first time to brasil
 

i planned to go with 3 friends to lima, cuzco (machu picchu), arequipa and punta sal in peru. with the recent flooding i think we will change our trip for this year to another location. i am now thinking of brasil. we would probably have 12 days...what would you recommend? we want a little adventure (we were going to hike machu picchu) and definitely some beach time....

thanks so much!

What time of year are you planning to travel? If it's more than a few months from now you might still be able to do all you want in Peru. But if you are going in the next couple of months then I hope someone else can help with Brazil info.

What about hiking in Columbia? A friend just returned from Peru, Columbia and Brazil and said that she enjoyed visiting ancient sites in Columbia much more than Peru as it wasn't as crowded and touristy.

For Brazil, consider visiting the Amazon, Pantanal, Rio, Salvador etc. It depends on your interests. There are a number of trip reports here that will help you. Use the search function above.

the trip would be from around march 27-april 9th of this year. thanks for your help!

Brazil. is larger than the continental US so you need to know what you want to see. After you plan be sure to get a Brazil air pass, since this will be the cheaper way for you to crisscross the country. Rio and Salvador are mandatory, I'd also spend a couple of days in Manaus or in the lodges inside the Amazon (like Ariau Towers). The Panatanal area and Bonito are also nice if you wnat more nature related tours. For beaches Maceio and Fortaleza are good bets. Sao Paulo is interesting but it is way too big and confuse. However, there are a multitude of micro regions that can also be interesting, like the historical cities in Minas Gerais states, the small towns on the coastline between Sao Paulo and Rio (like Parati and Buzios) or the southern area of the country.