Rio to Amazon River?

Ok. Forget this “first glance”… Vitoria and Maceio don’t worth it. Although Maceio, as Recife is a way to visit some beautifuls beachs, but the cities are uninteresting.

Salvador, Natal and Fortaleza are a good choice, especially the last one. Once in Fortaleza you can go to Jericoacoara. Is the most incredible place I ever stay. And once in Natal or Recife you HAVE TO go to Fernando de Noronha, it’s a spectacular island where you can appreciate the wide life “in loco”.

From Salvador you can go to Itaparica (there’s a Club Med) or to Morro de São Paulo.

Once in Sao Luis go to Ilha de Marajó, with great historical center, as well, Olinda in Recife, and the neighborhood “Pelourinho” in Salvador.

There are too much to see in 4 weeks. So, if I were you, I wouldn’t spend time with big cities.

So, follows my tip:

Vitória - DON’T GO!
Salvador-Itaparica-Morro de São Paulo
Maceió - DON’T GO!
Recife - Olinda - Porto de Galinhas (2 days at least)
Natal - Praia da Pipa- Fernando de Noronha (3 days at least)
Fortaleza – Jericoacoara (3 days at least)
Sao Luis - Ilha de Marajó (3 days at least)

Be aware that the roadway are very awful and sometimes dangerous. If you go by car, the indication along the way can make you lost your way. Unfortunately it is true…

Last tip: The Brazilian language is Portuguese.

Hope to help. Have you a good trip!
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Well, the bus service is efficient (in Brazil you can go by bus almost to everywhere) but you have to expect a lack of amenities traveling by that. The bus stops use to be very insecure and some times dirt, but if you take care and like adventure, you can have a good time, since in other hand the Brazilian people are very helpful.

It is a long trip. So, once I recommended skip Vitoria City (Espirito Santo State), if I were you I would fly straight to Salvador and them, mixing the trip between plane and bus. If you would be really interest in my opinion, I can make a root to you.
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Thanks again for your help, the buses sound a bit gross but I'm after an adventure so I will embrace them!

I live in a place called Yorkshire in the North of England, my sister lives in London so I've spent a lot of time there it's an amazing city. It is split into zones so that the London Underground train system can be easily navigated, you will definitely need to use the underground while you're there because it is the main form of transport so where ever you choose to stay getting around is fast and easy. It's really hard to explain it in writing but makes sense once you're there you'll be using it like a local after your first day!

In terms of where to stay, anywhere close to a train or underground station is good, areas that I like are:

Notting Hill - if you go here head for Portabello Road
Camden Town - try and go here and visit the market
Leicester Square - great for nightlife and where a lot of the theatres are
Hampstead
Muswell Hill

Spain. I have only ever visited the South coast of Spain which is beautiful if you get chance to travel around Andalucia is lovely and so is Granada. Plus if you visit the very Southern tip of Spain you can get a short ferry over to Marocco for the day!

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Some of my favorites:

Ouro Preto -- well preserved gold mining town near Belo Horizonte.

Penedo -- in Alagoas near the mouth of the Rio Sao Francisco -- if you can get a riverview room in the Posada Colonial (hotel in a 17th century building, believe it was the customs house) go for it. Penedo can be a stop between Salvador and Recife.

Joao Pessoa -- my favorite coastal city (other than Salvador) -- more like two cities, with the 'new' city on the beach and the old colonial era core a few miles inland.

Juazeiro do Norte, Ceara. For something different -- a pilgrimage town in the semi-arid sertao, a region with a distinct culture. Could be a side trip from Fortaleza or a bus break if you skip Fortaleza and go directly from Recife or Joao Pessoa to Sao Luis or Belem.

Belem: If your budget allows a mid-to-upper range hotel the Regente is very nice (at least it was in 2004) and the Nazare neighborhood it is in is more relaxed than most of the city.

Up the Amazon: Santarem (two days upriver from Belem) is a good base for seeing some of the Amazon, not as hectic as Manaus. There is a several kilometer-long paved levee along the watefront and in the evening people walk up and down it. The smaller riverboats dock there. Walking along the dockfront in the evening is something you probably wouldn't want to do in Belem or Manaus.

The biggest cities in Brazil are certainly spectacular, but you need to be constantly on-guard against street crime (Rio, Salvador, Recife, Belem -- I won't comment on Sao Paulo as I've only changed planes there). The smaller cities are quite different and it is easier to relax while walking about.

KST

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Currently in Ouro Preto having travelled down from the Amazon along the coast. Buses are okay but not a patch on Argentina and a lot more expensive. We are paying about 30 British Pounds each for most 10-12 hour journeys which is way more than we expected. There have been no leite (cama or bed) buses on any routes we have travelled so get used to sleeping in a semi-upright position with a crick in your neck!

Absolute highlights have been the beaches at Trancoso and Morros de Sao Paulo. Take a look at my recent blog entries to whet your appetite. Also found a great place to stay at Ponta Negra, Natal. See the blog for the link.

Have a great trip! Reply to this