Natal

If the idea of dancing like a delirious flamingo amid throngs of deliriously happy Brazilians appeals (and really, why wouldn't it?), Carnatal is your gloriously off-season carnival salvation. Nestled improbably in Lagoa Nova-a neighborhood more often associated with quiet afternoons than pulsating samba-you'll find Natal's wintertime rebellion against calendar conventions, where glitter-drenched revelers defy seasonal logic to shimmy to live music atop gargantuan, speaker-loaded trucks called "trios eletricos". Conceived in the early '90s as a playful riposte to Rio's famous Carnival, Carnatal quickly evolved into an extravagant four-day spectacle that might just be Brazil's best-kept party secret. Plan a month or two ahead and prepare to spend around 100-200 reais per day-less if your dance moves charm the locals into buying the next round. Arriving by late afternoon is prime: you'll get to soak in the daylight mayhem before the neon-lit, caipirinha-fueled chaos takes hold after dark. Don't bother packing much-just comfortable shoes, a sense of humor, some aspirin, and enough cash for snacks, drinks, and perhaps bribing your way onto a parade float. Why do it at all? Because few memories beat the delicious absurdity of explaining how you ended up sleepless, adorned in borrowed feathers, and wobbling home at dawn after celebrating carnival-at entirely the wrong time of year-in a city known mainly for beach vacations and shrimp dishes.

Fernando de Noronha, a volcanic sprinkle of islands off Brazil's northeastern edge, might just ruin beaches for you forever-nowhere else will seem as absurdly beautiful. Nestled between turquoise shallows and jagged cliffs, this UNESCO World Heritage site pulls off a rare trick: making you feel like an intrepid explorer, even if your deepest wilderness experience previously involved wrestling with your Wi-Fi router. Plan ahead-and I mean early (like six months at least)-because access to this pristine paradise is strictly limited to keep the beaches from becoming another Instagrammer-infested hellscape. Pack your sunscreen, swimsuit, and extra cash, as the daily preservation fee alone might make your wallet gasp (budget at least $150-$200 per day). Opt for an overnight excursion, arriving midmorning to catch the turtles and dolphins enjoying brunch, and stay long enough to toast an absurdly perfect sunset with a caipirinha or two, under stars so vivid they'll shame your hometown planetarium. Sure, it's a splurge, but trust me: declaring casually, "when I was sipping rum under the stars in Fernando de Noronha," will immediately level up your dinner-party cred for life.