10 days in brazil (rt to sao paulo) - determining best routing
Replies: 6 - Last Post: Feb 10, 2013 12:05 PM Last Post By: lacey1001
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10 days in brazil (rt to sao paulo) - determining best routing
Hi all,I've unfortunately got a flight that flies into and out of Sao Paulo (Congonhas airport). I arrive dec 4 at 1:30 pm and depart dec 13 in the evening.
I'm trying to make the most of my time and from what I can tell in my research, it would be a good mix to hit :
1. Rio
2. Paraty
3. Ilha Grande
I am a solo female traveler (30 yo) who has done quite a bit of solo travel, but I speak no portuguese, and minimal spanish.
Looking for some tips as to how to get between places...
I could either:
1. Fly from sao paulo directly to rio on the 4th, spend 4 days in rio (staying from tues the 4th - sat the 8th to get a weekend day in), then head by bus to ilha grande and paraty (not sure which order makes most sense) for a few days in each, and then bus to sao paulo on my last day, the 13th, to get to the airport in time to leave. Note that flights from where I'm flying into to rio are around $150 for that date and time of day currently.
2. Take the bus from sao paulo upon arrival to go directly to paraty, spend a few days there, then bus to rio for the weekend, then bus back to ilha grande to finish out the trip before catching the bus again back to sao paulo to fly home. I'm not sure if this makes sense at all or not.. I like the idea of getting rio for the weekend, unless that seems pointless, I wouldn't worry then, but using buses means I don't have to reserve the flight in advance and maybe(?) will save money. Though I'm happy to drop an extra 50-100 on travel to cut down on inconvenience and travel time.
3. Take the bus from sao paulo on arrival and go to paraty, then ilha grande, then over to rio for like Monday - thursday and then fly from rio back to sao paulo for the departure.
What do we think about these options? I'm not sure how easy or fast the bus schedules are, or if all buses between rio and sao paulo stop at paraty/angra dos reis, and/or if it makes more sense to fly one way and only bus the other etc.
I'm also not sure how easy it is to get to / from my airport in sao paulo. As a solo female traveler w/ no portuguese, and coming off a 21 hour travel day to get to sao paulo, I'd like to avoid MAJOR stress when I arrive, and have a plan...
Thanks for any tips, and if you think this schedule seems dumb please tell me why :), or suggest an alternate?
Thanks!!
2
I would fly to Rio from S.P. I'm amazed flights are that expensive (theyre usually much cheaper for that route). And go that way. I enjoyed Ilha Grande more than Paraty (but I'm a beach person more than colonial town person). But a mix of those should be good. I think 5 days in Rio is best, and split the 5 days in the other places.3
My flight is international but the first/last legs are not on American, american booked me on tam/gol airlines. I did this intentionally when I booked the flight deal because I figured CGH would be more accessible to getting into/out of sao paulo once I arrive. However I'm finding flights from CGH are really pricey on my arrival date of dec 4... and they keep going up. It is now like $165 usd... one way.. RIDICULOUS considering I booked my r/t flight to sao paulo from orlando for $285 total...Anyway, I am thinking that what I want to do is fly straight to rio from sao paulo when I arrive. I'm afraid of missing my flights however.... So what stinks is I'll be sitting in the airport for a while
Does anyone know if GOL or TAM allow for earlier standby flights or if they charge a fee?
I should try to book from CGH to SDU, correct? GIG is much farther away? I am thinking of staying in a hostel in ipanema. I plan to try to meet some fellow travelers and drink my stress away after that 1.5 day travel HELL.
My other option is to sleep in sao paulo the first night i get in (at 1:30 into CGH) so that I can decompress for a bit before flying to rio in the AM. not sure if it's worth the effort though..
Then I guess I'll stay the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th in rio ( to give me a friday night outing, and take a bus to ilha grande in the AM, that is unless I get bored and want to go earlier. )
Then the 8th 9th and 10th nights in ilha grande (for one full day only? Is that enough? I do love beaches..)
then the 11th and 12th nights in paraty
then catch the bus on the 13th from paraty to sao paulo for my flight home from cgh which leaves at 8 pm.
Does this sound wise? I love beaches, culture, want to be places where I can meet people (and not just drunk americans..) and have fun without feeling constantly worried for my safety, I want to swim and hike and see new things and experience music etc.
Does this sound like a good plan? Is paraty a good spot to hit? Or has it become overrun with tourists and lost its culture?
Are there a ton of biting bugs all over ilha grade or is it a beach paradise?
4
Well I booked a flight from CGH to SDU at 3:10 pm (after arriving at 1:26 pm on GOL). Hopefully that wasn't too ambitious, but there is a flight just before and after that so I could still make it on SOME flight out. I also chose GOL becuase that is the airline I am flying from Brasilia to CGH on... so if I miss the first flight or something happens coming into brazil in brasilia, GOL could perhaps rebook the whole next two segments... ug.. who knows :) Hoping this was a good call! $167 US dollars .. gross!...5
It is, but it'll beat taking a 6 hour bus ride.As for the rest of the itinerary, its a fairly good plan. I'm a beach person, and prefered Ilha Grande over Paraty. But you might not like it.
Try and get a good seat on your flight to SDU (you'll get a good view on one side of the plane).
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