Starrburst07

Hello All,

My husband and I are thinking of an eight day (not including travel time) trip to Brazil this February. I know 8 days is not a lot, so we will be happy spending our days in one or two memorable locations (with day trips where applicable).

We have traveling experience (4 continents), but are not familiar with South America. Brazil seems to be filled with treasures! So my questions are:

1. What would be the best place or places for us to go?
2. Is February a good month in Brazil?

We are up for anything. Cities, museums, beaches, and nature are all things we love, though Ipanema Beach and Copacabana do sound interesting.

I appreciate any input from experienced Brazil travelers!

Starrburst07

I should add that we are planning the trip some time within the first two weeks of February so as to skip the rush of Carnivale!

tower

8 days will be tight..the distances in Brazil are USA-like. After visiting Iguacu Falls (Brazilian side), we flew to Rio for a short four day visit. Both wife and I thought that was ample. The highlight of our trip was an Amazon boat trip, 4 days from Manaus (flew Rio to Manaus and back to Rio to leave for USA)

We had already driven a good chunk of Chile, did the Andean boat/bus trip from Puerto Montt, across the five lakes, spent some time in and around Bariloche, and a great week in BA, then on to the falls, etc.

I would suggest the falls (two days), Rio three days, Amazonas three days, I will post pics for you. There are those who will suggest the Planalto and Matta Grosso instead of Amazonas...
take your pick. If you could stretch to 10 days, that would help..remember, one way or the other, could be covering a lot of real estate.
stu

tower

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...oBrazilAmazon#

These are only selected pics to familiarize you with parts of the country we traveled.

Starrburst07

Stu,

Thanks for your feedback. You're right, 10 days would be a lot better, and I think that's what we'll do. Your suggestion of doing an Amazon boat trip from Manaus is a good one - I wouldn't have thought of that.

Checking around, it seems February might be pretty hot, so I'm thinking of delaying it for a cooler month.

Thanks again,
Starrburst

Starrburst07

Oh, I couldn't get the pics to open…I'm receiving the dreaded "error" message!

luademochila

February is a good month. January is when most brazilians are on vacation, so prices won't be so expensive in february. Carnaval happens this year in march and World Cup in june, when hotel and airline fares will be very expensive.

It's summer, so it will be very hot, we locals call Rio de Janeiro as "Hell de Janeiro". Don't forget your sunblocks.

You may spend the whole 8 days just in Rio de Janeiro state and that is my personal recommendation. 4-5 days in Rio de Janeiro (city) and 3-4 days in Regiao dos Lagos (very popular small cities within State of Rio de Janeiro). There you'll find great beaches and diving spots, highlights are Buzios (good nightlife) and Arraial do Cabo (more peaceful). Ilha Grande has very nice beaches, trails for trekkers and diving spots and is inexpensive. That is a good place to rest.

Spending only 3 days in Rio de Janeiro will be a risk, because of probability of rain. If it rains, you can't do almost anything other than going to museums. Most activities are outdoors.

You may also use one of your days in Rio de Janeiro and do a day trip to Niteroi, that is where I live now. Here you'll find the best views to Rio de Janeiro and, IMO, better beaches (Camboinhas and Itacoatiara) than Ipanema and Copacabana. Highlights are also the forts (Fortaleza de Santa Cruz, Fortaleza de Sao Luis, etc) and the Contemporary Art Museum (MAC, which also features great panoramic views). The boat trip from Rio de Janeiro to Niteroi is very scenic and takes 15 to 30 minutes. The slower boat allows better views. Here are two of my pics taken in Niteroi:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/91838729@N03/10636276363/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/91838729@N03/10636035824/

I do not suggest going to Manaus in a so tight timeframe. You won't see great wildlife unless you can pay very expensive excursions inside Amazon jungle. Air fares from Rio to Manaus are usually expensive.

Pantanal (Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul) has better cost to benefit relationship, you'll see stunning landscapes and great wildlife, but february is not the best time to go there because it's time for floods (less animals noticeable). Both Manaus and Pantanal will be VERY umid and hot in february. Best time for Pantanal is from may to september. Here are my pics in Pantanal:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9183872...7637242072855/

I second the suggestion about Iguazu Falls, one of the most amazing places I've ever been. You'll need at least two full days to go there (excluding travel time), one for each side (brazilian and argentinian sides, both are different). Two or three hours to Parque das Aves is good as well. Air fares from Rio to Iguazu Falls (Foz do Iguaçu) are not that expensive.

Alternatives for beach lovers are Northeast of Brazil (much cheaper than Rio), such as Natal (highly recommend it, full of great beaches and dunes and very cheap compared to Rio), Porto de Galinhas and Carneiros-Recife (natural pools), Fernando de Noronha (amazing, like caribbe, but very expensive), Boipeba and Maraú, Bahia, etc.

There are good beaches in Brazil's southeast as well. Florianopolis is among the most visited places in Brazil. I've been there recently, but did not go to beaches because of bad weather.

If trekking is your thing, go for Chapada Diamantina (Bahia state), Chapada dos Guimarães (Mato Grosso), Chapada dos Veadeiros (Goias), Jalapao (Tocantins) and much more.

tower

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...oBrazilAmazon#

Try it again, Starrburst....have sent out many times, never a hangup. Happy you're extending for a few days. Suggest you fly from USA to Manaus, then on to Rio after your Amazon visit.

Starrburst07

Stu,

Thank you! Your pics are gorgeous and are motivating me to plan a trip. The only thing is that I don't enjoy super hot & humid weather, and Luademochila says in her reply above that locals refer to Rio as "Hell de Janeiro" in summer time…that was enough to scare me off.

I've decided to put Brazil aside for now and try for next year (either late March or early April). I have changed my plans to Grand Cayman Island, where I'm hoping the water will not be too cold.

Luademochila,

Thank you for your detailed response. It has really helped me to understand what is worth seeing in Brazil. Also, your pictures are breathtaking! I'm going to spend this next year planning an itinerary which spans a good 12–14 days…I think this will do the country a lot more justice.

luademochila

I'm a guy . I'm Marcos, nice to meet you. About "Hell de Janeiro", this is what I mean:

http://www.pro-realengo.com.br/image.../emchamas2.jpg

44ºC = 111.20ºF

111F is not very usual, but from 98 to 107 is perfectly normal in summer.

luademochila

The girl in the picture is my wife, I'm the photographer. Just uploaded some pictures from my last trip, in Florianopolis, Brazil:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9183872...7638330545325/

docdan

Hi, everyone. Please note my thread on emails which I started today, 12/5. Has anyone else had trouble with emails to Brazillian recipients whose e-addresses end in ".com.br"?

Starrburst07

Hi Marco,

Sorry for the mistake

I really did enjoy your pictures, what kind of camera did you use?

Also, I had looked quite a bit around the web trying to see what the weather would be like in February, and all of the websites are encouraging about going during this time of year saying "Rio has a year-round temperate climate" or "anytime is a good time to go to Rio".

That's why I was so glad to receive your advice. I live in Austin, TX, so we get enough triple digit temperature days here. I don't want to go on vacation and deal with the same type of hot weather! Sometimes you just have to get advice from the locals!

luademochila

Nikon D5100, with 18-200mm lens, no filter, edited in Lightroom.

Yesterday we had 104F throughout the day, with a storm at night. Now temperatures are cooler, at 86F, which is still hot for my taste.

Every website encourages the tourist because they are tourism-oriented and do not care about your wellness. However, like I said, february is not bad at all, especially if heat is no big deal and beaches are your main goal.

Remember I'm talking about Rio de Janeiro. Temperatures may be a bit cooler in the south, such as in the beautiful Santa Catarina state (where Florianopolis city is). Another highlights from Santa Catarina state are Balneario Camboriu, Bombinhas and Palhoças (Guarda do Embaú).

If you want to avoid higher temperatures in Rio, then you have to come from may to september, which are also the months with less rain. But there is no guarantee, since weather is a bit unpredictable here. Expect anything from 60 to 90F and water may be cold.

Speaking of rain, there is a considerable chance of rain any time of year, so it is important to not come in a tight schedule. I often see frustrated travellers, who couldn't see the sugar loaf or the christ the redeemer statue because of bad weather in 2, 3 days in a row.