HBCA

My friend and I are taking a tip to Brazil and Argentina mid-April, but since this is our first time in South America, we are not sure how many days we should spend in each country and where to go.....ideally, we would like to spend 16-18 days total trip from the US. We love nature, art and the country and not really fond of spending too much time in big commercial cities. I usually plan my own trip and don't like package tours. I am a world traveler, but have only traveled in Asia, Africa and Europe. Also security is a big concern for us and don't want to end up in remote parts of Brazil or Argentina where travel is not safe. I have also heard that purchasing air travel in the US traveling within Brazil cities can be cheap if purchased in advance in the United States...apparently there is a air pass that you can purchase in the US on Varig. Has anyone purchased this before?
Any advice is appreciated.

Elainee

The air pass is a big bargain since intraBrazil flights are expensive, but...flights are also long, long, long. Big country and few direct flights. TAM also has air pass so check both for flights and routes before deciding.

therealrio

Hi HBCA,

If you plan on visiting a few places in Brazil, the Brazilian Air Pass is a great choice. It will provide you with inexpensive flights and you can plan your own trip. You are correct about having to buy it before you leave. There are other restrictions, but they are easily manageable and explained.

As the other poster mentioned, the 2 companies offering flight passes are VARIG and TAM, and which one you choose may depend on what international company you are flying into Brazil with. Their prices are relatively the same.

We purchase lots of these flights, and if you have any questions, you can contact me on my email above.

Happy Travels!

jcasale

I assume that you are planning to go to Rio while in Brazil. My advice would be to plan on at least 2-3 full days there. More is even better since you can have some days to just "experience" and "hang out". There is so much to see and do. If you can manage to be in Rio over a Sunday, head to the Hippie Fair in the Ipanema area.

Other thoughts on Brazil - Manaus is a suprisingly large and also wonderful city. We went there primarily because we were going to be getting on an Amazon Clipper boat for a 3 night cruise up the Rio Negro (fabulous, by the way) and we ended up doing a half day tour of Manaus and finding it fascinating. The Opera House is not to be missed.

As for planning the trip, I really like planning things to be exactly the way I want them rather than doing a package. In the case of Brazil, I figured out what we wanted to do and then I ended up working with a travel agent in Miami who specializes in Brazil. I don't know if he also has connections in Argentina, but he was able to get us some airfares that we could not have done on our own (I know, becuase I had checked first). And in the case of the Amazon Clipper, they do not have a way to book with them except through a travel agent (at least not one I could ever find). If you want to contact him, his name is Edson Alessi and he is at:
[email protected]

I LOVED Brazil and would love to return there. Make sure you get to Iguassu Falls. We didn't have time to do that, so will have to go back. Oh darn !

AngelaS

I spent two months traveling all over Brazil & it is amazing. You will most likely be flying into Rio via Miami - spend a few days there - go see teh Corcovado & Sugar Loaf & I would highly recommend staying in Ipanema - it's clean, has nice restaurants & hotels & you don't really have to worry about walking around at night.

The south of Brazil has a lot of European influence - especially in the food - it is amazing. This region is known for the gauchos (cowboys) and their churrsacaria - Brazilian BBQ. If you eat meat - be sure to check out a good churrascaria - just ask a local.

If you want to tread off the beaten path for some adventure & nature I would highly recommend Bonito & the Pantanal in the state of Matto Grosso do Sul. We stayed at Fazenda (farm) San Fransciso & it was pretty wild - we went fishing for piranas, on a night tour & saw all kinds of animals. From there we drove to Bonito & went snorkeling in these fresh water rivers - it's awesome & not commericialized at all!

The north of Brazil has a lot of African influence - especially in Salvador. Although these are big cities (Rio & Salvador) i didn't think they were too commercialized - more culutural.

If you like white pristine beach check out the far north - Fernando de Noronha is amazing.

If you plan on going to various cities definitely buy the air pass before you leave. Usually you can fly to 5 different cities for ~$500. Search on the internet & book through an agent you can find.

Have fun in Brazil - you will love it!!
Ciao!