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Best
way to see Brazil: Book escorted tours!
Unless
you are fluent in Portuguese or a VERY savvy traveler,
it
would be wise to book an escorted- or semi-escorted tour
package. Semi-escorted tours can be booked for individual
travelers
and include escorted tansfers with a guide and all hotels
and flights.
Have
a guide wait for you upon arrival at the airport so
that you
can shun the many semi-legal - and illegal taxi drivers
that approach you like hungry hyaenes. Brazil, this
otherwise appealing
country, can loose a lot of its appeal at that moment.
In
Rio de Janeiro, a transfer with guide from the international
airport
to a beachfront hotel at the Copacabana is not inexpensive;
a taxi is about half officially, but as a non-Brazilian
the
taxi driver may find excuses to charge you much more
by only talking to you Portuguese.
A
guide does not only pick you up, she/he speaks your language,
you know her/his name and phone number before hand and the
guide can give you an excellent initial orientation. A good
tour operator would also give you an emergency phone number
for your time in Brazil. Not only would they help you with
problems with your tour package but certainly also in case
of any other type of emergency.
Traveling
to Brazil in a group can be fun and it is less expensive
then traveling
individually. If you choose to travel individually, you
should still try to book your package through a Tour
Operator who
normally offers group tours. The volume they have generally
allows them to offer individual packages at affordable
prices,
with the security of knowing someone is there to help
you.
Don't
travel on a tight budget! While official 3 to 5 star
hotels
offer much the same standard as in the rest of the world,
cheaper hotels or youth hostels can be of the cockroach
class.
Therefore be careful with offers that say 999 US$ one
week Rio de Janeiro including flights. This can, however,
be a great deal if
offered by an airline - which has an image to loose.
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Travel
documents for Brazil:
US-
and Canadian citizens need a visa, but it can be obtained
by mail from your nearest Brazilian consulate. As with most
international travel, you'll also require a valid passport.
For more details visit the visa section
on this website or use a Visa
Service like here.
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Best
travel time for Brazil:
It
all depends on what you are expecting! Below is our short
info, more more details on the Brazilian
climate go here!
North
of Rio de Janeiro the weather is always warm,
and hot - December through March.
Rio de
Janeiro itself can get cool in July/August.
For a few days, the minimum temperature at night can
fall below 18 C / 65 F.
The rainy season is January through March. However, this
does not mean that
it rains more often, the rain
just brings more water!
São
Paulo and the South are
much like Southern Europe with the opposite seasons.
A bit chilly indeed June through August
and quite hot and a bit more humid in the Summer
(January through March).
The
Northeast, of which Salvador is the main
city, is warm along the coast year round. Inland
the differences between day and night are more accentuated.
Hot during the day and cooler at night. Along the
coast from Salvador to Natal can see prolonged
periods of drizzle June thru August when the trade
winds bring more clouds.
And
the Amazon is tropical: Humid and up to 35°C
warm, year around, more or less. There is never much
time between rainshowers. But then again, those showers,
although violent at times, are usually over after
an hour. Dryspells from June to August.
A
special word about the second most popular place in
Brazil: When going to Ouro Preto bring a sweater.
Due to the high altitude it often gets extremely cool
at night, even after a very hot Summer day in January.
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Security-Question:
Is
it dangerous to travel to Brazil? There's no easy answer!
Democracy
has brought forward many changes. In places where a city regards
tourism as serious business, policing has been heightened
dramatically.
Ten
years ago, group tourism to Brazil, in a manner similar to
European tourism, did not exist.
Brazil
is changing rapidly, however. Brazil is one of the stronger
emerging markets, growing at around 5% per year. But
... It still is unwise anywhere to leave valuables lying
around or flaunt one's wealth, and the traveler generally
does not venture far from the main stay (just as you
would avoid certain parts of large U.S. cities.) Brazil
can now be regarded as no less "safe" than
any region where rich and poor meet. Just be discret!
Brazil
is two countries that co-exist in the same geographical space:
On
one hand, Brazil is a highly industrialized country,
11th in
the world. Brazil is exporting technology to Japan with
its mobile phone-hungry population, its economy is driven
by the
internet and in the cities, Brazilians get stuck in traffic
in their large, snug SUVs on eight lane freeways. Commodites
are exported and oil is produced enough now to even export
small amounts of it.
On
the other hand, a lot of people have to survive on less
than
100 US$ per month. This is the third world face of Brazil.
It
is only natural that some of the poor would like to redistribute
the wealth, somehow.
As
much as you know where the places are in your city which
you
would never go or take other people to, a good tour operator
should know those places in Brazil as well. A good
Tour Operator, however, also would not wish to hide
anything from you. However, their tours and destinations
would just
steer clear of such dangers.
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O.k.,
but what about Mosquitoes and all those tropical dangers?
GOOD
tours steer clear of places, where the World Health
Organization
recommends - or the Brazilian Government requires - vaccinations.
However,
we do recommend that if you are heading for the Amazon
or for the Pantanal, that you get prophylactic Malaria medication
(and take it, too!) If you are planning on exploring deeper
into the rainforest or other unusual places in earnest on
your own, please get advice from a specialized hospital or
medical center.
If
heading for the Amazon, try a lodge on the Rio Negro. The
Rio Negro arm of the Amazon contains less nutrients
for mosquitoes, and therefore attracts fewer!
Still,
Brazil is a tropical country. Be prepared, bring
or buy repellent and eat only in hygienic places. No fruits
from the market unless you can peel it! official info on
travel realted health
concerns can be obtained from the World Health Organization!
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Is
Brazil expensive?
Going
out to a Brazilian restaurant is still quite affordable.
Generally, two people need order only one dish. That
is plenty! Local drinks (beer, wine, cocktails, soft
drinks, and bottled water) cost about half what they
do in the U.S. Tap water is safe, but only because it
contains a lot of disinfectants. For your tastebuds'
sake, ordering water „aqua sem gas" (water
without gas) is an inexpensive alternative.
When
you desire American standards and/or American food,
expect prices as you would pay in the U.S. or more.
As with anything that is imported, expect to pay more,
at times much more!
One
nice thing: there is no sales tax to pay. And tips in restaurants
should not exceed 10%.
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Oh
right, how about tipping?
As
just mentioned, restaurant tipping is 10 %. But
you need not to tip all of that should the service not
be good, you would be expected to explain, however.
Otherwise,
where you would hand out one dollar, give one Real (that's
about 50 cents). You need not tip taxi drivers.
It
is customary to tip highly trained, bilingual tour directors
about US$3 to $5 per person per day, and your coach
or car driver about US$2-$3.
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Language
problems?
Yes,
but no communication problems!
Brazilians
are very helpful; they love to practice the little English
they know. But do not expect everyone to speak English
fluently. Use body language! In larger cities, everybody
knows someone who speaks a bit of English, at least.
In the more remote areas, Portuguese is best. Spanish,
with a bit of patience, is often understood.
Good
hotels usually carry at least two TV-channel that are
English (CNN, HBO). Many movies and programs on television,
such as Seinfeld or Frasier, are in English with Portuguese
subtitles.
Just
learn the two magic words:
1.
Please: Por
favor (easy, isn´t it!) and
2.
Thank you: Obrigado (if you are
a man) or Obrigada
(if you are a women)
It
will get you a lot of friendly smiles!
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What
kind of money do I need?
You
need the Brazilian Real
(convert
USD to the Brazilian currency here:)The Real is pronounced
hey-ow, the plural of Real is Reais
(hey-ice!).) Get the Real upon arrival in
an official money exchange office or use ATMs also located
in the international airports. You can never pay for your
purchases in US$! The black market for dollars has virtually
disappeared. Bring traveler checks and your credit card/bank
card with its PIN code stored in your memory only.
ATM's are ubiquitous (almost everywhere!).
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Brazil
Airpass FAQ's The
Brazil airpass once was the way of seeing many
places in Brazil in a short time. Nowadays it
is often less expensive to buy individual tickets
through your travel agent in Brazil directly.
For
shorter distances, like Rio to São Paulo, consider
taking one of the excellent buses. Brazilian - and
South American - buses, can, depending on the bus company,
be much better than Greyhound or European tour buses.
Taking the bus puts you in contact wth the people and
the landscape. You will not regret it!
For
airpasses, please
read the information below to learn about the
limitations of the various Brazil Airpasses
or go to the airpass
booking site:
Q:
Can I buy a Brazil Airpass in Brazil?
A: No, Airpasses may only be purchased outside of Brazil
in conjunction with Brazil-bound international tickets.
Q: Does one airpass cover my whole family?
A: No, each person must purchase an own airpass.
Q: I am not in the United States. Where can I buy airpasses?
A: Airpasses are also available directly from the airlines.
Q: Can airline employees flying
on free space purchase airpasses?
A: No, unfortunately not.
Q: Is the airpass valid on all Brazilian carriers?
A: No, only on the airline issuing the airpass.
Q: Are airpasses refundable?
A: Unused airpasses are fully refundable less handling fees.
Partially used airpasses are nonrefundable.
Q: Is the Brazil airpass valid outside of Brazil?
A: Only the Mercosur or the South America pass is available
outside of Brazil.
Q: Is there a discount for children?
A: No discounts are provided for children using the Brazil
airpass.
Q: Are my flights prebooked or am I flying standby?
A: You must schedule your flights when purchasing the airpass,
and booked seats are guaranteed. Once ticketed, there will
be a penalty fee for changes.
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Carnival,
Reveillon and other big events
The
world focuses on Brazil for certain events - Brazilian
Carnival, Reveillon (New Year's) and other big events.
The
travel news about this is first of all that it can be
a bit expensive for a tourist to go to Brazil during
carnival times!
In
Rio's Copacabana district, hotels have been booked 100%
over
carnival for as long as hotel managers can remember...therefore
hotels charge about 4 times as much as what they are
usually
charge AND they require minimum stays of 4 to 5 nights.
A
room in a three star hotel for four nights easily can
be 1000 USD per room. Additionally, the hotels require
a fully non-refundable deposit...
It is still worth it...? Certainly, but one should be prepared.
To
see the best
Carnival parade you can escape the high
prices by visiting Rio on Saturday after Ash Wednesday.
During Carnival the Samba schools compete against each
other in the Sambastadium; on that Saturday the six very
best Sambaschools perform in the "Winner's parade" The
most colorful parade and the one that you have seen on
TV before.
New
Years or "reveillon", as
Brazilians call it, is the second biggest event and similar
rules apply.
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More
questions and HOW TO FIND A RELIABLE TOUR OPERATOR TO BRAZIL
The
quality and trustworthyness of a Tour Operator becomes obvious
through the speed and exactness of answering your questions.
If you wait for more then 48 hours for a reply, then you
know that in an emergency that agency may not be fast enough
to help you efficiently. How to find a decent tour operator
to Brazil? This is an information site, therefore we can
not recommend a specific tour operator: Just go into your
usual search engine and try "escorted
tours Brazil" That should lead
you to all the choices you as a customer are entitled to.
Also
the Brazilian Embassy in Washington has more travel
info on Brazil and a list of Tour Operators.
Should
you have more questions about travel in Brazil, please
send
us an email. We'll make every effort to reply within
48 hours.
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