Unlike many exotic sunshine destinations around the world, Brazil is a country that you can visit any time of the year and has never been particularly expensive. Indeed, with the Internet offering discount flights to Brazil the only limiting factors you may have when deciding when to go to Brazil are the reasons you wish to visit Brazil (its mega-metropolis, delightful beaches, or amazing Amazon rainforest) and deciding whether or not you wish to travel the country extensively. To help you decide when to go to Brazil we set out some of the main events in a Brazilian year.

In the event that you would like to travel around Brazil, it is generally suggested that visitors do not travel during the months of December to February as this is when the Brazilian school system is on its long summer vacation. As a result, a large number of Brazilians are themselves traveling domestically during this time - resulting in accommodation and domestic travel being both at a premium and difficult to arrange. Beside this limitation, it is also generally accepted that travel to the south of Brazil should not be undertaken during the same period as temperatures can reach forty degrees Celsius and the humidity during this time makes the south unbearably sticky for many. The south should also be avoided during the rainy season (June to August) as it tends to be a period of continuous rain!

Those wishing to visit Brazil for carnival will need to make arrangements to visit Brazil in late February early March - depending on when Easter is that year, as carnival takes place during the 5 days up to Ash Wednesday (the last day of carnival is actually on Shrove Tuesday).

Travel in and around Brazil can also be difficult during the following annual events:
* New Year: December 31 - January 1 - known locally as Ano Nove. Accommodation in Rio de Janeiro can be especially difficult to find during this period as up to 2 million people gather to party the night away.
* Carnival Rio: late February - early March - when finding accommodation anywhere in Brazil can be difficult.
* Independence Day: September 7 - fortunately, unlike carnival, this is only a one-day event as the whole country comes to a standstill!

If you are visiting Brazil with the intention of visiting some of Brazil's pristine beaches, keep in mind that Brazil's beaches are on the Atlantic coast and so you should try to avoid traveling during the months of June to August, when the sea can be notoriously rough and cold. Also bear in mind that a number of tourists to Brazil's beaches each year drown in the coastal waters of Brazil as they haven't taken into consideration the local reefs, currents and under-tones.

Having said this, the diverse number of attractions in Brazil, from the Amazons to carnival, really does mean that choosing when to go to Brazil really is up to you - that's the beauty of Brazil: there are no limitations on traveling there!