Brazil

At a Glance

When you stay in Brazil, you are accepting an invitation to experience some of the world’s finest cultures, beaches, vibrant cities, cuisine, weather and spectacular landscapes and ecosystems. It’s an important country that is proud and eager to showcase its historic, physical and personal attributes.

• JOURNEY TO AN ARCHITECTURAL MECCA, Brasília: Cities like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo are nearly ubiquitous with Brazil. But an often overlooked Brazilian gem is the fourth largest city and capital of the country, Brasília. A vibrant bustling burg of nearly 3 million people, Brasília has plenty to offer. However, what makes it truly unique is its architecture and the story behind it. In the late 19th century in idea was sparked to move the capital of Brazil from Rio to a more central location. It was fulfilled in the late 1950s when over a 41 month period it was built from designs of renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer. Fascinating, futuristic and fantastic, Brasília is an incredible excursion no matter how you look at it.
• ASCEND SUGAR LOAF: A trip to Rio de Janeiro would be complete without a journey to the top of Sugarloaf by cable car. The iconic shape of Sugarloaf is known throughout the world as is the experience of soaring hundreds of feet in the air with breathtaking views of the ocean, beaches, the city and the far-off mountains of the TijucaNational Park. Along the way, you’ll first reach the summit of Morro da Urca and enjoy an amphitheater, restaurants and shops before continuing on to the top of Sugarloaf.
• GET FOREST FEVER: If you want your Brazil honeymoon to be an adventure destined to be forever burned into your memory, there really is only one place for you to go: Manaus. Why? Manaus is where many tours into the world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon, are located. Journeying into this remarkable living, breathing ecosystem is well worth your time and effort. One third of all living species on the planet exist here and half of the world’s 20 largest rivers, such as the Amazon River, crisscross their way through the jungle. This is a mammoth expedition and is why so many people for hundreds of years have come to explore and fall in love with Brazil. PUT ON YOUR GOGGLES: The cerulean water off Brazil’s endless coastline is a diver’s paradise. Almost anywhere you go will end up being a wonderful experience. One of the most popular spots is the marine park on the island of Fernando de Noronha, while another option is visiting the more than 300 islands off the coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Explore away!
• WATCH THE WILDLIFE: One of the largest of its kind, Pantanal is a tropical wetland mostly within the state of MatoGrosso do Sul. This beautiful ecosystem is filled to the brim with wildlife including jaguars, caiman, giant river otters and toucans to name a very few. Plus, its unique location and basin-like structure creates an enormous delta receiving runoff and sediment from numerous waterways. This makes the plant life incredibly diverse with flora prevalent in surrounding areas also being present here. A spectacular, thoroughly gorgeous environment awaits you.
• IGUACU WATERFALLS, Southern Brazil: Discover natural splendor of rushing water cascading down the 275 individual falls of Iguaçu Waterfalls. Jaws will drop as you traverse these rainforest wonders on foot or by raft (for the adventurous type) including the highest fall called Garganta do Diabo, or Devil’s Throat, which soars nearly twice as high as Niagara Falls.
• RIO DE JANEIRO’S CARNIVALE: If you’ve heard of Brazil, you’ve no doubt heard of Rio’s Carnivale. Also known as Fat Tuesday, this is a party of epic proportions. The world renowned activities and parades in Rio are truly a sight to behold. But all over the country cities big and small celebrate the event as well, including Salvador, which also bursts at the seams citywide, and Olinda where you’ll find the most traditional version of the event.
• DANCE LIKE A BRAZILIAN, Rio de Janeiro: Brazil is the epicenter of samba, so why not learn it! In the months leading up to Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival, many escola de samba (samba schools) will let visitors in for lessons. There are plenty to choose from; all you need to do is ask a local point in the right direction.
• VISIT DIAMANTINA NATIONAL PARK, Bahia: Great hikes, spelunking, dives, rafting and more are at your fingertips among the mountains, forests, caves, underground lakes and waterfalls of the state of Bahia’s fantastic Diamantina National Park. This beautiful location is one of the country’s ecotourism hotspots and a major reason why the industry thrives in Brazil.

Fast Facts

• AREA CODES: The Brazilian country code is +55. Throughout the country, several states and combined territories have one number as its area code followed by an additional number. So for example, the state of São Paulo is signified with 1 and the Greater São Paulo area is also 1 making the area code, 11.
• CURRENCY: Brazilian real.
• LANGUAGE: Portuguese. The warm and friendly people of Brazil enjoy meeting others from around the world. It’s hard to feel like a stranger in such a welcoming environment, and one of the best ways to ensure a good time is to learn a little bit of Brazilian Portuguese before you begin your trip.
• GETTING AROUND: Brazil has a large and extensive highway system that will get you to and from all the major cities. If your honeymoon takes you to more off the beaten path locations, there is a domestic airline that services most of the cities outside of Rio or São Paulo.
• DRIVING: As in the United States, Brazilian drive on the right side of the road.
• WHEN TO GO: The weather is great in Brazil for most of the year, however summer, (the months of December through February) can get very humid and hot depending on where you are. Likewise, winter months can be extraordinarily rainy. If you’re looking for outlandish fun than you’ll want to get there in February during Carnival.
• ELECTRICITY: Cities like Rio and São Paulo use the 110 volt system of electricity as found in North America, while others like Brasilia use the 220 volt system common in Europe. Then again, some cities such as Salvador operate on a 127 volt system. The moral to this story is wherever you end up going to find out about the electrical system before you get there!
• TIME ZONE: The time zone in most of Brazil is Greenwich Mean Time -3 hours, which translates into being two or three hours later than the United States Eastern Standard Time.