Brazil

Brazil Travel Guide
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Flights to South America
From the mad passion of Carnival to the enormity of the dark Amazon, Brazil is a country of mythical proportions – a vast and vibrant landscape of unexplored rain forests, pristine tropical beaches and endless rivers. Two-thirds of Brazil’s population lives near the coast, meaning that ‘life’s a beach’ for locals and tourists alike.

People are the essence of the country, and while Brazil is home to a multitude of ethnic groups, there are some characteristics that everyone shares – energy and passion! It’s not all reserved for football either, Brazilians enjoy a good party whatever the occasion. Rio is one of the best spots to be, especially around Carnival time. Brazil’s landscape is as diverse as the people who inhabit it. A rich colonial history exists, and the town of Paraty is an
exquisite example of eighteenth-century Portuguese architecture.

The jungles and rivers of the Amazon, home to lush vegetation and exotic wildlife, will excite the adventurous, while the thundering Iguaçu Falls are a spectacular wonder you must see.

 

Brazil Fast Facts
Country name: Republic Federation of Brazil
Population: 190 million
Capital: Brasilia
Languages: Portuguese, Spanish, English, French
People: 60% White, 33% mixed, 6% African descent, 1% other
Religion: Roman Catholic, Indian animism
Currency: Real
Time Zone: 15 hours behind New Zealand (16 hours with daylight saving)
Electricity: Current is 120V, 60HZ. Plug can be a 2 point round or rectangle pin adaptor

Brazil Hot Spots
Rio de Janeiro
Rio, the “Marvellous City”, is located in the world’s most beautiful setting, between ocean and escarpment. Here, over six million locals pursue pleasure like no other! With Beaches covered in beautiful bodies, samba and beer, football and the local firewater, cachaça (rum), it is not a place you want to miss.

The view from the top of Corcovado, the 750m mountain peak with the statue of Christ the Redeemer at its summit, offers the best way to see the city. Copacabana is one of the world’s most famous beaches, while Ipanema is Rio’s richest and most chic beach. Sugar Loaf Mountain dominates Rio’s port with two cable cars that climb 396m above the city and from the top, Rio looks the most beautiful city in the world.
Salvador
Salvador da Bahia is a fascinating and vibrant city loaded with historic buildings, and is one of Brazil’s cultural highlights. Salvador was Brazil’s most important city for 300 years, and the Portuguese Empire’s second city. The centre of the sugar trade, it was famous for gold-filled churches, beautiful mansions and the slave trade. It is now known for its wild festivals and general sensuality and decadence.

The ‘Lower City’ is at sea level and contains the old port and the commercial district where visitors will find a varied assortment of Brazilian arts and crafts at the Modelo Market. Stone steps, alleyways or the famous Lacerda Elevator lead to the ‘Upper City’, which contains the old government building, the residential districts, museums and much of the newer architecture.
Foz do Iguaçu
The Iguaçu River arises in the coastal mountains of Paraná and Santa Catarina and snakes west for 600km 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 wide and 80m high, their beauty is breathtaking.

The best time of year to visit is August to November, when there is least risk of flood waters hindering the approach to the catwalks. The Brazilian side of the falls offers the best access. You can take yourself on a walk along the winding path where you will end up right where the thundering falls tumble down.
Brazilian Amazon
The Amazon is a gigantic system of rivers and forests, covering almost half of Brazil and further. To this day, major tributaries of the Amazon are unexplored and of the estimated 15,000 species of Amazon creatures, thousands of birds and fish and hundreds of mammals have not been classified. Animal species found in the forest include the jaguar, spider monkey, sloth, armadillo, alligator, river dolphin, boa constrictor and anaconda. Forest birds include the toucan, parrot, macaw and hummingbird, as well as over 1800 butterfly species.

The most common starting point for excursions into the Brazilian Amazon is Manaus. There are day trips and boat tours that offer the chance to experience jungle flora and bird life, but its worth venturing a little further to really discover the Amazon and all it holds, including the remote Indian tribes.
Pantanal
The Amazon may be more famous, but the Pantanal is thought to be 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 often by plane into Cuaibá, Campo Grande or Corumbá, then overland to the gateway towns of Cãceres, Barão de Malgaça, Poconé or Aquidauana; or by road via the Transpantaneira, which ends at the one-hotel hamlet of Porto Jofre. Boat trips are possible along the Rio Paraguai from the Bolivian border.
Sao Paulo
The largest city in Brazil, Sao Paulo is a bustling metropolis with over 11 million residents, making it the seventh largest city in the world. The name that honours Saint Paul, was the first coastal settlement in Brazil founded in 1532, but not officially becoming a city until 1711. It is also the most ethnically diverse city in all of Brazil.

Now Sao Paulo is the business hub of the country, and receives many international business travellers each year. With over 12,000 restaurants, you won’t be short of a place to eat! It’s not just Rio that holds an annual carnival, Sao Paulo holds one of the largest carnival parades in Brazil every June, it is worth checking out.

 

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