Considering a 9 day vacation on late August.Been to Argentia twice in the last 2 year so thought i would try Brazil...Loved BA,the people, the shopping , the food and the fun arts and crafts market and we also visited th Falls,the Andes and Mendoza...So where in Brazil to get a feel for the culture ,see the sights .I was told to stay in Ipenema and do day trips..Would like to know if I should book all of this myself or look for a local travel agent...We depended on a wonderful agent in Agrentina and it was great to have someone who took care of the planning.

Hi Barry,

Love Brazil. I go twice a year... Husband is Brazilian. I think you should defenitly go to Rio to feel the culture. If you want beauty go to Buzios, Guaruja or Uba Tuba or go to the South to Floripo. All great places. I just came back from Uba tuba in Jan and loved it. I think I would go through a travel agent, being that you do not know anyone from there. Brazil can be very dangerous if you do not know the area. Rio being one of the places, so yes go through a travel agent. I have many pic's if you would like to see places. Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Chantel

Brazil is a great choice. It is very difficult to visit Brazil and not go to Rio. It is not a coincidence that the city is called "cidade maravilhosa" by the locals. another great choice for culture (Afro Brazilian) is Salvador. (Rio is my adopted home, and have only visited Salvador.)

Rio has everything a person wants... beaches, beauty, nightlife, great restaurants, relaxing getaways only a few hours away (Buzios, Ilha Grandem etc). THere are many places to hike, a city tour is amazing as Rio used to be the capital of Brazil, visit the statue of Christ, Sugarloaf, go on a sailboat ride in Buzios, play a round of golf at a great course, etc.. the list is endless.
Our site as alot of information with regards to safety, dining, tips, activities, and tours.. give it a look. We would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

www.therealrio.com

Rio is fabulous! I also really enjoyed Manaus and the Amazon. I had not expected to want to see much of Manaus, it was just a place to get on the Amazon, but it was a wonderful city. We did the 3 night Amazon Cliper cruise and it was a definite highlight. Actually, the whole trip was the best trip I have been on EVER! It may get overshadowed by Africa next month, but I would definitely for back. We did basically a nine day vacation in March. Three nights in Rio at the Orla Copacabana - great location and nice hotel. The one night at the Hotel Tropical in Manaus before getting on the Dona Selly 2 for our three night cruise. Of course one night each to get there and back. Not much fun, but it was well worth it. I agree with olleus2 about going through a travel agent. We used Edson Alessi who is Brazilian. He works out of an agency in Miami, but we mostly dealt by e-mail. Contact him at [email protected] or go to fredson.com and check out their packages. We put together our own itinerary and he was very helpful. Enjoy your trip to Brazil! And have a caipirinha for me (great drink)!

Any tips on finding good airfare for the month of July? My daughter is trying to go and funds are very limited. Once she arrives she will be with friends and family (her "host family" she stayed with for a year when she was an exchange student...).
She will fly from San Francisco or Los Angeles. Thanks.

RioRita, call these people in New York, they may be able to help you as they are consolidators for travel to Brazil.


http://www.braziliantravel.com/

Thank you! It is an interesting website...

August is winter in Brazil, therefore avoid the South.It can get cold. Rio is fine in August, there is hardly any winter there, althought sometimes it may get a bit cool. Go towards the Northeast, there is always summer.