Ois & Nix

Introduction Where should you go if you can spend three weeks in Brazil? Not an easy question to answer. Brazil is such a big country, you need to select a few spots to make sure you have enough time to enjoy this beautiful and interesting area of the world. If you don't have enough time to read the whole blog, invest 5 minutes to see 50 great things you can do in Brazil in this video . The following practical guide shows you how we spent our three weeks in Brazil in May 2016 . Preparations Learn some important words/phrases in Portuguese , e.g. how to order food; saying hello, please, thank you; asking for directions... A good starting point is Memrise , an interactive app. Get all required vaccinations . It depends when and where you go exactly, but vaccinations for hepatitis B and yellow fewer are always a good idea. We brought malaria medication with us, but did not use it in the end. Book domestic flights in advance to get better rates. Our itinerary

Arrival We had a night flight from Frankfurt to Rio, so we arrived very early in Rio. The transfer was organized by the hotel ( Injoy Hostel in Botafogo ) and cost 85 BRL. Already at the taxi ride we experienced that knowing some phrases in Portuguese is very important. Day 1 After getting a short introduction by our receptionist, our room was ready – we did not have to pay extra for the early check in at around 06:00 am. We started our first day of sightseeing by going to the Parque Lage (free entrance) . We used the public bus, which was easy, safe and cheap (3.80 BRL for a single ride – wave your hand to stop the bus; buy the ticket on the bus). The Parque Lage itself was great. You see monkeys running around and you get a sort of rain forest feeling while being actually in a large city. If you want to take a hike up to the Christ the Redeemer, you would start here. After having a coffee at the small café, we continued walking to the lake Lagoa . On ou

Preparation & Arrival Before going to the Ilha Grande we were told to get a lot of cash because there are no ATMs on the island. This is true, however, most restaurants bars and tour operators accept plastic. Some tours charge an extra fee though if you pay by credit card. To get to the Ilha Grande, we asked our hotel in Rio to organize a transfer – it turned out to be Easytransfer. Initially we were thinking about taking a public bus and then a boat, but the fully organized transfer was 95 BRL per person, so not too bad. It included the transfer in a minivan and the boat. Be aware that it can take some time until you leave Rio, depending on which other hotels the bus needs to go to to pick up other guests. In our case, the whole journey took from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm to get from our hotel in Rio to Abraão. Day 1 When arriving in Abraão you are suddenly in a completely different setting compared to Rio: a tiny village on a tropical island, no cars , no streets, lots

Arrival & day 1 To go to Paraty from the Ilha Grande we did not book an organized transfer. We used a fast boat from Abraão to Angra dos Rais (35 BRL) and then took a normal public bus . When you arrive in Angra walk towards the main street and turn right. You will see a bus stop “Intermunicipal” and from there you can take the bus to Paraty. It takes about 2.5 hours and costs 12.5 BRL . Obviously it is not as comfortable as a private minivan, but it is comfortable enough. You arrive at the bus terminal in Paraty We stayed at Leo’s Clan Beach hostel which is quite close to the center. From the bus terminal to the hostel it’s a 20 minute walk. Warning: The cobblestones in the historic center are absolutely not made for trolleys. We had problems when pulling them through the sandy “roads” on the Ilha Grande, but in Paraty it was impossible to pull them. Carrying two large and heavy trolleys through the old town was the biggest challenge when it comes to sports during the 3

Arrival To get from Paraty to Foz do Iguaçu there are different options. If you have enough time, you could take an extremely long bus ride. We have chosen to take a flight from Rio. To get to Rio we used a very comfortable Costa Verde bus for 72.50 BRL . The ride takes about 4 hours (including a short break) and you arrive at the Novo Rio Bus Station . From the bus station we took a taxi to the domestic airport Santos Dumont for 47 BRL (20 minutes). Unfortunately it was no direct flight and we had a relatively long stop in Sao Paulo. The airport at Foz do Iguaçu is about 20 minutes away from the “center”. We stayed at the Pietro Angelo hotel , a free transfer was included. If you don’t have a free transfer, you have to pay around 50 BRL for a taxi or 3.8 BRL for a public bus ride. In the evening we went to a typical dinner place: a self service restaurant called Familiglia Maran where you pay per kilo. The food was very nice and very cheap. By this time of our trip

Arrival & preparations The next stop on our trip was the Pantanal . To get there from Foz do Iguaçu we took a flight to Cuiaba via Curitiba. We had a long layover in Curitiba, unfortunately the internet was not working, they only had three sandwich bars which all offered the same food and it was freezing cold in the airport. Bring your coats or jackets! To go to the Pantanal we have booked a tour with Ecoverde Tours . We had organized everything in advance via email ( joelsouza@ecoverdetours.com.br ). Communication with Joel was really easy and we can fully recommend the tour. It included: the pick up from the airport, one night in Cuiaba before the actual tour started, a guided tour (3 days / 2 nights, including food and all trips) and one night in Cuiaba after the tour . The tour cost 1600 BRL per person (paid it in cash). Day 1 On the first day of the tour we had an early breakfast before we got picked up. In total we were 6 people in the car: the tour guide, the dri

Arrival From Cuiaba we had an early flight to Salvador via Brasilia. Unfortunately the weather was too bad to land so we had to fly to Maceio, wait a bit and then to Salvador. The pick up at the hotel was organized by the hotel and was about 115 BRL for a 30 minute ride . Day 1 We stayed at the Pousada Estrela do Mar , a very nice hotel in Barra with great breakfast, close to the sea in a very safe area. Close to the hotel there is the famous lighthouse in Salvador and many restaurants and bars . Make sure to have a delicious Açaí during your time in Brazil. It’s a sort of ice cream which you can mix with fruit or granola. Salvador is famous for its historic center - the so called Pelourinho . We took a taxi (25 BRL) from Barra to the upper side of the elevator which connects the lower town to the upper town. At first we were not sure where it is safe to walk around, but there is quite a lot of police around, so we just tried to stay within an area where you can al

Arrival & day 1 From the Hotel Pousada Salvador Paradise to the airport it was only a 10 minute ride. The flight to Rio was uneventful. When you arrive in Rio Santos Dumont Airport you have the option of buying a prepaid taxi , which we did. It cost 60 BRL to the hotel Mirasol Copacabana Hotel . You might get it cheaper if you just hop on a regular taxi. The hotel was nice, but the pool was closed for maintenance. After some discussions with the manager, we were upgraded to a nicer room with a private sauna & whirlpool . We also had a nice view to the Christ the Redeemer and the Copacabana beach. Unfortunately the weather was not great, so we decided to go the the Museu do Amanhã . It was really interesting, very interactive and very modern. The area around the museum is also nice to visit. You can get there by metro (7 minutes walk from the stop Uruguaiana). Day 2 On the next day we joined a free walking tour for downtown Rio and Lapa . The 3 hour tour was info