Travelling in Brazil

However I would recommend that you go to Paraty (on the coast half way between Rio and Sao Paulo) it is an amazing town and can definitely recommend it.

Cool! Thanks Andrea. 😊 I still have not read all the comments on this thread, but getting there....
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Brazil is a fantastic place to travel - one of my best experiences. I could have spent a lifetime exploring there 😊 - had settle for 6 months.

I would highly recommend arriving in Rio - do the sights, and then head out to Ilha Grande, Paraty - buses are pretty good in Brazil (not the same standard as Argentina though) - and distances in the south are manageable by bus.

Highlights;

Iguacu Falls
Rio
Paraty
Florianopolis
Ouro Preto
Ilha Grande
Bonito
Campo Grande

Price wise - it will seem cheaper than Europe - except in Rio - very similar costs. As soon as you get out of the city things get cheaper. For most of the last 10 years the Brazilian Real BRL was 4 to the British Pound GBP (though it used to be 1 to 1 with the USD before that!) - currently it's 3.2BRL = 1GBP - but that's due to a weak GBP currently.

Vs. the Euro - I'm not sure if it is a good or bad time to go.

Imported goods in Brazil are very very expensive - something like 100% import duty doubles the price compared to most other countries - Brazilian made goods are more reasonable.

So - take 2 digital cameras 😉 - if one breaks it's a really bad place to replace it...

Language - if you speak Spanish - you'll be able to read Brazilian Portuguese with a little help from a dictionary - but the pronunciation is very different. Very few people speak English - in shops, restaurants, bus stations etc - so you will need a phrase book. Educated young Brazilians often have great English.

Crime - about the same as the rest of South America - but pick pockets and muggers are common in the streets of Copacabana, Rio - and the bus stations.

Apart from in Rio - the hostels catering for foreigners tend to be not as good value as the Posada's - local Bed and Breakfast places - you can get a double room with a great breakfast for slightly less than the cost of two dorm beds - but - you won't find much English spoken. But - Hostels - best way to go if you're travelling solo.

Hope that helps someone sometime 😊 Reply to this

Congrats Mel sounds like a but of a deal especially if it is a direct flight!!

When I looked into Paraguay and Uruguay there didn't seem so much to see or do in Paraguay. The main places in Uruguay that get the vote are are Colonia del Sacramento and Montevideo. In my personal opinion I would say that Paraty between Rio amd Sao Paulo beat Colonia hands down for beauty, atmosphere etc...... I also believe that Ilhe Grande along the same coast line is something to be seen!

Yeah, I dont think the flight prices are usually that low. It must be a special offer.

Maybe, I will stay in Brazil rathar than go to Paraguay or Uruguay. Nothing is final yet. I thought it would be interesting to go to those countries because I know absolutely nothing about them. Mystery countries.

Maybe what I should do is try to get out of the plane in Rio if it lands to allow passangers off and then take a bus down the coast to Paraty and then to San Paulo. An also Ilhe Grande too. Havent checked the map so dont know where it is.

Last time I was in Brazil I was pregnant. I saw Rio through a morning sickness haze. It would be nice to experience it again, without everything I eat and smell making me sick and without being tired all the time.
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I did a search with billigfluege for Heathrow to San Paulo return. The cheapest ones are 556 Euros including tax. They are for September.

Mark, I just did a search for June and got some for 549 Euros including tax. And I did another search for June and got ones for 533 Euros.

I suspect because I am not going for a return flight ie same cities, this is costing more.

Yeah, that would be it. When I flew to India I wanted to fly out of a different city to the one I flew into. I didnt end up doing that because it would have made the flights more expensive. Reply to this

Mark I don't think it will matter which way around you arrange your flights in and out of South America. One thought for you though is that it may be cheaper to get a return flight to and from one place and arrange an internal flight back to your original destination. This is what the friend I am traveling with found was the cheapest. Basically she got a return flight in and out of Rio and has an internal flight from Quito to Rio arranged.

The main internal flight operators over here that may be of interest for you are LAN and Aerolinias Argentinas.

Another flight website to look at for your long haul flight is www.terminala.co.uk as I have found some cheap deals on there previously! Reply to this

Mark

Why not speak to Trailfinders. They are really good at sorting flights out and to be honest with you sometimes they get hold of deals that you can't even get online. I sorted my rtw ticket out with them and asked them about a flight to Canada and it turned out cheaper to get it through them even by paying their fee than it was for me to get the same ticket direct online from the airline.

Even if you just use and abuse them for their information it may help you out a little...... Reply to this

Good question Mell.

The worry is not just the night buses, but the day ones as well!

I have just been reading some security advice for travellers in both Argentina and Brazil. Scarey stuff.

I have copied a link to Foreign and Commonwealth office (for Argentina) below:

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/travel-advice-by-country/south-america/argentina?ta=safetySecurity&pg=2

Another site mentioned about bus muggings of tourists, which tend to occur when the bus goes through tunnels (more prominent in Brazil).

I have also read on other forums about tourists frequently getting mugged in Brazil. One guy who has been recently traveling the world mentioned that his worse low point of his world travels was 'getting mugged in Brazil'.

My main concern now is if I am carrying all my stuff with me (money, cameras, clothes, passports, cards etc) and worse case this gets stolen, then whats the backout plan?

Also the thought of trying to report the theft and explain to the local police would be especially difficult with my lack of language skills.

I was going to book my flights today!
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Ditto Andrea - there is crime and unfortunate incidents do occur in Brazil - but no more than elsewhere. It's comparable to the rest of South-America.

A related topic is Security while travelling Reply to this

I was going to book my flights today!

Book the flights and go. It is scary to read all the stories, but I have been to Central and South America a few times and was never robbed. It can happen and I was lucky it didnt happen to me. Take reasonable precautions such as the ones in the thread link on msg 25 and the ones listed in the Lonely Planet book but dont let the risks put you off going completely. The main thing to keep safe is having something ready to hand over if you are being robbed. A bag containg things like an expired credit card, an expired passport, a roll of small notes and an old camera or whatever will be enough to make them satisified that they have in fact succeeded in robbing you.

Sometimes the risk is big and going to a particular country may not be advisable, but I dont consider Brazil to be one of those countries.

Thanks Andrea and Ali. 😊 Glad to hear I will likely have no problem on the night busses then. Reply to this

Thanks Mark 😊 Reply to this