Basic page template

BRAZIL FACTS

For centuries, Brazil has symbolized great escape into a primordial, tropical paradise, igniting the Western imagination like no other South American country.

From the passion of Carnival to the enormity of the Amazon basin, Brazil is a country of mythical proportions. Brazil's mysticism revolves around the planet's most famous beaches, music and dance of samba, the beauty of Corcovado and Sugar Loaf, wonderful Skyscape of Rio and Sao Paulo, the athleticism of soccer, the happiness of ice-cold beer, the camaraderie of bate-papo (chit-chat) and the cult of "Body Beautiful".

"Brazil is a land of superlatives. It has the biggest freshwater fish and the rivers to go with them, the largest jungle and the greatest number of species. It makes the world's best music and throws the world's wildest party. This land where primeval meets modernity teems with life -- and what makes life worth living -- and nothing is done in moderation. The commingling of cultures -- indigenous tribes, the Portuguese colonists, the West Africans -- has created a people who are unafraid to embrace life. The Brazilians have a word -- saudade -- that means a longing for what could have been. It is a feeling as universal as the sun, but in Brazil no one, including the traveler, allows saudade to interfere with the moment." - TRAVELERS TALES BRAZIL

As the economic situation in Brazil stabilized over the last several years under the Plan Real, travel had become more expensive for foreigners. If you're traveling on buses every couple of days, staying in hotels for US$20 a night, and eating in restaurants and/or drinking in bars every night, US$60 is a rough estimate of what you would need. If you plan to lie on a beach for a month, eating rice and beans every day, US$30 would be enough. You should bear in mind that prices for accommodation increase around 30% from December to February.

*OFF SEASON: March to June, August to November
*HIGH SEASON: July, December to February and major holidays

Relative costs: OFF SEASON
Budget room: US$10-20
Moderate hotel: US$20-70
Top-end hotel: US$70 and upwards
Budget meal: US$8-10
Moderate restaurant meal: US$10-20
Top-end restaurant meal: US$20 and upwards

Credit cards are now accepted all over Brazil. Visa is the best card to carry for cash advances. Changing cash and travelers' checks is simple - there are 'cambios' in all but the tiniest towns. It's worth having enough cash to tide you over the weekend, when finding a change bureau, even in big cities, can be difficult. When buying cash, ask for lots of small bills as change is often unavailable for small transactions.

Most services get tipped a mandatory 10%, often included in the bill. If a waiter is friendly and helpful, you may like to give more. Because of the massive amount of unemployment in Brazil, services that may seem superfluous are customarily tipped. Parking assistants are the most notable as they receive no wages, but petrol-station attendants, shoe shiners and barbers are also frequently tipped. Taxi drivers are an exception: most people round the price up, but a tip is not expected.

Bargaining for hotel rooms should become second nature - always ask for a better price. You should also haggle in markets and unmetered taxis. At the Brazilian Travel Club, we only post or represent pousadas (bed and breakfasts) and tour operators that we know personally or have been highly recommended by members of the club. The Andetur Brazilian Travel Club is a very 'loose' informal group of interested students, travelers, agents, hotel and pousada owners and / or tour operators .. that have paid a 'membership' fee .. and our common interest is to improve tourism to our beautiful country. You may join our newsletter at any time, and you may leave at any time .. of course we would rather you stay! You may join now if you like, or return at any time. Our forum is moderated in order that the purpose of the group is maintained.

When to Go

Most of Brazil can be visited comfortably throughout the year - it's only the south, which can be unbearably sticky in 'summer' (remember their summer is our winter) and non-stop rainy in winter, that has extreme seasonal changes. With many Brazilians on summer vacation from December to February, travel can be difficult and expensive, while from Rio to the south the humidity can be oppressive.

Summer is also the most festive time of year, as Brazilians escape their apartments and take to the beaches and streets. School holidays begin in mid-December and go through to Carnaval, usually in late February.

FESTIVITIES

Attractions

Rio de Janeiro

Jammed into the world's most beautiful setting - between ocean and escarpment - are 7 million Cariocas, as Rio's inhabitants are called. The Cariocas pursue pleasure like no other people in the world: beaches and the body beautiful; samba and beer; football and the local firewater - cacha�a.

Rio has its problems, and they are enormous: a third of the people live in the favelas (shanty towns) that blanket many of the hillsides; the poor have no schools, no doctors, no jobs; drug abuse and violence are endemic; police corruption and brutality are commonplace. Rio's reputation as a violent city has caused a sharp reduction in tourism in the last several years, and there is even a special police unit which patrols areas frequented by gringos in an effort to keep them safe - recent reports suggest they have been pretty successful.

Rio is divided into a zona norte (northern zone) and a zona sul (southern zone) by the Serra da Carioca, steep mountains that are part of the Parque Nacional da Tijuca. The view from the top of Corcovado, the mountain peak with the statue of Christ the Redeemer at its summit, offers the best way to become geographically familiar with the city. Favelas crowd against the hillsides on both sides of town.

The beach, a ritual and a way of life for the Cariocas, is Rio's common denominator. Copacabana is probably the world's most famous beach, and runs for 4.5km (3mi) in front of one of the most densely populated residential areas on the planet. From the scalloped beach you can see the granite slabs that surround the entrance to the bay. Ipanema is Rio's richest and most chic beach. Other beaches within and near the city include Pepino, Praia Barra da Tijuca, Flamengo and Aproador.

P�o de A��car (Sugar Loaf) is God's gift to the picture-postcard industry. Two cable cars climb 1300m (4264ft) above Rio and the Ba�a de Guanabara and, from the top, Rio looks the most beautiful city in the world. The 120 sq. km (47 sq. mi.) Parque Nacional de Tijuca, 15 minutes from the concrete jungle of Copacobana, is all that's left of the tropical jungle that once surrounded Rio. The forest is an exuberant green, with beautiful trees and waterfalls.

Rio's famous glitzy Carnaval is a fantastic spectacle, but there are more authentic celebrations held elsewhere in Brazil. In many ways, Carnaval can be the worst time to be in Rio. Everyone gets a bit unglued at this time of year: taxi fares quadruple, accommodation triples and masses of visitors descend on the city to get drunk, get high and exchange exotic diseases.

The best areas for budget hotels are Gl�ria, Catete and Flamengo. Botafogo has the best budget nightlife; Cinel�ndia and Lapa have a lot of samba and are the heart of gay Rio; Leblon and Ipanema have upmarket, trendy clubs.

More Information

Fordor's selections

Bras�lia

Bras�lia may be a World Heritage Site, but unless you're architecture student, it's not going to be of much interest. Though it probably looked good on paper and still looks good in photos, in the flesh it's another story. Designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer, urban planner Lucio Costa and landscape architect Burle Marx, the city was built in an incredible three years (1957-60) by millions of dirt-poor peasants working around the clock. Unfortunately, the world's most ambitious planned city was designed for automobiles and air conditioners, not people. Distances are enormous and hardly anyone walks; the sun blazes and there are few trees for shelter. Bureaucrats and politicians are lured to Bras�lia by 100% salary hikes and big apartments, but as soon as the weekend comes they jet to Rio or S�o Paulo - anywhere less sterile. The poor, who work in the construction and service industries, pass their nights in favelas up to 30km (19mi) outside the city, called 'anti-Bras�lias'.

S�o Paulo

The biggest city in South America is a city of immigrants and ethnic neighborhoods. A whopping 17 million people live in this plateau megalopolis, many of them descendants of Italian and Japanese migrants. Strong industrial development and cultural diversity have provided S�o Paulo with the largest, most cultured and educated middle class in Brazil.

These Paulistanos are lively, well-informed and, though they complain about the traffic, street violence and pollution, wouldn't dream of living anywhere else. S�o Paulo can be an intimidating place, but if you like big cities, it offers the excitement and nightlife of one of the world's most dynamic. Attractions include the baroque Teatro Municipal, Niemeyer's Edif�cio Copan, and the 16th-century Pat�o do Col�gio.

The Amazon

The Amazon is a gigantic system of rivers and forests, covering half of Brazil and extending into neighboring countries. The stretch of river known as Rio Amazonas runs between the cities of Manaus and Bel�m, though the various rivers which join to form it provide a navigable route for ocean-going vessels to the other side of the South American continent.

The forest still keeps many of its secrets: to this day major tributaries of the Amazon are unexplored. Of the estimated 15,000 species of Amazon creatures, thousands of birds and fish and hundreds of mammals have not been classified. A cursory sampling of known animal species found in the forest - some common, some rare, some virtually extinct - includes jaguar, tapir, peccary, spider monkey, sloth, armadillo, caiman, alligator, river dolphin, boa constrictor and anaconda. Forest birds include toucans, parrots, macaws, hummingbirds and hawks; insect life is well represented with over 1800 species of butterflies and more than 200 species of mosquitoes; and fish such as piranha, tucunar�, piraracu, pintado and electric eel abound in such an amazing diversity of fish species that biologists are unable to identify 30% of the catch found in Bel�m's markets.

The most common jumping-off point for excursions into the Amazon is Manaus, which lies beside the Rio Negro, 10km(6mi) upstream from the confluence of the Solim�es and Negro rivers, which join to form the Amazon. Although Manaus continues to be vaunted in countless glossy travel brochures as an Amazon wonderland, the city itself has few attractions and is dirty, ugly and increasingly crime-ridden. The city's most potent symbol is the Teatro Amazonas, the famous opera house designed by Domenico de Angelis in Italian Renaissance style at the height of the rubber boom, in 1896.

NOTE: We recommend and operate many tours into the Amazon. All of our tour operators provide transport from the airport, escorted tours while you are in Manaus, and transport to / from their respective operations.

Day trips and boat tours up the Amazon provide a close-up experience of the jungle flora and abundant bird life, and a chance to see what life is like for the caboclos (inhabitants of the Amazonian river towns) in the vicinity of Manaus, but don't expect to meet remote Indian tribes or dozens of free-ranging beasts, because in both cases contact has been synonymous with destruction, and both have sensibly fled from accessible areas.

Some of these operators also offer fishing trips, camping, jungle lodges, and are very conscientious about caring for their clients.

2002 has been named the International Year of Eco-Tourism, and Andetur Brazilian Travel Club is promoting many tours and new operations into the Amazon.

Each year, near Manaus, is celebrated the famous Festival of Parintins ... a 'duel' between the two bulls - Caprichosa and Garantido demonstrating the beauty and the heart of the Amazon - showing a folklore history of the Indian and the poor caboclo - the people of the Amazon forest.

M/V Tucano

River Tours

Swallows and Amazon

Research Forest Eco and Fish Camp

The Pantanal

The Amazon may have all the fame and glory, but the Pantanal is a far better place to see wildlife. This vast area of wetlands, about half the size of France, lies in the far west of Brazil and extends into the border regions of Bolivia and Paraguay. Birds are the most frequently seen wildlife, but the Pantanal is also a sanctuary for giant river otters, anacondas, iguanas, jaguars, cougars, crocodiles, deer and anteaters. The area has few people and no towns, and access is via the Transpantaneira road which ends at the one-hotel hamlet of Porto Jofre. Boat tours are available from the port city of Rio Paraguai on the Bolivian border, but be cautious as the town has a reputation for gun-running, drug traffic and poaching.

All travelers should take precautions against tapeworm, yellow fever and cholera. Get an International shot card and get the shots recomended by your doctor or the Brazilian embassy

Note: I've had several members and guests lately interested in visiting the Pantanal, and were concerned about the statement above about the town of Rio Paraguai. First point: None of our operators work from this town, and Second point: This same problem of drugs exists more in our own streets than you would ever encounter in the Pantanal. Again: The operators and guides that we select to represent are either personally known or are highly recommended. We use pousadas and lodges that are clean, professionally run, and secure.

A comfortable lodge, surrounded by wildlife.

Caiman Lodge

Tour Operators we use:


	Ecotour
	Not Active at this time
	Green Track

Also we have Vania Nunez, who works for Embrapa, promoting tours into the Pantanal for the local tourist bureau. Vania also occasionaly takes private parties, and will answer directly any inquiry that you might have on the area. You may correspond with her directly at the link below.

Salvador da Bahia

We have our own 'in house' specialist on Bahia

Edna Martins Reid

Bahia is Brazil's most Africanized state. Its capital, Salvador da Bahia (often abbreviated to Bahia or Salvador), is a fascinating city loaded with historic buildings. If beaches are what you want, the only difficulty is making a choice. Founded in 1549, Salvador was Brazil's most important city for 300 years, and the Portuguese Empire's second city, after Lisbon. As the center of the sugar trade, it was famous for gold-filled churches and beautiful mansions, and for its many wild festivals and general sensuality and decadence. Carnaval in Salvador is justly famous and attracts hordes of tourists. Other highlights include 34 colonial churches; the Museu Afro-Brasileira, which is dedicated to Black culture; and the Elevador Lacerda, an Art Deco structure with clanking electric elevators which truck up and down a set of 85m (279ft) cement shafts in less than 15 seconds and carry over 50,000 passengers daily between the port and the hilly historic section of the city.

Igua�u Falls

Igua�u Falls

Guides available

The Rio Igua�u arises in the coastal mountains of Paran� and Santa Catarina, the Serra do Mar, and snakes west for 600km (372mi) before it widens majestically and sweeps around a magnificent jungle stage, plunging and crashing in tiered falls at the border with Argentina and Paraguay. The falls are over 3km (2mi) wide and 80m (262ft) high. The best time of year to see them is from August to November, when there is least risk of flood waters hindering the approach to the catwalks.

Off the Beaten Track

The main purpose and objective of the Andetur Brazilian Travel Club (ABTC) is to introduce you to Brazil, to show you it's many attractions, to promote your desire to visit us. We really market 'adventure type and eco-tours' so we will show you our particular places of interest.

FORTALEZA

GUIA-CEARA

Special Tours throughout the northeast

Jericoacoara Beach (Praia)

Jericoacoara Praia Hotel Pousada

Jericoacoara is the latest remote-and-primitive 'in' beach to become popular among backpackers and hipper Brazilians. Situated on the Cear� coast, northwest of Fortaleza, it's a rough little fishing village where dozens of palms drowning in sand dunes face jangadas (sailboats) stuck on a broad grey beach. It's very hard to get there so you might as well stay a while. Pigs, goats, sheep, horses, burros and dogs roam the sandy streets at will. You can boogie at the forr� held every evening - just follow the music. You can also climb the sand dunes, hitch a ride on a jangada, or walk to Pedra Furada, a rock 3km (2mi) east along the beach. You can also hire horses and gallop 18km (11mi) westward along the beach to the still smaller town of Mangue Seco.

Olinda (Recife)

Special Tours throughout the northeast

Brazil's former capital, Olinda is one of the best preserved colonial cities in Brazil. With an enviable elevated location overlooking Recife and the Atlantic, the historical district is concentrated on its winding upper streets. However, this is no still life. Olinda is very much a living city, with a cultural scene which is alive and kicking, and its beautiful enclave of preserved colonial buildings is populated by artists, students and bohemians. Churches, museums, art galleries and convents vie with outdoor restaurants and craft markets, attracting locals and tourists alike. Carnaval in Olinda is a mega affair, the historic setting and party-animal residents providing an intimacy and sense of security that other Carnavals lack.

Parque Nacional da Serra da Chapada dos Veadeiros

This scenic national park is in the highest area of the country's Central West, just over 200km (124mi) north of Bras�lia, the nation's capital. Its high waterfalls, natural swimming pools and oasis-like stands of wine-palms have caused it to become a popular destination for ecotourists. Animal life includes maned wolves, banded anteaters, giant armadillos, capybaras, tapirs, rheas, toucans and vultures. The park has a camping ground, and there is basic accommodation nearby.

Activities

Maraca Stadium - Soccer - Home of the worlds best teams

There are great spots for hang-gliding in Rio, especially around Pedra Bonita, near Pepino beach. Surfing is popular all along the coast. Waves are especially good in the southern state of Santa Caterina, but there is also plenty of surf close to Rio. Sailing is big in B�zios and off the larger resorts along the coast. Inland, the Rio Araguaia in Goi�s and Tocantins is known as a fishing paradise. There are excellent opportunities for rock climbing in and near Rio and in the national and state parks, and hiking is great along the coast. Futebol (soccer) is the national obsession and if you can play the game or talk about it meaningfully, you'll become an instant hit.

Getting There & Away

There are frequent flights to / from Rio with all major cities in South America. Other gateway airports in Brazil include Recife, popular with German package tourists, and Manaus, capital of the state of Amazonas, which is halfway between Rio and Miami. Varig, Brazil's national airline, flies to many major cities in the world. Andetur Brazilian Travel Club members get special discounts on TAM Brazilian Airlines..

Brazil has land borders with every other country in South America, with the exceptions of Ecuador and Chile, so while some travelers may bus in from Uruguay in the south, others arrive via the 'trem da morte' (death train) from Bolivia. By river, many travelers take a slow boat down the Amazon from Iquitos in Peru or into the Pantanal via the Rio Paraguay from Asun�ion.

Getting Around

Flights within Brazil are not cheap, but with the huge distances involved, the occasional splurge may be an absolute necessity. Except in the Amazon basin, buses are the primary form of long-distance transportation for the vast majority of Brazilians, and services are generally excellent and cheap. All major cities are linked by frequent buses; for example, there's at least one every 15 minutes between Rio and S�o Paulo during peak hours. There are very few railway passenger services in Brazil, despite the fact that there is over 30,000km (18,600mi) of track; however, enthusiasts should not despair as there are still some wonderful railway journeys in Brazil, including some by steam train. Although river travel in Brazil has decreased due to the construction of a comprehensive road network, it is still possible to travel by boat between some of the cities of the Rio S�o Francisco and in the Amazon basin. For the International traveler arriving from the USA or Europe by air, there is always the Brazilian Air Pass.

Recommended Reading

TRY OUR ONLINE STORE FOR THESE CLASSIC BRAZILIAN STORIES AND GUIDE BOOKS

Red Gold: The Conquest of the Brazilian Indians by John Hemming follows the colonists and Indians from 1500 to 1760, when the great majority of Indians were either pacified or eliminated.

The Masters and the Slaves: A Study in the Development of Brazilian Civilization by Gilberto Freyre is the most famous book on Brazil's colonial past.

Brazilian Adventure by Peter Fleming is a hilarious account of the young journalist's expedition into Mato Grosso in search of the disappeared Colonel Fawcett.

Wizard of the Upper Amazon - The Story of Manuel C�rdova-Rios by F Bruce Lamb is an interesting look at yag�, the hallucinogenic drug used by certain tribes of the upper Amazon.

The Rainforest Book by Scott Lewis is packed with examples which link consumer behavior with rainforest development; listings of organizations to contact; and advice on individual involvement.

Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice by Mark Plotkin touches on history, anthropology and environmental issues as it recounts the search for medicinal plants in the forests of Brazil and Suriname.

Epitaph of a Small Winner and Philosopher or Dog by Machado de Assis are darkly humorous and deeply cynical stories from Brazil's best novelist.

Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon and Dona Flor and her Two Husbands by Jorge Amado are delightful tales set in the exotic tropical northeast of Brazil.

And, if you are really considering taking one of our tours, we highly recommend

GUIDE TO BRAZIL - Pantanal - Amazon - Coastal Regions by Alex Bradbury

OTHER TRAVEL BOOKS, MUSIC, AND MORE

GENERAL INTEREST WEB SITES FOR THE SERIOUS SURFER

Adventure Tours Website - Webmaster Russell Nauta How to See the World Art of Travel	Beachcomber - "Life is a Beach, Sand in your shoes and a computer on your lap". � Beachcomer	Travel Advisory from the U.S. Department of State
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT BRAZIL
Information Sources on the Internet	Useful information - Doing business in Brazil	Travel Check List
Brazilian Sites Directory	History of Capoeira	Capoeira Martial Arts Site
Net Farm - Brazilian ranchers almanac	Map of South America	Tour of Brazil Walter Morales
PANTANAL	Eco-Tourism in Brazil	More Eco-Tourism Information #1 #2
Hostels in Brazil Don's selection of recommended hotels	More Eco-Tourism Amazon (Manaus)	Tips about Rio - the big city
Medical Information	Tropical Net	More Brazil Information
P.R.A.Y. Project Rescue of Amazon Youth		Information Summary of the Brazilian tourist industry
South American Explorers Club Join the South American Explorers Club