Other activities in Brazil
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Joel Souza Ecoverde Tours
Top-notch company with 25 years of service and experienced guides. Working with local pousadas towards an ecofriendly approach, Joel Souza and his son Lauro can guide you in English, German, French, Portuguese or Spanish. You can also contact him at Pousada Ecoverde.
reviewed
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Pantanal Nature
A new agency run by Ailton Lara that has quickly built up a sterling reputation for its professional tours and expert guides. It also runs a Jaguar Camp near Porto Jofre with excellent success rates in seeing the animal in the dry season. The company has an office in Hotel Ramos.
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Casa do Caminho Language Centre
The Casa do Caminho Language Centre offers intensive group classes – three hours a day for five days for R$320, or 60 hours of class time over a month for R$820. Profits go toward the Casa do Caminho orphanages in Brazil.
reviewed
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Ricardo’s Gran Sabana Extreme
Brother to Luís of Ciudad Bolívar’s Adrenaline Expeditions, Ricardo handles the Gran Sabana with great passion and knowledge, offering all manner of tours, with an emphasis on extreme sports.
reviewed
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Easy Drop
For a structured weeklong surfing experience, including classes and accommodation, look into surf camp Easy Drop.
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Rio da Prata
Within a fazenda, 56km south of Bonito, the marvelous Rio da Prata program includes a short trek through rain forest and some great snorkeling. The latter involves a 3km swim downstream along the Rio Olha d’Agua, amazingly crystal clear and full of 55 species of fish; and Rio da Prata, a little foggier but still fantastic for viewing massive pacu and big, scary dourado fish. This place should be near the top of your list. The afternoon visit to Buraco das Araras (R$25), often tagged on, is forgettable, though.
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Brazil Trip Tour
The multilingual Brazil Trip Tour specializes in English-speaking surf lessons and ecological tours. It also arranges volunteer work in the community (English teachers are especially welcome) and 10- to 14-day ‘Cruz the Coast’ tours between Rio and Salvador.
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Jeri Moon
This is a good agency which organizes trips. Apart from buggy day trips you can also take buggy or 4WD trips as far west as Parnaíba and the Lençóis Maranhenses – easier though more expensive than public transport.
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Associação Centro de Capoeira Angola
A capoeira center in Catete with two-hour classes on weekdays (running from 4pm to 10pm Monday through Thursday and 6pm to 10pm on Friday).
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Reserva Ecológica Baía Bonita
Seven kilometers southeast of Bonito, the Reserva Ecológica Baía Bonita is home to the Aquário Natural and the Trilha dos Animais. The half-day tour includes snorkeling in a beautiful natural spring with 30 varieties of fish and subaquatic vegetation, and then a short 900m flotation in the Rio Baía Bonita. The price includes wetsuits, snorkels and lunch. You can also tack on an optional visit to the Trilha dos Animais, a zoo of regional animals including an impressive anaconda, a well-trained tapir and a cute little ocelot.
reviewed
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Maracatu Brasil
Maracatu Brasil is one of the best places in Rio to study percussion. It’s very active in music events throughout the city. Instructors here offer courses in a number of different drumming styles: zabumba, pandeiro and symphonic percussion, as well as guitar and other instruments. If you plan to stick around a while, you can arrange private lessons (R$250 for four one-hour classes) or sign up for group classes (from R$100 a month). On the 1st floor of the lime-green building, Maracatu sells instruments.
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Boca da Onça Ecotour
The Boca da Onça Ecotour, 59km northwest of Bonito, is a nicely manicured 4km trail through the forest to a series of 11 waterfalls, a few of which you can take a chilly dip in. It all culminates with the 156m Boca da Onça waterfall, an impressive cascading waterfall that takes the state’s highest honors. It’s an 880-step climb back to the fazenda, where there is an excellent lunch and hang time by a fantastic natural river-water pool, full of local fish.
reviewed
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Nordeste Off Road
This agency offers longer-distance 4WD or beach-buggy tours, along Ceará’s glorious beaches wherever possible, as far afield as Jericoacoara or even Natal or the Lençóis Maranhenses. A three-day return trip to Jericoacoara costs around R$1700 to R$1950 for two people, with accommodations and outings from Jeri included; a four-day one-way jaunt to Natal is around R$2200 to R$4250 for two. These trips can be done in less time for less money.
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Rio Water Planet
Rio Water Planet claims to be the biggest aquatic park in Latin America. Waterfalls, artificial beaches (a bit surprising in this part of the world) and lazy rafting rivers are part of the attractions, as are Rio Kart Planet (an open-air kart track), Rio Show Planet (an area for shows) and Rio Circus Planet. Children under 1m tall get in free.
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Canaã Viagens e Turism
Canaã Viagens e Turismo is a recommended agency specializing in high-end fishing tours up the Rio Paraguai. It offers trips in two different barco-hotels and travels as far up the river as 300km. Minitours of three days and two nights leave twice a week and start at R$1000 per person, including all meals, fishing, guides and transfers.
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Hotspot Safari & Tours
Owner Christophe has three decades of experience in tourism and conservation and works with dedicated biologists to save the Paraná antwren and red-faced parrot. He runs excellent one-day and multiday tours exploring the coastal forest around Curitiba and comes highly recommended. English, French, Portuguese and German spoken.
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Balneário Municipal
The Balneário Municipal is a natural swimming pool on the Rio Formoso with clear water and lots of fish, 7km southeast of town. You can spend the whole day here mingling with locals and have lunch at the kiosks. Macaws also make regular appearances. Grab a moto-taxi to get there (R$7 one way).
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Pantanal Explorer
Owner Andre Von Thuronyi has been working with sustainable tourism in the area for 30 years and fights harmful government interference in the Pantanal with ferocity. He is actively involved in saving the hyacinth macaw and giant otter. Affiliated with Pousada Araras Eco Lodge.
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Portomar
A professional outfitter that handles hiking and bird-watching treks, canopy tours, kayaking and whale-watching (in season), and runs popular excursions at low tide to nearby piscinas naturais (natural pools), where you can snorkel or scuba dive around colorful coral reef.
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Saveiros Tours
Saveiros leads daily two-hour cruises out over Baía de Guanabara in large schooners. The route follows the coastline of Rio and Niterói with excellent views of Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf), the MAC, Ilha Fiscal and the old fort of Urca. You'll sail under the Niterói bridge.
reviewed
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Roots Brasil
Roots Brasil, just back from the beach, rents boards (R$20/60 per hour/day) and gives classes (R$50 per hour). It also rents sandboards (R$8 per hour). There are good waves for surfing (best from about March to May) right out in front of Jeri beach.
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Nova União Team
Owned by one of the greatest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and jiujutsu coaches in the world, Andre Pederneiras, this place offers three-to-four jiujutsu classes a day, plus muay thai, boxing and MMA classes taught by some of the best MMA fighters in the world.
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Pantanal Discovery
Now associated with Fazenda Santa Clara, this is one of the most experienced agencies in Campo Grande. If buying a package it’s worth paying a little extra for private accommodation in the fazenda rather than using the camp.
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Tour Shop
This outfit runs a variety of excursions (from R$40), including a daily two-hour open-sided bus tour that visits 12 of the peninsula’s beaches. You can also book schooner and rafting tours, and trips by glass-bottomed catamaran.
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Angola N'Golo
This welcoming place to study capoeira in Santa Teresa is run by Mestre José Carlos. Classes are held in the open-sided space next to the Largo das Letras bookshop and restaurant above Largo do Guimarães.
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