hoyas1

We are a small family of 3 adults arriving in Rio September 8, 2014. We have 16 nights in Brazil

We have 4 nights booked in Rio

Then thinking of renting a car and driving either to Parque Nacional Itatiaia and/or Parque Nacional de Serra dos Orgaos for 5 nights

Then fly to either Salvador and the Chapada Diamantina from Rio
or Recife/Olinda/Joao Pessoa before going to Salvador/Chapada Diamantina.

Any thoughts will be appreciated.

luademochila

It depends on your interests. Recife/Olinda/João Pessoa is a good itinerary if culture and beach are your main interests. Go to Chapada Diamantina if nature, camping is your thing. You won't have time to do both, unless you skip Itatiaia or Serra dos Orgaos.

For a tie breaker, I notice that most people find the Chapada Diamantina more memorable, but you know that this is entirely subjective.

SambaChula

I agree with Lua de Mochila re: beach/culture vs. nature/hiking/campng. The Rio with Recife/Olinda, Joao Pessoa, Salvador itinerary is indeed more about beach and Brazilian culture (and with 16 days would have to exclude the RJ parks). The parks itinerary (Itatiaia and Chapada Diamantina) would be entirely different, and IMO, not give enough exposure to the cultural aspects of a visit to Brazil. If I may suggest something different than previously mentioned, you might consider visiting some of the Colonial towns in the beautiful mountains of Minas Gerais, traveling between Rio and Salvador, which might combine some nature/scenery/hiking with cultural attractions. Maybe 4 nights in Rio, then drive (the Minas roads I have traveled are some of the worst though, IMO) to SaoJoao del Rei/Tiradentes, Congonhas, then Ouro Preto/Mariana (4-5 days?) or fly from Rio to Belo Horizonte (adding the 'suburb' of Sabara, another Colonial town) and use it as a base, renting a car there for those cities. Then fly to Salvador. A couple of days to tour the city sights and hear some music, and more for your choice of side trips to the Colonial river port town of Cachoeira, rural island of Itaparica, and/or various small beach villages. There is an overnight bus to Lencois in the Chapada Diamantina; be forewarned that the road is not great for drivers unused to Brazil.

hoyas1

Thank you both so much for your thoughtful replies. We are meeting our 30 year old daughter who has been in Minas/Belo H for several months researching and studying so she wanted to do something different. We're hoping now to spend 4 nights in Rio, 5 nights in the RJ parks, 5 nights in Chapada Diamantina and 2 nights in Salvador.
SambaChula- I was planning to rent a car and drive Salvador-Lencois, what is the problem with the roads?

SambaChula

Problems? It's kinda one of those "if ya gotta ask, you shouldn't try it" questions. The joy and wonder of driving in Brazil. Possibilities: In places, a little asphalt holding together potholes big enough to swallow a Ka.; this is called a road. The game of chicken as played on one-lane-each-way roads with no shoulder, to whit, pile up 5 cars coming straight at you at 100kph in your lane, trying to pass a car in theirs. In general, crazy drivers. The occasional carjack, which is why even many buses run in convoys, esp. after dark. The joy of passing through Feira de Santana (ask a Bahiano about the city's rep) and GPS leading you into a bad area on the edge of any major city. Bad signage. Long distance. Perhaps your daughter can be supposed to be sufficiently fluent in Portuguese to read a complicated multi-page rental contract with conditions unlike home and to find help in the middle of nowhere if something untoward happens. But, hey, go for it. (A recent trip report I read stated the folks were glad they hadn't been put off driving by posts like this one, since they only encountered two accidents which held them up in traffic for hours each time, only got lost a few times, and were led into a favela only once! That's thinking positive, huh?)

SambaChula

I just read this "marketing" material putting a positive spin on a certain country's driving conditions, that might also be applicable to Brazil:
"Driving in (X) is an adventure that may test you, depending on where you're heading."

pantanal

Itatiaia is one of my favorite parks in Brazil; I just love it and think your idea of spending time there at in Orgaos is fantastic. Great hikes both in the rainforest and above it in a more grassland like ecosystem. I liked staying in Terespolis more than Petropolis when visiting Serra dos Orgaos National Park. Great variety of trails from Terespolis, plus it is a cuter, smaller town to explore IMO.

In Itatiaia, we loved loved loved the Hotel Donati in the park. The perfect cozy inn to return to after a day hiking. Be aware that some hikes, like the ones near Pedra Agulhas, require that you have a guide. We hired a park ranger from the ranger station to guide us and he was great (I assume your daughter speaks some Portuguese? That would be very helpful.)

Re Chapada Diamantina, I don't see many advantages (and many disadvantages as explained above) to driving. We did drive to Serra dos Orgaos and Itatiaia, but that is a very different part of Brazil. The bus to Lencois was fine, and we hired guides as needed at Chapada Diamantina. We spent about 6 days there, 4 in Lencois and 2 on a multi day hiking trip in the park at very basic accommodations.

Overall, I think your plan (RJ, Salvador, Serra dos Orgaos & Itatiaia, and Chapada Diamantina) is an excellent one for nature lovers who also want to see some of the cities/cultural attractions of Brazil. Enjoy!!

hoyas1

You all have helped us to refine our plan, we'll check the bus schedule from Salvador to Lencois. Obrigado.

SambaChula

Check at www.buscaonibus.com.br
You will probably have to rely on your daughter to purchase any bus tickets in advance.

hoyas1

Thank you all so much for your help. We returned yesterday. 4 nights in Rio in Ipanema, rented a car in Copacabana and drove to Teresopolis (Serra dos Orgaos was very pleasant hiking). Then drove to Itatiaia which was even better hiking and birding, tried to drive the road to Hotel Donati but it was bad and I got frustrated, stayed at the Hotel do Ype which was easier to drive to and very nice, flew to Salvador and rented a car(wow those potholes are something else)and drove to the Chapada- really something special hiking there, put this on your calendar. Stayed in Mucuge, very pleasant. Beautiful sights and very helpful people along the way