BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi all,

My girlfriend and I are seriously considering going to Brazil for our upcoming vacation in July. She’ll have about 3 weeks and I’ll have a bit more. I know it’s not an ideal time to travel Brazil (i.e. less warm in general, more rainy), but we want to go somewhere culturally rich and also have a good week on the beach. We were considering Thailand/Vietnam or Morocco/Spain but it’s also not the best weather there either. Brazil sounds great! Anyway, I’d really appreciate some guidance on the following:

-Is it just a horrible time to go and we should save it for another time?

-How’s this itinerary? We’re pretty sure we’re going to get an airpass (see Qs below). Focussing more on NE due to weather
2 days: Sao Paulo/transit (looks like cheapest flight we’ll be able to get from Ottawa is Sao Paulo)
2 days: Foz do Iguacu
8-9 days: Northeast/beach (we’re thinking Salvador, Recife, Jericoacoara)
3 days jungle (suggestions?)
4-5 days Rio
3 days elsewhere (suggestions?)
Then I’ll have 7-10 days to play with, most of which Im thinking in Argentina (I know the weather there will be rainy/cold). More time would be great, but this is all we have.

-Airpass Questions
How much does a pass with 4 flights come up to with taxes? We read $529 before tax for TAM
Can we start and finish in same city? I would’ve thought so, but the info we read is unclear
Will we be restricted by distance/direction? Can we fly, for example, from the Falls to Salvador in one shot?

Thanks a lot in advance,

Dave

The cities of the northeast (Salvador, Natal, Recife/Olinda, Joao Pessoa, etc.) have a lot to see and experience, including the beaches between them. You will probably get some rainy days in July. (Too bad you can't leave a little earlier. There are some amazing Festas Juninhas at the end of June, unique festivals that few foreigners get to see.)
The "3 days elsewhere" I would just add onto the time in the northeast and use the time to explore the coastline more slowly by bus--beaches like Pipa, Canoa Quebrada, Porto de Galinhas, Maragogi--and/or spend some time in the Parque Lencois in Maranhao to see the lakes in the dunes.

There are no direct flights from Iguacu to Salvador. All Iguacu flights go through S.P., with one stop usually (Curitiba) to get there.
Then you get a flight to Salvador. A few TAM flights go direct. The rest have stops in either Rio, Belo Horizonte, or Vitoria, E.S.

sweet. Thanks for the advice.

I forgot to ask: Just how bad will it be traveling as a vegetarian who is willing to eat fish once or twice per week?

In most major cities, your best bet is probably the "por kilo" restaurants which usually have a wide selection on the lunch buffet, including vegetables -- and of course, the ubiquitous rice and beans can be your basic protein. In some cities, like Salvador, you can find veggie restaurants. Google before you leave to find some lists of them.

Thanks for that. Any other feedback would be appreciated. Is the itinerary I outlined (moreorless) realistic in that amount of time? It sounds like focussing on the Northeast during that time of year is a good idea, but from the limited research I've done already, I can't imagine going to Brazil without a few days in Rio, the Jungle, and 2 at the falls. Unfortunately, we're pretty restricted in when we go. It pretty much has to be starting from early July.

I can likely find out more about the restrictions on the TAM airpass by calling agents...really curious if it's allowed to go back and forth, rather than on a continuous route.

Since I have never had any desire to do a short trip out of Manaus as many tourists do (a much longer trip, further away from Manaus, sounds logically like a better way to really see the area), I would spend the time in the magnificent Parque Lencois, a much less known destination but also less touristed and quite amazing. There are lakes that form in the dunes during the rainy seaason, where you can swim. If you go from Santo Amaro (rather than Barreirinhas), you will be off the tourist path and into a unique local cutural experience.
To see animals, I would go to the Pantanal (maybe on the way back from Iguacu). July might be a good time to do it, too. There's a guy named "ericos", who posts on Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum and lately on Trip Advisor, who has the best advice on both Amazon and Pantanal that I have seen on any Brazil forum.

Rio is fun. Make sure you go out to Lapa to dance samba to a live band, maybe at Carioca da Gema. See www.ipanema.com
And for Salvador: www.bahia-online.net