Things to do 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.
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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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Zazá Bistro Tropical
Inside an art-filled and whimsically decorated converted house, Zazá serves satisfying dishes with Eastern accents, and uses organic ingredients when possible. Two favorites: curry chicken with coconut milk and basmati rice; and semi-raw tuna with vegetables, grilled shrimp and passion fruit sauce. Upstairs, diners lounge on throw pillows, while candles glow along the walls. You can also sit at one of the tables on the front.
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Bacalhau do Tuga
Since opening in 2009, the ‘Tuga’ (Portuguese guy) has been drawing throngs of people to this beachfront hole-in-the-wall, mixing classic Portuguese codfish recipes with local specialties such as peixe grelhado com molho de manga (grilled fish with mango sauce).
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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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Cafecito
A few steps above street level, this open-air café attracts a mix of foreigners and neighborhood regulars (the Argentine owner is a longtime Santa Teresa resident). You'll find imported beers, desserts, cocktails (caiprinhas and mojitos), tapas plates and gourmet sandwiches (with ingredients like smoked trout, artichoke hearts and prosciutto).
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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…
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Porcão Rio’s
Set in the Parque do Flamengo with a stunning view of Pão de Açúcar, Porcão Rio’s is consistently ranked by restaurant critics as the city’s best churrascaria. Whether you believe the hype – or simply come for the view – you’re in for an eating extravaganza. Arrive early, both to score a good table and to see the view before sunset.
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Maracanã Football Stadium
As Rio prepares for the 2014 World Cup, the famed Rio stadium will be closed indefinitely from August 2010 as the stadium undergoes extensive renovations. Once it reopens (probably not until 2012 or 2013), a game at Maracanã is a must-see for visitors. Matches here rate among the most exciting in the world, and the behavior of the fans is no less colorful. The devoted pound huge samba drums, letting out a roar as their team takes the field, and if things are going badly – or very well – fans are sometimes driven to sheer madness. Some detonate smoke bombs in team colors, while others rip out the seats or launch objects into the seats below. (Things have calmed slightly…
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Carretão
It's all about the meat at this decent but inexpensive churrascaria. With several branches throughout the city, including an Ipanema Carretão, this popular chain serves up consistently good cuts – and heaps of them. There's a small salad bar, and you can order sides from the menu at no added charge.
reviewed
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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.
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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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Cook in Rio
Travelers have an opportunity to take a locally run cooking course, Cook in Rio. Run by Simone Theisen, who was the head chef and creator of the restaurant Fogo Carioca (now a bar), Cook in Rio teaches aspiring chefs how to make some of Brazil’s most famous dishes. Each one-day class runs from 11am to 4pm and includes the preparation of either moqueca (seafood stew) or feijoada completa (multi-dish black bean and pork stew). You’ll also learn how to make other sides and drinks including aipim frito (fried cassava slices), a perfect pot of rice, dessert and a masterful caipirinha (the secret is in the slicing of the lime). The best part is that you’ll get to devour…
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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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Rio Adventures
Offering a range of outdoor activities, Rio Adventures leads hikes through Tijuca National Park, including short treks up Pico Tijuca – an easy one-hour hike to a rocky summit that affords fantastic views over the Tijuca forest and the beaches of São Conrado and Barra. For something more challenging, the company offers ascents up Pedra Bonito.
Rio Adventures also offers sightseeing tours, rock climbs (Pão de Açúcar, Corcovado and Pico da Tijuca), rafting excursions (to Paraibuna River, 175km northwest of Rio) and parachuting and paragliding trips. It employs experienced guides, who speak Portuguese, English and Spanish, among other languages.
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Tijuca Rain Forest Jeep Tour from Rio de Janeiro
4 hours (Departs Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
by Viator
lt;pgt;Take a morning or afternoon tour from Rio to the Tijuca Rain Forest, in an open jeep. The four-hour jeep tour includes an easy hike, giving you the…Not LP reviewed
from USD$70.99 -
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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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Amir
Step inside Amir and you'll enter a world of delicate aromas and handsomely dressed waiters in embroidered vests. Daytime crowds come for the buffet (R$33 on weekdays, R$45 weekends), while at night the a la carte menu features all the favorites, including delicious platters of hummus, kaftas (spiced meat patty), falafel, kibbe and salads. There's a belly dancer Friday nights (at 9:30pm), while other nights you can smoke from a hookah if you snag a balcony seat.
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Arcos da Lapa
The landmark aqueduct dates from the mid-1700s when it was built to carry water from the Carioca River to downtown Rio. In a style reminiscent of ancient Rome, the 42 arches stand 64m high. Today, it carries the famous bonde on its way to and from Santa Teresa atop the hill.
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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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Yalla
One of the few non-fancy options on this culinary street, Yalla is a small, quick-serving restaurant where you can pick up fresh tabouli or couscous salads, sandwiches on lavash bread (Shawarma, falafel, shish kebab) or pasties filled with ricotta, beef or spinach. Don't miss baklava for dessert.
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A Bela Paulista
This very agreeable, upscale bakery is especially popular with the gay Paulistano community for its gourmet sandwiches and salads served around the clock. Expect lines in the wee hours as clubs start to close.
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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.
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Bráz
Cooking up what many consider Sampa's best pizza in wood ovens, this rather upscale but always animated spot is worth the 10 to 15 minute walk from Av Paulista.
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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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