What do you recommend-things to do in Brazil?

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Janna Monike O

Well, there is a lot to see, it depends on what you're looking for, do you like beaches ? hot weather ? you could stay in cities like Natal - RN, Recife - Pe or Fortaleza - CE, these are the most visited paradise beach like places in the northeast of the country, they are also somewhat big cities, so you'll find nice hotels, restaurants...etc...you could go to Rio de Janeiro and visit places like "Corcovado", Copacabana beach, Ipanema beach or even go there during carnival time and see the wonder that it is...there's Sao Paulo as well...big city, big cultural mix-up...if you like cold weather better you could visit the south...Florianopolis - RS, I particularly love it there, you'll have the best barbecue in the country, who knows you could visit Amazon...see jaguars, monkeys and big boas...maybe even indians...well, I'll tell you, visit this website, look into pictures and facts it will help...www.discoverbrazil.com
I would avoid places like Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo, since there's a lot of violence, crime and drug issues going on over there lately, well, you'll find crime issues anywhere, just need to watch over your back and not trust anyone even more when you're a tourist...
Good Luck !

Fatty

Don't miss Rio, but don't spend too much time there either. Be careful around Copacabana too, the tourist prescence attracts alot of criminal. Its better to spend the least time possible in the big cities as you can.

Im not sure what your budget or timeframe is, but i'll suggest things from every part of the country. In the south, Its worthwhile to visit Foz do Iguaçu, Florianopolis (and the beaches of Ilha de Santa Catarina), Campos do Jordão (a nice city with swiss influence in the Serra da Mantiqueira mountains) and take the train from Curitiba to Paranaguá, which passes through the mountains near the ocean.

In the southeast, besides Rio obviously, São Paulo is worth a quick visit, although it can be intimidating. From there, There are some interesting towns full of the historic architecture of the portuguese, like Ouro Preto, Congonhas, São João del Rei (in Minas Gerais), Teresópolis and Petrópolis are nice towns not far from Rio. For beaches, Buzios is nice, a bit north of Rio.

In the northeast you'll see what i consider the 'real' Brasil, Bahía state is the most interesting, you have the Chapada Diamantina highlands in the interior (full of waterfalls and hiking trails) which i really recommend. Then you have Salvador, which is a beautiful historic city. South of there, has some amazing beaches, around Ilheus and Porto Seguro, and Morro de São Paulo (close to Salvador). Keep going north, Alagoas state is full of amazing beaches. After that is Pernambuco. If you want to get to know about the Northeastern culture, go into the interior, cities like Caruaru, Campina Grande and Garanhuns. On the coast, there is Recife city, which is interesting but i'd advise to spend more time just north of there in Olinda (a UNESCO site for its historic architecture) and at the beaches like Porto de Galinhas (one of the best), Tamandaré, Ilha de Itamaracá and the island Fernado de Noronha (although an expensive side trip). For the next 1000km of coast, its all beaches, the best are Jacumã, Tambaba (if youre a nudist!), Praia da Pipa, Ponte Negra (in Natal city), Canoa Quebrada and Jericoacoara (in Ceará), but keep in mind there are many more inbetween, these ones just serve best for tourism. After that, make sure you see Lençois Maranhenses (mountainous sand dunes which have tide pools, it goes on forever, its really incredible) and São Luís city, which is the home of Reggae and alot of historical stuff, and has a unique rhythym

If you intend to visit the Amazon, i definently recommend. It has a very different feel to the rest of Brasil, incredibly exotic. Belém is a very interesting city, spend a little time there.
If you take a boat, keep in mind its alot slower going up river Belém - Manaus. Make sure you take something to keep you occupied as well, because the trip is 3-5 days long, and the scenery doesn't change too much. Good places to visit are Santarém (for the Tapajós forest and Alter do Chão, a river beach) and Ilha de Marajó. Theres alot more but its such a massive area you could never cover everything.

Finally, there are some national parks in the interior of the country such as Chapada dos Guimarães worth visiting, but the best place is the Pantanal, which is a wetlands FULL of wildlife (depending on high-low water season). The best place to go is the city Bonito, from there you can make tours into the region, as it is a really big area.

Nothing really specific to avoid other than making sure that you dress down and keep alert, dont walk down dark streets etc, dont carry too much money on you. common sense is all. and the people appreciate if you can speak just a little portuguese!

Star

Well in Rio my city. You can visit Sugar Loaf, Cristo Redentor, Floresta da Tijuca (the biggest forest inside of an urban place), beaches...

El Alguilar

In Rio, go up to the Pao de Acucar and Christ the Redeemer. In Sao Paulo go to the beach in Guaruja or up the mountains Campo do Jordao for a horseback ride and cool mountain weather. There are so many things you can do...not possible to list down here. If adventerous, take a showboat ride from Belem to Manaus on the Amazon river that makes a stop on Santarem Island, takes about 2 days to reach Manaus. You can see the brown murky and clear waters of Amazon meet halfway the ride. Or go down south to Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina states and see the "German" side of Brazil. Or best still go to Iguacu Falls and take the river cruise and go shopping at border towns to Argentina and Paraguay.

Don't travel alone at night, no jewelery and fancy stuffs. Just like in many big cities in the world, you need to pay extra attention. Plan ahead where you want to go and how you want to go. Good luck!

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