Sights in Brazil
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Cristo Redentor
Atop Corcovado (which means ‘hunchback’), Cristo Redentor gazes out over Rio, a placid expression on his well-crafted face. The mountain rises straight up from the city to 710m, and at night, the brightly lit, 38m-high statue is visible from nearly every part of the city – all 1145 tons of the open-armed redeemer.
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Ponta Negra
Ponta Negra, at the far south end of the city, is the nicest beach in Natal - nearly 3km long and full of hotels, pousadas, restaurants, beach bars, surfers and sailing boats. On weekends it gets pretty packed: the northern part of the beach, with its pedestrian-only walkway, is less crowded. The surf here is consistent if small: you can rent boards from a few places along the beach for around R$25 a day. At the south end of the beach is Morro da Careca, a spectacularly high sand dune with a steep face that drops straight into the sea. Access to the dune has been closed off to prevent further erosion and damage to the primary Atlantic rain forest that covers it.
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Waterfalls
There are 80 identified waterfalls, caves and pools in the area, of which ten to fifteen are open and accessible to the public during most of the year. The tourist office encourages visitors to use guides for all the sites, though several of the most popular ones are perfectly easy to visit on your own.
Cachoeria de Roncadeira is the tallest in the area (70m), and Cachoiera Escorrega Macaco, just a hundred meters away, is nearly as tall (60m). Both tumble picturesquely down sheer rust-brown cliffs, fringed by green vegetation and moss-covered stones. Both have small pools for wading and swimming, while Roncadeira is sometimes used for rappelling.
The falls are located 1.…
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Ipanema & Leblon Beaches
Although the beaches of Ipanema and Leblon are one long beach, the postos (posts) along them subdivide the beach into areas as diverse as the city itself. Posto 9, right off Rua Vinícius de Moraes, is Garota de Ipanema, which is where Rio’s most lithe and tanned bodies tend to migrate. The area is also known as the Cemetério dos Elefantes because of the handful of old leftists, hippies and artists who sometimes hang out there. In front of Rua Farme de Amoedo the beach is known as Bolsa de Valores or Crystal Palace (this is the gay section), while Posto 8 further up is mostly the domain of favela kids. Arpoador, between Ipanema and Copacabana, is Rio’s most popular surf sp…
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Museu do Seringal Vila Paraíso
The Museu do Seringal Vila Paraíso is a 25-minute boat ride from Ponta Negra, which is itself a 20-minute bus ride from the center. Fortunately, the trip there is part of the fun, and can be combined with a stop at Praia da Lua, Manaus's best beach. Guided tours include an opulent rubber baron's townhouse and a replica rubber tapper shack, and walking a short trail to see how rubber trees are tapped, and the latex processed in a thatch smoke house.
A bit gimmicky but still interesting, and the only place in Manaus to learn about this all-important history. Boats to the museum (25 minutes) leave frequently from Marina Davi, just past Ponta Negra. Take Bus 011, 012, or 120…
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Centro de Recepcão de Visitantes
The Itaipú Dam is highly impressive; at some 8km long and 200m high, it is a memorable sight, especially when the river is high and a vast torrent of overflow water cascades down the spillway. The Centro de Recepcão de Visitantes is 10km north of Foz. From here, regular tours ( visita panorâmica; R$19) run daily at 8am, 9am, 10am, 2pm, 3pm and 3:30pm; more detailed ones ( circuito especial; R$36), which take you into the power plant itself, leave daily at 8:30am, 9am, 10:30am, 11am, 2pm, 2:30pm, 4pm and 4:30pm. There are extra visits at weekends (when there are also floodlit night viewings available), as well as a variety of other attractions within the complex, includ…
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Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável
A remote floodplain forest, halfway between Manaus and the Peruvian frontier, is protected by the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve. This 1.24 million hectare (3 million acre) reserve is part of the second-largest (57,000 sq km/22,008 sq mi) continuous block of protected tropical rainforest in the world.
Mamirauá combines nature conservation and scientific research with improved opportunities for the communities within the reserve.
Their excellent ecotourism program affords access to a pristine piece of towering primary rainforest, rivers and lakes absolutely teeming with life. The silence there will be the loudest you've ever heard, and wildlife-viewing is among…
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Beaches
The waters of Morro's four conveniently named main beaches are mostly calm, shallow and warm, and their sands are narrow and swallowed by the high tides.
Tiny Primeira Praia is lined with pousadas and has a decent surf break. Deep Segunda Praia (500m) is the 'action' beach with pousadas, restaurants, nightclubs and a sea of tables and chairs. Pousadas and anchored boats dominate one end of Terceira Praia (1km). Once you pass a pair of restaurants, Quarta Praia (2km) is a long, lovely stretch of sand graced by tall, swaying palms. For even more isolated peace, continue on at low tide to Praia do Encanto (5km) or further down the island to Garapuá, which has one pousada.
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Beaches
Within the district of Ubatuba, there are some 74 beaches and 15 islands. Regular buses run along the coastal road. Some of the best beaches south of Ubatuba include Praia Vermelha (3km), Enseada (8km), Flamengo (12km, on the Ponta do Flamengo), do Lázaro (16km) and Domingos Dias (18km). The big, loud party scene is 6km south of Ubatuba at Praia Grande.
North of town, the beaches are hidden away down steep hillsides. They're harder to find, but good for boogie boarding and surfing and well worth the effort. Among the best are Vermelha do Norte (9km); Itamambuca (15km), Promirim (23km) and Ubatumirim (33km).
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Praia do Futuro
Fortaleza's best beach, Praia do Futuro is a clean length of sand that stretches 5km (3.1mi) south along Av Dioguinho to the Clube Caça e Pesca (Hunting and Fishing Club). It is easily the city's best beach, though it's a fair way from most hotels. Barracas (kiosks) serving crab and beer line the beach, which gets packed on weekends. It doesn't start getting really nice until you're at least 1km (0.6mi) away from the industrial port.
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Museu Théo Brandão
The Museu Théo Brandão is housed in a handsomely renovated colonial building on the seafront. Excellent exhibits cover the state’s history and popular culture; the most impressive displays are festival headpieces modeled after churches, which are loaded with mirrors, beads and multicolored ribbons and weigh up to 35kg. Traditional dance performances are staged some evenings.
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Casa das Onze Janelas
Once the home of a sugar baron, then a military hospital, the Casa das Onze Janelas now houses an excellent art gallery and one of Belém’s finest restaurants, Boteco das Onze. The medium-sized gallery contains a mix of classical and modern artwork, plus a good photography exhibit upstairs. The café in back has a view of the mouth of the Amazon.
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Parque das Aves
This 5-hectare bird park, located 300m from the entrance to Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, is home to 800-plus species of birds, including red ibis, bare-throated bellbird, and flamingos galore. They live in 8m-high aviaries that are constructed right in the forest. Other exhibits are devoted to snakes, butterflies and other species.
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Memorial JK
The tomb of JK (President Juscelino Kubitschek) lies underneath eerily beautiful stained glass by French artist Marianne Peretti inside the Memorial JK. The museum houses JK’s 3000-book-strong personal library as well as a pictorial history of Brasília. Don’t miss his 1973 Ford Galaxie just outside the back door.
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Santuário Dom Bosco
Santuário Dom Bosco is made of 80 concrete columns that support 7500 pieces of illuminated Murano glass symbolizing a starry sky, and which cast a blue submarine glow over the pews. The central chandelier weighs 2.5 tonnes and adds an amazing 435 light bulbs’ worth of energy to the monthly electricity bill.
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Instituto Ricardo Brennand
From Tuesday to Friday afternoons, you can visit the scenic Instituto Ricardo Brennand, Oficina Cerâmica Francisco Brennand's cousin’s museum. This contains a massive collection of European and Brazilian art, swords, armor and historical artifacts in a fake medieval castle on lovely grounds.
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Banespa Skyscraper
For one of Sampa's best panoramas, head to the top of the Banespa skyscraper, Brazil's version of the Empire State Building, completed in 1939. Ride free to the observation deck on the top floor for views of the city. Note, you will need some form of ID to sign in.
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Parque Nacional do Iguaçu
You can’t miss the shiny entrance to the Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, which houses bathrooms, ATMs, lockers, souvenir shops and vast parking facilities. Once you buy your ticket, you will be directed to board a free double-decker bus.
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Mina do Chico-Rei
Mina do Chico-Rei, or Encardadeira, is an abandoned mine. There’s little to see as you stoop through the low passageways, but it’s the perfect place to meditate on the fascinating story of Chico-Rei.
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Praia de Ponta Verde
The most popular and beautiful of the city beaches is Praia de Ponta Verde. Protected by an offshore coral reef, Maceió's ocean waters are calm and a deep emerald color.
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Cidade Alta
Salvador's Cidade Alta (High City) lives up to its name, being in the elevated part of town, with - depending where you're standing - sweeping views over the bay. Many of the city's main landmarks are located here, including the famous Elevador Lacerda, the Praça Municipal, the Terreiro de Jesus and the charming colonial Pelourinho district. Nowhere else will you experience Salvador's unique vibrancy and alegria to such an inspiring degree.
The Praça Municipal was the political seat of colonial Brazil for more than 200 years. Now it's a fantastic place to have an icecream and enjoy a panoramic view of the bay. The stunning Palácio Rio Branco is here too, as well as the b…
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Copacabana & Leme Beach
A magnificent confluence of land and sea, the long, scalloped beach of Copacabana and Leme runs for 4km, with a flurry of activity always stretching along its length: over-amped soccer players singing their team’s anthem, Cariocas and tourists lining up for caipirinhas at kiosks, favela kids showing off their soccer skills, beach vendors shouting out their wares among the beached and tanned bodies.
As in Ipanema, each group stakes out their stretch of sand. Leme is a mix of older residents and favela kids, while the area between the Copacabana Palace Hotel and Rua Fernando Mendes is the gay and transvestite section, known as the Stock or Stock Market – easily recognized…
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Lago Verde
This huge three-fingered lake is surrounded by forest, and has places to swim, snorkel, and spot birds and animals (including a resident family of monkeys). Tour operators offer enjoyable boat tours; if you go in the afternoon, the tour usually ends at Ponta de Cururú, a good spot to see the sunset and river dolphins. Freelance boatmen on the waterfront do the same for cheaper, but typically don't have the same service or equipment that agencies do.
You can also rent a kayak at the waterfront and explore the lagoon on your own; just be alert to for strong waves and currents. Stingrays are a concern in shallow areas of Ilha do Amor, Lago Verde and in the river. One of the…
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Parque do Mindú
Believe it or not, Manaus has its own endemic primate: the tiny Sanguinus bicolor, better known as the pied bare-faced tamarin. The species is critically endangered, with no known groups in the open forest – they seem to have evolved to thrive only in areas of secondary growth – yet notoriously difficult to breed in captivity. The best place to observe this curious and vanishing creature is Parque do Mindú, a 33-hectare park in a residential area of Manaus about 6km from the center. The park has a system of eight intersecting trails, including sections of elevated walkways and an orchid house. Volunteer guides can help visitors locate the tamarins (early morning and …
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Ilha do Campeche
The Ilha do Campeche is like the Ilha de Santa Catarina in miniature - tangled dark green Atlantic forest, secluded coves and great hiking and snorkelling opportunities. Hiring the Vento Sul (South Wind) is the way to get there in style.
Located off the south-eastern coast of the main island is this lush emerald-green islet, a protected ecological reserve. Forests of native logwood (the resource that first brought Europeans here) cover much of the island, while stunning beaches of fine-grained sand, clear, gentle waters and the remains of indigenous civilisation complete the picture. The presence of petroglyphs (carved stones) left by the island's original inhabitants ac…
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