Planning a Brazilian Vacation?

I’ve always wanted to go to Brazil so I’ve started the planning for a trip in early 2008.  I thought I would share a bit of what I’ve learned in case you’re planning your own Brazil adventure.  I would love to hear about what you’ve learned!

The first thing a friend warned me about is that because Brazil is a vast, sprawling country with much to see and do, you really need to think about where you want to go and what you want to see.  Brazil has everything from the jungles of the Amazon to the cosmopolitan beaches of Rio to the restored colonial buildings of Salvador, so there are a lot of unique travel opportunities within the country.

So, do your research, read guidebooks, talk to others that have visited and try to narrow down your top three things you’d like to see or do when you’re there.  Of course, if you’re planning a longer trip you should be able to add in many more locales and activities.

High season in Brazil lasts from the week before Christmas until Carnaval (Feb. or early March).  During this timeframe, flights and accommodations are pricier and vacancy rates are low.  If you’re planning to travel during this time, be sure to book well ahead.

You can expect Easter week and the month of July to also be very busy due to school vacations.  You probably want to avoid summer travel because the weather can be cool.  The best deals in terms of price are during September and October.  The weather will be spring-like (remember, because they are in the Southern hemisphere, their seasons are the exact opposite of ours) and you will find the crowds far easier to handle. 

Despite that piece of advice as to the least expensive time to travel, I’m planning my trip for Carnaval 2008.  Carnaval is the party to end all parties and I am looking forward to four days of fun and frolic.  There will be nonstop dancing, drinking, singing and just a ton of fun!  You may not even realize but there are Carnaval celebrations throughout Brazil, with the most famous being in Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and Olinda.  Rio is the best known and includes a parade that culminates the four day festival with 14 samba teams that each performs a 90 minute show with up to 5,000 people singing and dancing in unbelievable costumes and huge floats.

With 170 million people, Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, about 10% larger than the continental US.  Here’s a brief outlay of the various regions to help you narrow down your travel plans:

Amazon – takes up the northern third of the country and appears to be a site everyone should see.  Transport throughout the Amazon basin is still mostly done by water. 
Northeast – run from Sao Luis to Salvador and the coast includes midsize cities and sugar cane. 
South Coast – includes Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, with Sao Paulo the larger of the two cities. 
Southwest – is a broad flat plain, dotted here and there with craggy highlands and populated chiefly by ranchers and some commercial farms.  The highlights of this area are the Pantanal and Iguassu Falls.

While this is a start for your planning, make sure to take advantage of the terrific amounts of information available in guidebooks and online.  I know that you will want to make the most out of your trip to Brazil – just like I’m planning on doing!  Enjoy your trip to Brazil!

Posted by on 02/14 at 12:53 PM

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