You can have a nice time in Rio all year long, but here are some facts to help you pick the best time for your visit:


- High season starts late Novemeber and goes to February or March depending on when Carnival takes place; that's when the temperatures are high and so is the crowd. It is Summer vacation and it's harder to book flights and hotels. You should plan well ahead, specially for Carnival and New Year's Eve. There's not much to do on Christmas Eve, since most people have family dinner and even if you find a good place to dine it feels a little awkward since it's a stay in night.


- July and August are also very busy but the weather might not be great, you may find gray skies and the morning fog may give you a little trouble catching the wonderful views from the hills in Rio. This is the time people from the North Hemisphere have their long Summer vacation so it's always good to plan in advance. The schools in Brazil have a short, like a month's, winter break in July and people usually travel domestically, so you have to beat that, too.


- If you feel like taking some time off September through November (a different Thanksgiving, perhaps?) you may find great Spring temperatures, and although Rio is always busy, the crowds are bearable. Also, if you want to have somewhat of a Carnival experience you can catch the Samba school rehearsals that start months ahead of the real thing.

Para celebrar o lançamento, hoje, de Cidade dos Homens, a Miramax e o i-to-i estão fazendo uma campanha que vai mandar um voluntário "sortudo", assim descrito no site, para experimentar duas semanas da realidade de uma favela carioca, no Morro dos Prazeres, em Santa Teresa.

No site, onde o candidato a voluntário se cadastra para o sorteio, sabe-se que voluntariar numa favela do Rio é experimentar uma "colisão de pobreza, tempero, cultura e paraíso". Entre os serviços oferecidos estão educar sobre AIDS e embelezar a cidade através de arte, jardinagem e graffiti.

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