Brazil


Passo do Lontra, Miranda, Brazil
The Flooded Brazil of Passo do Lontra
We are on the western edge of Mato Grosso do Sul but bush, on these sides, is something else. In an extension of almost 200.000 km2, the Brazil it appears partially submerged, by rivers, streams, lakes and other waters dispersed in vast alluvial plains. Not even the panting heat of the dry season drains the life and biodiversity of Pantanal places and farms like the one that welcomed us on the banks of the Miranda River.
Manaus, Brazil
The Jumps and Starts of the former World Rubber Capital
From 1879 to 1912, only the Amazon River basin generated the latex that, from one moment to another, the world needed and, out of nowhere, Manaus became one of the most advanced cities on the face of the Earth. But an English explorer took the tree to Southeast Asia and ruined pioneer production. Manaus once again proved its elasticity. It is the largest city in the Amazon and the seventh in Brazil.
Miranda, Brazil
Maria dos Jacarés: the Pantanal shelters such Creatures
Eurides Fátima de Barros was born in the interior of the Miranda region. 38 years ago, he settled in a small business on the side of BR262 that crosses the Pantanal and gained an affinity with the alligators that lived on his doorstep. Disgusted that once upon a time the creatures were being slaughtered there, she began to take care of them. Now known as Maria dos Jacarés, she named each of the animals after a soccer player or coach. It also makes sure they recognize your calls.
Curitiba, Brazil
The High-Quality Life of Curitiba
It is not only the altitude of almost 1000 meters at which the city is located. Cosmopolitan and multicultural, the capital of Paraná has a quality of life and human development rating that make it a unique case in Brazil.

Florianopolis, Brazil

The South Atlantic Azorean Legacy

During the XNUMXth century, thousands of Portuguese islanders pursued better lives in the southern confines of Brazil. In the villages they founded, traces of affinity with the origins abound.

Morro de São Paulo, Brazil
A Divine Seaside of Bahia
Three decades ago, it was just a remote and humble fishing village. Until some post-hippie communities revealed the Morro's retreat to the world and promoted it to a kind of bathing sanctuary.
Sheets of Bahia, Brazil
The Swampy Freedom of Quilombo do Remanso
Runaway slaves have survived for centuries around a wetland in Chapada Diamantina. Today, the quilombo of Remanso is a symbol of their union and resistance, but also of the exclusion to which they were voted.
Ilhabela, Brazil
Ilhabela: After Horror, the Atlantic Beauty
Ninety percent of the preserved Atlantic Forest, idyllic waterfalls and gentle, wild beaches live up to the name. But, if we go back in time, we also reveal the horrific historical facet of Ilhabela.
Ilhabela, Brazil
In Ilhabela, on the way to Bonete
A community of caiçaras descendants of pirates founded a village in a corner of Ilhabela. Despite the difficult access, Bonete was discovered and considered one of the ten best beaches in Brazil.
Goiás Velho, Brazil
A Gold Rush Legacy
Two centuries after the heyday of prospecting, lost in time and in the vastness of the Central Plateau, Goiás esteems its admirable colonial architecture, the surprising wealth that remains to be discovered there.
Brasilia, Brazil
Brasília: from Utopia to the Capital and Political Arena of Brazil
Since the days of the Marquis of Pombal, there has been talk of transferring the capital to the interior. Today, the chimera city continues to look surreal but dictates the rules of Brazilian development.
Sheets of Bahia, Brazil
Lençóis da Bahia: not Even Diamonds Are Forever
In the XNUMXth century, Lençóis became the world's largest supplier of diamonds. But the gem trade did not last as expected. Today, the colonial architecture that he inherited is his most precious possession.
Itaipu Binational Hydroelectric Power Plant, Brazil
Itaipu Binational Hydroelectric Power Plant: Watt Fever
In 1974, thousands of Brazilians and Paraguayans flocked to the construction zone of the then largest dam in the world. 30 years after completion, Itaipu generates 90% of Paraguay's energy and 20% of Brazil's.
Marajó Island, Brazil
The Buffalo Island
A vessel that transported buffaloes from the India it will have sunk at the mouth of the Amazon River. Today, the island of Marajó that hosted them has one of the largest herds in the world and Brazil is no longer without these bovine animals.
Iguazu/Iguazu Falls, Brazil/Argentina
The Great Water Thunder
After a long tropical journey, the Iguaçu River gives a dip for diving. There, on the border between Brazil and Argentina, form the largest and most impressive waterfalls on the face of the Earth.
Chapada Diamantina, Brazil
Gem-stone Bahia
Until the end of the century. In the XNUMXth century, Chapada Diamantina was a land of immeasurable prospecting and ambitions. Now that diamonds are rare, outsiders are eager to discover its plateaus and underground galleries
Goiás Velho, Brazil
The Life and Work of a Marginal Writer
Born in Goiás, Ana Lins Bretas spent most of her life far from her castrating family and the city. Returning to its origins, it continued to portray the prejudiced mentality of the Brazilian countryside
Pirenópolis, Brazil
Brazilian Crusades
Christian armies expelled Muslim forces from the Iberian Peninsula in the XNUMXth century. XV but, in Pirenópolis, in the Brazilian state of Goiás, the South American subjects of Carlos Magno continue to triumph.
Pirenópolis, Brazil
A Ride of Faith
Introduced in 1819 by Portuguese priests, the Festa do Divino Espírito Santo de Pirenópolis it aggregates a complex web of religious and pagan celebrations. It lasts more than 20 days, spent mostly on the saddle.
Manaus, Brazil
Meeting the Meeting of the Waters
The phenomenon is not unique, but in Manaus it has a special beauty and solemnity. At a certain point, the Negro and Solimões rivers converge on the same Amazonas bed, but instead of immediately mixing, both flows continue side by side. As we explore these parts of the Amazon, we witness the unusual confrontation of the Encontro das Águas.
Riders cross the Ponte do Carmo, Pirenópolis, Goiás, Brazil
Pirenópolis, Brazil

A Polis in the South American Pyrenees

Mines of Nossa Senhora do Rosário da Meia Ponte were erected by Portuguese pioneers, in the peak of the Gold Cycle. Out of nostalgia, probably Catalan emigrants called the mountains around the Pyrenees. In 1890, already in an era of independence and countless Hellenizations of its cities, Brazilians named this colonial city Pirenópolis.
São João Farm, Pantanal, Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul, sunset
Fazenda São João, Miranda, Brazil

Pantanal with Paraguay in Sight

When the Fazenda Passo do Lontra decided to expand its ecotourism, it recruited the other family farm, the São João. Further away from the Miranda River, this second property reveals a remote Pantanal, on the verge of Paraguay. The country and the homonymous river.
Serra Dourada, Cerrado, Goiás, Brazil
Serra Dourada, Goiás, Brazil

Where the Cerrado Waves Golden

One of the types of South America savannah, the Cerrado extends over more than a fifth of the Brazilian territory, which supplies much of its fresh water. Located in the heart of the Central Plateau and the state of Goiás, the Serra Dourada State Park shines double.
Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso, Brazil, Véu de Noiva waterfall
Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso, Brazil

In the Burning Heart of South America

It was only in 1909 that the South American geodesic center was established by Cândido Rondon, a Brazilian marshal. Today, it is located in the city of Cuiabá. It has the stunning but overly combustible scenery of Chapada dos Guimarães nearby.
Ilha do Mel, Paraná, Brazil, beach
Ilha do Mel, Paraná, Brazil

The Sweetened Paraná of ​​Ilha do Mel

Located at the entrance to the vast Bay of Paranaguá, Ilha do Mel is praised for its nature reserve and for the best beaches in the Brazilian state of Paraná. In one of them, a fortress built by D. José I resists time and tides.
Vila Velha Paraná, Paraná Tropeirismo Route
Vila Velha Park a Castro, Paraná

On the Paraná Tropeirismo Route

Between Ponta Grossa and Castro, we travel in Campos Gerais do Paraná and throughout its history. For the past of the settlers and drovers who put the region on the map. Even that of Dutch immigrants who, in more recent times and, among many others, enriched the ethnic assortment of this Brazilian state.
Serra do Mar train, Paraná, airy view
Curitiba a Morretes, Paraná, Brazil

Down Paraná, on Board the Train Serra do Mar

For more than two centuries, only a winding and narrow road connected Curitiba to the coast. Until, in 1885, a French company opened a 110 km railway. We walked along it to Morretes, the final station for passengers today. 40km from the original coastal terminus of Paranaguá.
Guides penetrate Cidade de Pedra, Pirenópolis
Stone Town, Goiás, Brazil

A City of Stone. Precious.

A lithic vastness emerges from the cerrado around Pirenópolis and the heart of the Brazilian state of Goiás. With almost 600 hectares and even more millions of years old, it brings together countless capricious and labyrinthine ruiniform formations. Anyone who visits it will be lost in wonder.

Map


How to go


VISA AND OTHER PROCEDURES

Portuguese citizens do not need a visa for tourist visits and obtain a stay permit for 90 days.

HEALTH CARE

Malaria prevention is necessary if you plan to visit the Amazon region, especially Acre, Amape, Amazonas, West Maranhao, northern Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondonia, Roraima and Tocantis. You must also be vaccinated against yellow fever if you plan to enter one of the neighboring countries identified as problematic, such as Bolivia.

Know that mainly during and after the rainy season, several areas of Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro, are plagued by epidemics of Dengue.

Especially if some of the places in the Amazon mentioned above are in your plans, before leaving for Brazil, you should contact the Clínica de Medicina Tropical e do Viajante, Av. da Liberdade, 129, 7º Dto, tel. 21 322 5622.

For more information on traveling health, see the Health Portal of the Ministry of Health and Tropical and Traveler Medicine Clinic. In FitForTravel find country-specific health and disease prevention advice (in English).

TRIP TO BRAZIL

A TAP (tel: 707 205 700) operates direct and privileged flights from Lisbon to several Brazilian cities: Porto Alegre, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Recife, Natal, Fortaleza, Brasília, Belém and Manaus.

 

Must Do's


  • waterfalls of Iguaçu
  • Curitiba and Serra Verde Train
  • Santa Catarina Island and Florianópolis
  • Rio de Janeiro 
  • Ouro Preto, Diamantina and Tiradentes
  • Sheets of Bahia and Chapada Diamantina
  • Salvador
  • Olinda
  • Fernando de Noronha
  • Rio Grande do Norte
  • Jericoacoara
  • Pantanal
  • Brasilia
  • Goiás Velho and Pirenópolis
  • Amazon and Amazon River 
  • Belém and Marajó Island

Explore


INTERNAL FLIGHTS

Several airlines operate flights connecting the largest Brazilian cities:  FULL, GolBLUE. Competition has caused the prices of the most popular calls to drop considerably. As examples, a one-way flight between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro can cost less than €40. Between Rio de Janeiro and Brasília, the price can be around €50.

CAR RENTAL

It is possible to rent a car at airports and other rent-a-car counters in the main Brazilian cities. Remember, however, that Brazilian roads can be seriously dangerous, due to the lack of quality of infrastructure but above all thanks to the unconscious behavior of drivers. In addition, some parts of the country maintain roads in third-world conditions, as is the case in the hinterland. And that you should keep all windows closed and doors locked when driving in big cities.

Estimate from €25 per day for a cheap car rental. Gasoline costs around €1 per liter. Diesel about €0,70 and alcohol €0,80.

TRUCK

Brazil is covered by an enormous fleet of long-haul buses that only increased as the already scarce trains were being decommissioned. You can find buses to virtually every destination in the country except those lost in the immensity of the Amazon jungle and similar ones.

SHIP

The entire Amazon region continues to depend on the service of boats that ply the Amazon River, tributaries and effluents. As a rule, trips can be made on deck with a place to extend a hammock (lower price) or in a shared cabin (more expensive). The boat is also the only way to reach several of the islands off the Atlantic coast and to explore parts of the Pantanal.

OTHER

For all the notices made in relation to car rental, we advise against it as much as possible. the use of motorbikes or bicycles to travel around Brazil. It obviously does not apply to the mere discovery of quiet villages in the interior and similar situations.

When to go


Due to its vast size, Brazil has several recommended times to visit, depending on the regions you have in mind. South: avoid June to the end of August, the peak of winter in the regions of São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul when you can get very different temperatures – read low – from those normally associated with Brazil, easily minimal of 4th, 5th and 6°C. The high season for these regions is the summer, from December to February, which coincides with the school holidays, when most Brazilians take holidays and thus inflate the prices of almost everything in their favorite hideaways. Rio de Janeiro area: it is very hot and humid (maximums above 30ºC) throughout the summer when thunderstorms usually cool the environment in the late afternoon or evening. In winter, Rio has average temperatures of around 20ºC, but the region can be hit by cold fronts that bring long periods of rain. Northeast: during the summer, the region is even warmer than Rio, but less humid. It has much milder temperatures and little rain from September to February. Central Plateau and Minas Gerais: this continental region is almost always a little cooler than the coast. The climate of the Central Plateau is dictated by two well-defined seasons, one dry and the other rainy. Preferably visit from May to September, the winter and dry season in the region, when it rarely rains, the sky remains blue and the air is clear. Sertão (Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, Alagoas, Sergipe, Piaui, Ceará, North of Minas Gerais: throughout the backlands region, it rains in abundance from December to April. Then, as a rule, there is a long drought that can be Amazon Basin: This region receives most of Brazil's rain. Belém is one of the wettest cities in the world. The Amazon is not exactly very hot – averages 27ºC – but, to compensate, it is very humid. most of the rain falls in March. From June to September the heat and rain decrease substantially Rondonia, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul: Temperatures are high from October to March, during these months it rains a lot. From May to September the temperatures are milder and rain becomes rarer.

Money and costs


The Brazilian currency is the Real (BRL). There are ATMs in the main cities and even towns in the country. Most of the more sophisticated establishments allow payments with credit and debit cards. The appreciation of the value of the Real against the Euro and the recent turmoil in the Brazilian economy, fueled by successive oil discoveries, caused product prices to increase substantially for European visitors as well.

ACCOMMODATION 

Prices range from €10 or €15 per night in a double room in inns and conventional hotels outside the big cities to many hundreds of euros in the refined hotels of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília and the luxury resorts around these cities and one of the most popular beach resorts in the country.

FOOD

You can count on abysmal differences between the cost of food in a sophisticated neighborhood in São Paulo and a village lost in the middle of the Sertão. Count from €4 or €5 for a traditional complete meal in the interior of Brazil, up to a minimum of €30 in a more refined restaurant in São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro.

INTERNET

Just for bad luck, there would not be internet available at the inn or hotel of your choice. If that happens, you'll definitely find several internet houses in the vicinity with good speed and prices that cost a maximum of €2 per hour of browsing.