
Impersonators demand to search tourists for drugs then request bribes
Safety Tips
Practical advice to stay safe.
- • Use Uber or 99 instead of hailing street taxis, at night
- • Sit near the driver on empty buses, avoid empty carriages on metro
- • Don't use your phone near open bus windows in traffic
- • Never leave belongings unattended - even for quick swims
- • Buy drinks only from established kiosks, not wandering vendors
- • Leave valuables in hotel safe, bring only essentials to beach
- • Use registered taxis or ride-shares when leaving bars/clubs
- • Watch drinks being prepared, don't accept drinks from strangers
- • Stay in groups, arrange meeting pickup points if separated
Information for Specific Travelers
Safety considerations for different traveler groups.
Men will comment, smile and sometimes follow a solo woman for a block. Yet the chatter rarely crosses into physical threat. Female backpackers criss-cross the continent every day, just trust your instincts and decline the offer of a free motorbike lift.
- → Wear casual clothing that covers beachwear when leaving sand
- → A simple wedding ring reduces unwanted attention
- → Use 'não' firmly - Brazilian women are direct in rejecting advances
Homosexuality legal nationwide since 1830, same-sex marriage legal since 2013
- → Public displays of affection generally safe in designated gay areas
- → Use dating apps cautiously - meet in public places first
- → Transgender travelers should carry identification matching presentation
Travel Insurance
Protect yourself before you travel.
A policy buys you a private room in Samaritano or Albert Einstein and a med-evac jet out of Manaus or the Pantanal if an anaconda bite or speedboat propeller goes wrong.
Ready to plan your trip to Brazil?
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