Brazil Travel Forum

Hi

I am heading to Brazil in November for 3-4 weeks and intend spending the first week in Rio. Could someone point me in the right direction as to things I should do and how I should spend my time.

Also, would you recommend a trip to the amazon and how long should I stay there and where?

Thanks

Hello,

great that you are in Rio for one week in November, maybe I will be there this time too...and we can have a mini-VT-meeting down there? ;-)
Well, do not worry on how you spend the week in Rio, there are a lot of things you can do, it's just a marvelous city!
First of all you have to go to Sugar Loaf and to Corcovado-Christ the Reedemer to have overview above Rio, it's breathtaking!
If you would like you can also make a hang-gliding-flight there or something this way....it must be amazing!
Then you have the famous beaches like Copacabana and Ipanema, some other beaches I would highly recommend are Barra da Tijuca, Recreio, Grumari, etc...which are far from the city-centre, but really worth a visit!
The city-centre itself is interesting too, because there are still old houses and buildings, combined with modern architecture.
If you like soccer I recommend you to visit a soccer-game at the famous Maracana-stadium!
As you are in Brazil you have to go to a samba-school rehearsal from one of the biggest schools like Mangueira, Beija Flor or Salgueiro...even if it is not Carnival time the atmosphere there does get hotter in November, as the final samba-song has been voted and the rehearsals are starting to get crowded, it's very exciting to listen to this drums!
If you like museums you can go to the National Museum in Quinta da Boa Vista or maybe modern art museum in Niteroi.
To escape from the city you can goby bus to Petropolis, the old imperial city which has wonderful gardens and much colder climate than Rio itself, it's up the mountans, 1 hour from Rio away.
Another good escape for a day-tour is the "Ilha de Paqueta" where no car is allowed, you can go there by ferry-boat from "Praca Quinze" in the city-centre, 1:30 boat ride.

You see, you have plenty of options in Rio, just have a great time there!
If you need further advice or have any questions, please see my pages about Rio or E Mail me!

Greetings
Evelyn

Hey... You should defenitly go to Fortaleza, in the northeast. Check my Fortaleza Page... Fortaleza is beautiful and worth the trip... Plus, outside the city, you will find beautiful beaches along the coast of the state of Ceara

Brazil is HUGE. It depends on what interest you so you can stay focused and do as much of what you enjoy during these 3-4 weeks.

During your week in Rio, pop by nearby Parati. I heard it is really nice.

if you LOVE BEACHES, head either north or south to enjoy more wonderful beaches.

NORTH : go to the beaches around ITACARE, not in Itacare town itself, but between ILHEUS and ITACARE.

Or if you have time, all the way to north to FORTALEZA, as mentioned, or even more north to JERICOACOARA.

SOUTH (nearer) : go to FLORIANOPOLIS or ILHA DO MEL, an island off Paranagua.

If you LOVE NATURE / WILDLIFE, I will certainly recommend, after the week in Rio, to make your way into the interior.

Take a 4-day tour in PANTANAL - amazing wildlife viewing and some hiking - birds, mammals, piranha fishing, caymans, etc...

Waking up to the musical chorus of howler monkeys at 5am in the morning will truly be one of the MOST MAGICAL thing you will ever experience.

PANTANAL tours can be organised in CAMPO GRANDE or CORUMBA. But since you are coming from Rio, better to stop at Campo Grande.

Then, spend another 3 or 4 days at BONITO. This is nature at its purest. There are amazing caves and crystal-clear sparkling rivers.

Highly recommended is a snorkel trip down Rio da Prata. Fishes as big as 1-m are swimming right next to you! Snorkelling with a river current, is nearly effortless. You might even get to torpedo around.

Another I recommend is the ABISMO DE ANHUMAS. This is a 72-m abseil into a cave with a subterranean lake. What you see at the bottom, and during your snorkel of the lake is like OUT OF THIS WORLD.

After this, make your way to the most AMAZING IGUACU FALLS. One day on the Brazilian side and one day on the Argentinian side.

If you like the above suggestions, I invite you to pop by my pages for more details of hostel and stuff. But really, it depends on your interests. Have a wonderful trip.