Brazil

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most visually stunning cities on the planet, and it genuinely earns its reputation as a bucket-list destination. It also has one of the highest street-crime rates in South America, and backpackers who arrive treating it like Barcelona or Bangkok tend to find out the hard way. This guide gives you the real picture, specific neighborhoods, real numbers, and honest risk levels, so you can have an incredible trip without becoming a statistic.