Rio de Janeiro Travel Forum

My dilemma over the years is whether or not to go to Rio. Well we were thinkng of going to Mexico but the lure of Rio and Brazil is just too great. We are looking at the xmas and New Year 2009 period and would like to stay in an apartment. I have checked some links already from this forum so I basically need advice on Rio itself and things to do in Brazil in general. My dream would be some adventure in the jungles/ Amazon but not too demanding, perhaps some hiking somewhere then a week relaxing and partying in Rio for NYE and perhaps watch Gremio play in Porto Alegre. Is this too much for 1 trip (2 or 3 weeks max), is Rio unsafe especially at NYE? How easy is it to get to Porto Alegre and watch a match?

The main priority is safety, though I know nobody can guarantee it, will we be ok provided we use commonsense etc? I have been to some dodgy parts of the world but never really had too much trouble, perhaps Rio is a totally different ball-game?

Please see innumerable previous postings on this subject. Yes, Rio is safe, as long as you're sensible. I've lived here (in 2 different installments) for 4+ years, and visited in the interim dozens of times, all without incident.

That time of year is my absolute favorite time to visit Rio. For me it is much more fun than Carnival. And yes, as with any large city there are some dicey areas. I would recommend staying in Ipanema or Leblon, much safer areas and not the concentration of tourists and the associated petty thieves they attract in the Copa.

To visit the Amazon region and PA on the same trip I would recommend checking out the Brazil Air Pass that TAM offers. It can reduce your airfares but price them both ways. There is GOL which is a lcc in Brazil and provides good service. If you just want an easy way to visit the Amazon, then fly to Manaus and explore a bit from there. Here is a link that you will need to copy and paste to your browser from the New York Times travel section with several good articles on Manaus.

http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/central-and-south-america/brazil/manaus/overview.html


Otherwise, relax, kick back and get ready to enjoy :)

Sam

rio has become a lot safer for the tourist in recent years and if you act sensible then you should be fine.
i was there a month ago myself with a group of danish tourists and noone had any problems.

if you want a bit of jungle experience without travelling a lot then you might want to go south of rio to the region around paraty.
there is some atlantic rain forest there that is easy to trek around.
it's not the amazonas for sure, but i think it's still quite good for some outdoor experience.

Brazil is a continental country, so going to Manaus and Porto Alegre is more than going from NY to LA. A flight from Rio to Porto Alegre takes about 2:30 hours and from Rio to Manaus about four hours.
Unless you have any special reason, you should watch the game in Rio. You will save time and money. The soccer matches in Maracanã Stadium in Rio are incredible, and better than watching a game in Olimpico Standium that belongs to Gremio.
For hiking: Chapada Diamantina in Bahia.
For Jungle cuise: www.venturas.com.br is a safe and good operator of nice tours all over the coutry , but the site is still in Portuguese. I think they answer e-mails in English
While in Rio, enjoy the city, but leave your watch in the hotel, and don´t go out with your camera around your neck.

Thank you all very much, I have much to ponder. I think 2 weeks in rio will be enough and stay local and enjoy what there is to offer there. Only question now is the price of apts. They seem so expensive on the previous links. Can anyone recommend a 3 bed apt for reasonable price (below £1500 for 2 weeks)?

Guy, you have picked the second most expensive time (after Carnival) of the year to visit Rio. It it HIGH season and unless the current economic conditions become worse then you are not going to find many bargains. You can take your chances and wait and see if the market is soft prices may come down, if not then you may not have much to choose from. One word of caution, deal with a rental agent...avoid places like Craigslist. If it looks too good to be true, it is...lots of people seem to be getting taken by rental scams on Craigslist these days so be careful.

Sam

i just got back from rio a month ago and spoke to several owners of local travel agencies and hotels and they said that tourism is much better this year than last year and that prices are likely to rise because of the high demand, so don't expect prices to fall in the next few months.

Hello, I am a Brit girl living over in Rio, and although I've had problems with muggings (none of them violent or involving weapons), I can honestly say that the beauty of the place, the culture and the people (muggers aside!) more than makes up for any possible danger. I've been here two years and am still in love with the place - exercise common sense and you should be fine. Remember, muggers generally don't want to hurt you, so if the worst happens, just hand over your valuables and you won't come to any harm. My friend was recently 'mugged' and the thief just calmly went through her wallet, took out the notes, and handed it back to her, complete with phone numbers that she didn't want to lose!

As for Porto Alegre, it's an awful long way from Rio and, Gremio aside, there's not an awful lot there to attract tourists. How about catching a Flamengo match at the Maracana instead?

For more info on things to do, etc, visit my pages at http://www.nileguide.com/destination/rio-de-janeiro

well been there many times and on business trps too. Rio has its hot areas,and along the beaches one needs to be careful, but not any different than other popular city, common sense always prevails.
especially as you are going in a very crowded hectic period, very nice, but more prompt to thefts,muggings etc; so more careful as to where and what time you are.
Your country Embassy always puts a flyer on the local situation (a bit overdone)that can give some ideas as to areas that are going bad or are.

Porto Alegre is nice gaucho territory, great city, have many friends there that connect it again this past summer;but not much of a tourist attraction indeed. If you are in Rio,then they have excellent games there too (my favorite is the International de porto alegre,go figure it ::))

Anyway, out to amazon is pretty far from Rio in my opinion. Rio is night and beach action all day,who needs more ::)

Provided you use common sense, of course you should go. Stick to the touristy parts and Zona Sul, and it's actually safer than many an American city.

Far as apartments go, I've been using K&K ( http://site.katarinakhalidapartments.com/ ) to rent furnished apartments for a while, but wouldn't mind knowing what other options are out there, if somebody could share info on that.