Has anyone been to both? If so, which would you recommend and why? If you have blogs about your Carnaval experiences in Brazil, post a link to them here.
i have been googling around and found many people enquiring or asking questions about Salvador Carnival..
to me must see event in life was Rio Carnival, i dont understand why so many people( foreign) want to so to Salvador Carnival..
Please enlighten me..
By the way i will be in Rio for Carnival2010, still looking to stay in cheap and fun filled hostel...
Cheers
Vishy
Reply to this I always thought that Rio is the most popular one, with tourists at least. It is the one which is generally talked about the most here on TravelBlog.
Mel
Reply to this Hi there!
The carnival here in Brazil is a little bit diferent acording to the place you go.
The carnival in Rio is the most famous (and the most expensive). There you can watch the famous parade in the sambódromo and see all that stuff that apears on movies and TV shows, like feather dressed women and white dressed man dancing together.
The carnival in Salvador is different. There are a lot of "blocos" (a group of people that party on the street) that follows giant sound cars. O party in this "blocos" you have to pay, and sometimes it is very expensive. This is more likely for the young and single, since many people from everywhere go there to get together.
Finally, the unfortunately-not-so-famous carnival of Recife and Olinda, that is more traditional and cultural, but also with much music and fun. I don't like very much the carnival in Rio and Salvador.
Everywhere you go in carnival, it will be crowded and a little bit more expensive than normal, but also with fun (and maybe drunken) people everywhere.
Reply to this Hey Zeca
Thank you for the chapter wise views on Carnivals of Brazil.. bang on informative and precise clarification on doubts i had in me...
I am bachelor in late 20's, Drinks, Women, lots of people hey sounds my time.. hey will stick to Rio one...
cheers
Vishy
Reply to this Some photos:
Carnival in Salvador:
http://images.google.com.br/images?hl=pt-BR&q=fotos+carnaval+salvador&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=ld6mSofGKoLKtgfQhKCnCA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1
Carnival in Rio:
http://images.google.com.br/images?hl=pt-BR&q=fotos+carnaval+rio&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=L9-mSrS2KJuQtgexwt2tCA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1
But be carefull, this pictures of Rio are all on the Sambódromo, and the ticket is expensive and sometimes hard to find. Outside, things are a little bit different....
Carnival in Olinda:
http://images.google.com.br/images?q=fotos+carnaval+recife&hl=pt-BR&um=1&sa=2
http://images.google.com.br/images?hl=pt-BR&um=1&sa=1&q=fotos+carnaval+olinda&aq=f&oq=
Reply to this Hi Vish
I went to Salvador carnival in 2005 and it was great fun. The best thing about Salvador carnival is that you are able to get really involved in the festival, unlike Rio which seems a bit more of a show. The carnival in Salvador is not as spectacular as the one in Rio, with the emphasis on having a huge party rather than a glamorous show.
I would definitely recommend Salvador if you want to have a great time and mix with all the locals. However, if you want to go to Carnival to say "yes, i've been to carnival, do you want to see my pictures?" then Rio is definitely the right choice.
Advice for Salvador
- get there a few days before the carnival to get everything sorted.
- take a trip to one of the local shopping centres to book tickets to the events. You have the option to buy tickets for entry to the procession, which basically entails following a large truck on the procession blaring out music with a group of locals and tourists all having a great time. You can also purchase tickets to more expensive parties in hotels with great views of the festival. I recommend purchasing tickets for both.
- try and book an apartment with a few friends when you get there as this will save you a lot of money. We piled 7 of us into a 2 bed aprtment with people sleeping on the floor and for the week it cost less than £50 each. Compare this with hostels which can charge up to £200 for a bunk bed in a dorm room and you can see the benefits.
- as with any city in any part of the world, keep your wits about you when out there. Salvador has a reputation for being dangerous, but as long as you stay smart and are able to judge a situation, you will be safe. We saw a few fights, but never felt threatened.
- be wary of any one offering to sell you drugs as they may be undercover police, or may rip you off.
Hope this helps!!!
Reply to this thank you Stuart... i understand difference between them more clearly now...
Vishy
Reply to this Hi there,
I'm also planning to go to the Rio Carnival next year, just have a question for Zeca, when you said it it the most expensive one, could you please specific a bit more details? Such as how much for ticket;accommodations; food, etc around that time of year?
Thanks
B
Reply to this Hi there!
During carnival everything is Rio gets more expensive. You won´t find good hostels for less than U$450,00 for 7 days in shared dorms.
The prices for the show next year: Tickets for CARNAVAL Special Group 14, 15-02-2010
Arquibancadas Setor 3: R$ 350,00
Setor 4: R$ 250,00
Setor 5: R$ 450,00
Setor 7: R$ 500,00
Setor 9: R$ 900,00
Setor 11: R$ 400,00
Setor 13 e 6: R$ 50,00
(U$1,00 = R$1,75)
The tours usually gets more expensive too, but I don't know exactly the diference.
In Rio, you will spent U$1,20 for a soda or a beer and U$10,00 to eat in a regular restaurant.
Hope this help you.
Zeca
Reply to this I have been to Rio Carnival Last year, and my advise is to definitely find a carnival much cheaper.... i paid nearly $400 for the carnival tickets alone, not to mention hefty hotel+taxi fares.
I always wanted to see Rio carnival in real, and i must admit that it looks and feels wayyy better on tv :-) just go to Bahia where there are lots of street parties.... and have fun instead... the Carnival may be cheaper too....
Reply to this I would put it like this; if you want to experience the carnival from a tourist point of view you go to Rio, but if you want to experience it like the locals do you definitely go to Salvador. In Rio it is like going to see a show where there are performers on one side and audience on the other. In Salvador you are part of the performance.
Hope this helps.
Reply to this Hi there,
I am looking into starting my 3 months in S.America in Rio for the Carnival 2011, but as this will be the first travelling I have ever done, I'm worried it may be a bit too much for me to start with. I guess I'm worried about the safety issue, the expense, and whether or not it's going to be a little too overwhelming to start with.
Any ideas/tips/advice??
Many thanks!
Reply to this hi, Salvador is an interesting alternative, for sure
I have been living here fore several years now
after some interesting sailing adventures on the Atlantic (<snip>😉
if you have questions about your stay in Bahia / Salvador
feel free to contact me through my site
greetingz from the tropIX
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