Brazil
Rio de Janeiro | Sao Paulo | Manaus | Pantanal
A destination that is larger than life with remarkable attractions, and overwhelming variety
Everything in Brazil seems larger than life. It has the world's wildest party, greatest waterfall, biggest wetlands, mightiest river and largest rain forest, as well as one of the most unique and diverse cultures on the planet. For travellers, Brazil's sheer size and variety can be overwhelming.
Brazil's problems—poverty, crime, environmental recklessness—can seem larger than life, too. Although it is one of the industrial powerhouses of South America, Brazil has trouble feeding all of its people. Deforestation of the Amazon basin proceeds at an ominous rate. But in fits and starts, the country is taking on some of its seemingly insoluble problems. Most noticeably, improvement is being made in the dangerous crime situation in Rio de Janeiro: A special branch of "tourist police" now keeps tourist sites—particularly the beaches of Zona Sul—relatively safe.
Travel beyond the thousands of kilometres of beach to explore Brazil's other remarkable attractions: the traditional Afro-Brazilian culture of Salvador, the colonial towns of Ouro Preto, Tiradentes, Sao Luis, Paraty and Olinda or the wetlands of the Pantanal, one of the best places to see wildlife in South America. Rio might draw you to travel to Brazil the first time, but the country's unexplored corners and breadth of attractions will make you want to go back.
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is an awe-inspiring city of contrasts. Impossibly steep granite mountains jut out of the ocean between glorious stretches of golden sand, impeccable colonial buildings nestle in between modern glass skyscrapers and verdant forests tumble down hillsides into densely populated residential areas. It is a city high on life, a city of beach worship, football, samba and Carnaval. And high above all this fun and frivolity stands Rios ever-present, iconic landmark the statue of Christ the Redeemer.
Rio boasts a wealth of attractions such as the city's well-known landmarks of Corcovado and Sugar Loaf mountains, activities, great food, music and entertainment, enough to keep a visitor busy for any length of stay.
The beach is not merely a place to absorb the sun’s rays but also an important venue for sports, socialising and even business. It is a people-watchers paradise clothing is minimal and bodies are bronzed and beautiful. The famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches are magnets for Brazilians and tourists alike.
WHEN TO TRAVEL to Rio de Janeiro
Rios best season is undoubtedly the summer months, between December and February, culminating with Carnaval. Temperatures can rise to around 40C or more, which is ideal weather if tourists do as the Brazilians do and visit the beaches rather than rush around.
Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo overcomes your senses with its sheer size. The third largest city in South America, Sao Paulo is often compared to New York in America. This city is located in the South East of Brazil, and is the capital as well as the richest city in Brazil.
Apart from its significant ethnic minority communities, including substantial Italian, Japanese, Christian, Lebanese and Arab neighbourhoods, Sao Paulo is also known for the sheer size of its helicopter fleet, unreliable weather and the multitude and architecture of skyscrapers. The language spoken by majority of the population is Portuguese.
One of the largest coffee exporters in the world, Sao Paulo’s biggest drawback is its traffic. Visitors to Sao Paulo get all the benefits of a classy, cosmopolitan city - they can shop at boutiques that even New York does not have, eat at the finest restaurants in Brazil, check out top name Brazilian bands at any night of the week, browse high end galleries and take advantage of one of Brazil’s most dynamic night life scenes to party until the wee hours.
WHEN TO TRAVEL to Sao Paulo
Few of the coastal zones of Sao Paulo are climatically similar to Rio’s ones. Sao Paulo has many days with good weather and agreeable temperatures, but also that the summers may be very sticky and the winters can have extremely cold days. The best time to visit this city and the surrounding areas are during the intermediate months.
Manaus
In the days of the Amazon rubber boom Manaus was known as the Paris of the jungle. Apart from some splendid colonial buildings and the magnificent Teatro Amazonas, most vestiges of those glory days are long gone. Today's Manaus is a somewhat chaotic place, but it also has an exotic feel to it.
Manaus serves as a base for tourist excursions exploring the mid-Amazon region. Day trips can be made by riverboat to visit villages built on stilts or to hike through the jungle on foot. Several jungle lodges in the vicinity offer a wide variety of rain-forest programs. 20 kms from Manaus, down the river, is the "Meeting of the Waters," where the dark, muddy waters of the Rio Negro begin to merge with the light, yellowish waters of the Rio Solimoes to become the Amazon.
Despite the fact that it is 1,600 km inland, huge oceangoing ships dock there to distribute their cargo throughout the Amazon basin, and it's fascinating to watch them unload.
WHEN TO TRAVEL to Manaus
The Amazon region, where Manaus is located, is one of the world's rainiest places. Rainfall occurs most frequently from December to May, making travel during those months exceedingly difficult. The rest of the year the region still receives plenty of rain, though showers tend to last only an hour or two. Although Brazil's high season generally runs from December to March, the best (and most popular) time to visit Manaus and the Amazon is between May and November.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Pantanal
The Pantanal ("swampland") is one of the world's great wildlife reserves. Only a very small part of the area has any tourism infrastructure (or towns, for that matter), although you can stay at many of the region's fazenda (farm) lodges, which usually operate guided tours into the swampland itself.
Because the terrain is largely open, it's easier to spot some animals in the Pantanal than in the jungles of the Amazon farther north. Fishing is excellent, with more than 350 varieties of fish, some weighing up to 80 kg. The reserve has the greatest variety of butterflies, birds and mammals in the Americas, including alligators, deer, armadillos and capybaras (the world's largest rodent). Unfortunately, poaching has endangered some of the animals, and anteaters, jaguars and otters are no longer commonly seen—although they're said to be making a comeback. The best time to visit is during the breeding season, July to September.
WHEN TO TRAVEL to Pantanal
From December to March is the season of intense rain and often flooding. From April to June the water recedes ,fish are trapped in ponds and birds are attracted in droves. The peak of the dry season is October. From July to September is the optimal time to visit because much of the wildlife can be found around waterholes. The dried fields are good grazing ground, bringing wildlife out into the open and from August onwards, when trees are in bloom, migratory species can be seen nesting.