Looking to do some sort of Amazon tour in Brazil, as well as see some of the larger cities ...
Hey Everyone,
My boyfriend and I are going on an RTW trip for about 12 months in October. Our second stop is Brazil (for about 2 weeks) ... We are looking for information about whether or not it is safe to backpack our way around (and just book an Amazon tour through a local company), or should we arrange the entire tour from Canada before we leave??
I am very concerned about safety ... and thought I'd ask what other backpackers have done? If you booked a tour, who did you book through? And was it a good experience? Cost is an issue, we're having a very hard time finding reasonably priced tours in Brazil!! Ideally we'd like to spend maximum of $2000 per person ... but that is really stretching it.
And if you backpacked ... how did that go and did you feel safe??? Would you recommend it to others? And about how much did it cost you??
Hopefully someone will be able to help out a bit ... Thank you!!!
Reply to this have you looked at dragoman? i am heading out on their 8 week tour round south america on the 3rd oct, i feel it is a reasonable cost and for the peace of mind in being looked after id go for a tour every time south america could be a harsh place if you stumble into the wrong places
Reply to this Hi!
Here in Brazil is safer if you go with paid tours, because they will guide you around the most beaultiful places of the Amazon forest.
If you want to know the larger cities, I recomend you to visit Recife, Fortaleza, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Sao Luis or Florianopolis. The last one being the most beautiful.
If you don't like beaches, try to visit Goiania (where I live) or Brasilia (Brazil's capital).
Anyway, wherever you decide to go, is safer if you go with paid tours, because if you came independant you can arrive into wrong places.
I strongly recomend you to came to Brazil. It's an amazing country!
Good luck with you tour.
Reply to this Hi There!
I work as an tour guide in center western of Brazil (Cuiaba, MT / Pantanal Matogrossense) and highly recommend a paid tours, because it will avoid headaches with the language, and places to visit.
You can find many tour operators and some of them have a very reasonable prices in their tour packages. Shop around.....
If you like I can give some links of tour operators around Brazil, then you can plan your trip.
Drop me a line.
Reply to this Hi
I habe been backpacking in Brazil twice and it is safe to backpack as long as you use common sense.
However, you will need to book a tour or an individual tour guide if you want to visit the jungle as e.g. Amazon. You can book this when you arrive in Manaus, just make sure that you negotiate a good price and get everything in writing. They will show you pics of loads of activities that are not included in your price. We went with planettours and I would not recommend this tour operator. If you want to see wildlife, I would strongly recommend visiting the Pantanal as you can see a lot more animals than in the Amazon and it is a lot cheaper too. If you come from Foz it is just one overnight bus away and you cannot miss the waterfalls as the are amazing. We booked a tour with ecologicaltours in the Pantanal and we really enjoyed it!
Brazil is a great country to visit, so enjoy your trip!
Reply to this Hi
I'm from Brazil.
Sure you can travel independently. But in some places you should be more cautious.
Do you have an idea where are you going?
I'm sure you heard horrible things about places such as Rio de Janeiro... and Sao Paulo, but you can go by yourself. Just be attentive - use the common sense (. Don't where a fancy watch or anything that calls attention).
A good idea is to walk around with a copy of your passport instead of the original and small amount of cash for the day. (Leave the rest in the safe of your hotel)
But you definitely don't need a guide in Bahia. Any backpacker can travel easily around there - especially if you are looking for smaller towns such as Itacare, Morro do Sao Paulo and etc.
Let me know your route - I can be more specific.
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