Travelling around Brazil

Hi,

Some rec's
Ilha Santa Catarina-south of Rio, beautiful relaxed vibe surf, sun
Itacare-small fishing village w/tropical beaches, surf, white water rafting
Jerricocaora-beautiful windswept coastline, no cars, great nightlife, mellow beach life
Salvador-architecture culture nightlife
Olinda-architecture, beaches

Amazonas: the cheapes and quickest bet is to fly from the north of Brazil to Manaus try Gol Airlines they are pretty cheap. If you have time you can take the boat up the Amazon from Belem.

Enjoy

The cheepest and quickest ways might not always coincide but will always depend on the distance travelled.

If it's a few hours bus ride then bussing it will be cheepest, there might not even be flights between such destinations. I never heard of a train line in Brazil so I don't think that is very popular.

If the distances even get close to a 16-20 hrs bus ride then go to the local travel agencies and fish for prices on flights because flying might cost the same or a tiny bit more. Imagine if the difference in prices between a 20 hr bus ride and a 1.5 hr flight is $10 or $20, what would you do? I know what I'd do.

Hi Liban

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>if the difference in prices between a 20 hr bus ride and a 1.5 hr flight is $10 or $20, what would you do? I know what I'd do. <hr></blockquote>

I can understand this, but surely by flying you would be losing out on seeing some of the 'true' aspects of the country - i.e. travelling through it, mixing with locals on buses etc, seeing the landscape. I suppose if time is short then its a good compromise.

Also anyone know a good route to the Amazon?

- Is it easy to travel up through Brazil from Rio without flying?

- Is there easy access from any other countries e.g. Venezuela?

Thanks V.much :-)

I was also wondering the same thing. I wanted to travel from Salvador (where I'm flying in) to Rio then to Curitiba and then back to Sao Paulo to fly to Peru. Obviously Rio to Sao Paulo is short (I saw that it was 6 hours, and only $15 US) but how safe is it?

And does anyone know anything about taking a bus from Sao Paulo to Curitiba?

Also, it says a bus from Salvador to Rio is $75 US and 28 hours - a flight might be better?

Thanks so much!

hi PamplonaGuide,

you're right, mixing with the locals on buses and seeing the land from the ground is a very nice thing indeed. No argument there, BUT, when it pushes on to 12 hrs, 13 hrs, etc on the same bus, I forget all about the locals and interacting! lol. I just wanna get off the damn bus by any means necessary.

I don't mind the 4-6 hr bus rides. But the long ones I totally despise. Especially since I can't sleep sitting up and on moving objects. I always have a terrible time.

Actually on my last long bus ride in Brazil, (São Mateus - Salvador) 12 hrs +, I also made the mistake of not dressing properly. I was wearing a pair of shorts, regular shirt and sandals (I think). But it was a nightmare of a ride, it was soo cold on that bus it wasn't funny. That plus like I said I can't sleep on buses just added to my nightmare.

I made sure to catch a plane on my way down from Salvador :) and it was a bit more expensive.

As far as your questions go,

- Yes, it's very easy to travel up from Rio through Brazil without flying. I did just that on my last trip. I went from Rio to Salvador all on buses, but I was stopping once in a while and I stopped in

Vitoria: Just transit. Waited in the bus stop for my next bus to

Guarapari: Loved! this little city and I actually stopped there on my way down.

Itaúnas: nice little party town with weird sand dunes.

Conceicão da Barra: Another nice little town with not much to do, just relaxing on the beach and getting a few drinks at night.

Såo Mateus: Didn't like this place. Looked really dodgy. I got out in a hurry.

- I can't help you with access from other countries. I'm not sure what you mean. If you mean road access, I believe so.

hi strwbrrygirl08

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>Obviously Rio to Sao Paulo is short (I saw that it was 6 hours, and only $15 US) but how safe is it?<hr></blockquote>

How safe is the ride? It's just as safe as any other bus ride I believe. I'm not sure you have anything to worry about.

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>Also, it says a bus from Salvador to Rio is $75 US and 28 hours - a flight might be better?<hr></blockquote>

I think so. I think IIRC I paid around 220 Reals from Salvador to Vitoria (which is a few hours north of Rio.) That's about $100. At the end you'll be saving something like $40 but putting in more than 20 hrs extra on your ride. I believe Rio to Salvador is less than 28hrs. I might be wrong though. I had many stops in between.

Hi strwbrrygirl08,

travelling on the bus in Brazil can be super comfortable and is very safe. The best buses are called "leito" with seats that fold completely flat into a bed. The next step down is called "Millenium" which also has very comfortable seats, airconditioning and doesn't stop at every corner. So if you travel long distance you want to make sure you get on one of these busses.

Conventional busses often don't have airconditioning, stop for anybody that waves them down and are designed for shorter distance travel. These buses are also safe and can be fun if you don't mind mingeling with the "common folk".

I love travelling in Brazil by bus and do it all the time. For the trip from Salvador to Rio I would take the plane unless you want to explore some of the areas on the way. The trip to Curitiba is pretty long. The plane is the better choicer there as well. If you go to the South of Brazil you might want to also go to the waterfalls in Foz de Iguazu, a place that should not be missed.

Check into the Brazilpass from TAM. If you are planning to fly several long distance trips it might be worth to buy one of their passes.

Have a good time!

pedropescador

I recommend the LP guide to Brazil for info on what to see, bus travel, etc. Then ask specific questions. You will have the opportunity to see lots of lovely beaches all the way up the coast, especially in the Northeast, so no real need to first head south to Santa Catarina and then turn around. Leito (sleeper) busses are geneally more comfortable (e.g., fewer seats, and they fully recline) than a regular bus. Some areas (e.g., Fortaleza north) probably best not to travel at night, at least on isolated interior highways (danger of robberies).