Safety in Brazil: what overland travellers should know
Our summary of the country advice published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Viaggiare Sicuri) on 9 September 2026.
Safety
- Crime — The crime rate is high and made worse by a ready resort to killing, even over trivial matters, so high vigilance is needed everywhere in the country. Armed robbery, express kidnapping with forced ATM withdrawals and snatch theft happen frequently even in middle and upper-middle-class districts and do target foreign visitors: keep valuables out of sight, carry enough cash to hand over, never resist an attacker and report to the police straight away. Beach theft is common, including the "arrastões" in which large groups sweep across a stretch of beach taking everything.
- Favelas and GPS — Favelas exist in every major Brazilian city, sometimes right up against areas visitors use, and in many of them, Rio above all, security is precarious or absent. Any visit can be very dangerous, including to so-called pacified favelas and on tours sold by specialist operators, because armed clashes between police and gangs are a regular and unpredictable event and the violence spills into the surrounding districts. Favelas are not marked on GPS navigators, so do not route yourself by GPS alone and be wary of drivers who do — you can end up inside one without intending to.
- A guide inland — The interior, and the Amazon region in particular, needs specific research beforehand, especially if you are not with an organised tour. The ministry states that you must always be accompanied by an expert guide to visit areas far from inhabited centres, and says the same about the Pantanal of Mato Grosso.
- Border areas — The areas near Brazil's land borders with Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Paraguay are problematic because of trafficking and crime, and the Venezuelan border is singled out as a specific risk area, with a large refugee population. The rest of Brazil can be travelled with normal precautions.
- Brasilia satellite cities — Going to the satellite cities around the capital is strongly discouraged, above all Ceilandia, Paranoá, Santa Maria and São Sebastião but also Planaltina and Samambaia, and especially after dark. Crime against visitors also rises around big festive events, with New Year and Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, São Paulo and Recife the periods that need most care.
- Floods, drought and fire — Flash floods and landslides are common and becoming more frequent, hitting even large urban areas and in the worst cases killing and displacing people; the rainy seasons run January to July in the north, November to March in the south and south-east, and April to July in the north-east, and seasonal flooding can knock out essential services. Between June and September Brasilia and the interior are extremely dry, with humidity below 10% and water supply affected. Wildfires are common from May to September, the Amazon included, with air quality suffering in drought-hit areas.
Before you rely on this
This is our summary of advice written by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Italian travellers, published on 9 September 2026. We summarise in good faith, but we cannot guarantee it is accurate, current or complete, and we take no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of it. Rules change without notice and are applied by officials at the border, not by websites. Always read the original source and the travel advice your own government publishes for Brazil before you travel. GuideMeet has no way of checking whether an individual guide meets any standard mentioned here — ask them directly.
Source: Viaggiare Sicuri — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updated 9 September 2026. Last checked by GuideMeet on 2026-09-20.