The carnival of Salvador de Bahia 2012 is around the corner! The big party fueled with music, drink and massive crowds will soon occupy up the streets of Salvador. During the dates of the carnival two large closed circuits are set up in the city of Salvador: the Barra Ondina circuit and the Campo Grande circuit. Parading through them, mammoth juggernatus, the trios elétricos, with music bands and artists playing on top of them.

Three useful sources on all carnival-related info:

• Portal oficial del Carnaval 2012. The carnival’s official website.
• Folia Bahia. Complete information including a map showing where the carnival circuits are.
• EFolia.net. Another site with a good deal of practical info.

——————————
RELATED POSTS:
destination: Salvador
dates of the 2012 carnival in Brazil

So here we are back in Rio. Lonely Planet’s A perfect day in Rio de Janeiro, published quite a while ago, contains quite a few ideas for 24 hours in Rio. Mind you, if you were to visit all the places listed on the article you would need much more than just a day. Nonetheless, plenty of excellent ideas from where you can pick and mix. Make sure you compare the information from Lonely Planet’s article with the one given at 48 hours in Rio de Janeiro – what to do, where to go.

Our blog’s main entry on the most visited Brazilian city is destination: Rio de Janeiro. If you’re planning a trip to Brazil we strongly advice you to purchase International Travel Insurance.

——————————
RELATED POSTS:
destination: Rio de Janeiro
48 hours in Rio de Janeiro – what to do, where to go
Rio de Janeiro’s top 10 – according to the BBC & Lonely Planet
hotels in Rio de Janeiro
budget accommodation in Rio de Janeiro
the Rio de Janeiro subway
map of Rio de Janeiro
a new Rio pass is launched
the new official Rio Guide
Rio de Janeiro’s Michelin guide for free
hang-gliding in Rio de Janeiro
Rio bus station: Terminal Novo Rio

The government of Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, wants to dedicate 2012 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the city’s designation as a World Heritage Site. The reasons for Unesco’s decision can be read at its website:

Brasilia, a capital created ex nihilo in the centre of the country in 1956, was a landmark in the history of town planning. Urban planner Lucio Costa and architect Oscar Niemeyer intended that every element – from the layout of the residential and administrative districts (often compared to the shape of a bird in flight) to the symmetry of the buildings themselves – should be in harmony with the city’s overall design. The official buildings, in particular, are innovative and imaginative.

When we visited Brasilia its spectacular cathedral was undergoing renovation work. For that reason we couldn’t contemplate it at its very best.

Now that restoration work is completed I’d love to invite you for a beautiful virtual walkthrough inside the cathedral on the following 360° image of the cathedral of Brasilia.

Brasilia is one of the Brazilian destinations we have covered at length here at the Brazil Travel Blog. At destination: Brasilia you will read the basics while at sighsteeing in Brasilia we gave you a complete round-up of the main tourist sights in the city. And we gave a free photo ebook to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Brasilia.

Brasilia is a must-see place in Brazil (it features on our very own 10 places in Brazil) and we encourage you to include it in your itinerary around the country.

——————————
RELATED POSTS:
destination: Brasilia
Brasilia 50, our free photo ebook on the Brazilian capital
map of Brasilia
hotels in Brasilia
a new shuttle bus from Brasilia airport to town
sighsteeing in Brasilia
Brasilia wonders: JK bridge
Brasilia wonders: Santuário dom Bosco
Brasilia wonders: the Esplanada dos Ministérios

Over the last few years the Rio carnaval de rua, the carnival on streets, has experienced booming popularity. Admittedly, the carnival on the street lacks the sumptuous visuals of the Sambadrome parades. But it is no match when it comes to force, energy, espontaneity and popular participation. To take part in the street carnival, after all, no purchase of expensive tickets is required. Actually, you don’t need to purchase any tickets at all.

The official website of the Rio tourism authorities has just launched the official guide to the Carnaval de Rua Rio 2012 where you will find the dates and locations of the street parties. The core of the party are the blocos, carnival groups parading throughout town.

——————————
RELATED POSTS:
destination: Rio de Janeiro
dates of the 2012 carnival in Brazil

During our trip to wonderful Alter do Chão (more info at destination: Alter do Chão and the river Tapajós) we saw first-hand how rubber is extracted in the Amazon and learned about its importance both for the local communities and the environment. Seeing with your own eyes how rubber is harvested (or “tapped”) leads you to a better understanding of the importance of natural rubber for the preservation of the forest. Rubber prevents the advance of deforestation and intensive agriculture. Local communities preserve their rubber trees as they provide part of their income.

Don’t miss the chance to visit a local community along the Amazon and its tributaries. There are Sustainable Use Conservation Units, Family based agriculture Settlement Projects and Private Reserves in the states of Acre, Amazonas, Pará and Rondônia.

——————————
RELATED POSTS:
the Amazon: an index of blog posts

subscribe to the Brazil Travel Blog by Email
follow the Brazil Travel Blog on Twitter
follow the Brazil Travel Blog on Facebook

Professor Bayard Boiteaux’s blog released a few months ago the results of a survey where cariocas (inhabitants of Rio) where asked how they see the place where they live from a tourist point of view: Como o carioca percebe o Rio,como produto turístico?

Here’s the translation of some of those findings. In brackets, the percentage of replies for each option.

What is the tourist icon of Rio de Janeiro?

1. Corcovado Mountain (40%)
2. Sugar Loaf Mountain (28%)
3. Maracaná (10%)
4. Copacabana (8%)
5. Floresta da Tijuca (6%)
6. Sambadrome (5%)
7. Botanic Gardens (3%)

Do you see Rio as being a tourist city?

• Yes (70%)
• No (30%)

Which tourist sights have you visited?

1. the beaches (50%)
2. Quinta da Boa Vista (22%)
3. Sugar Loaf Mountain (15%)
4. Corcovado Mountain (12%)

What are the main problems of Rio?

1. traffic (35%)
2. dirt (28%)
3. safety (20%)
4. rocketing prices (14%)
5. public transportation (3%)

What are the most positive aspects of Rio?

1. the joyful nature of its population (30%)
2. informal character (25%)
3. natural beauty (20%)
4. wide range of leisure activities (15%)
5. football (10%)

Always interesting to learn how the inhabitants of a tourist destination see themselves. Our HQ for all the info regarding Rio de Janeiro is this blog’s entry: destination: Rio de Janeiro.

——————————
RELATED POSTS:
48 hours in Rio de Janeiro – what to do, where to go
hotels in Rio de Janeiro
budget accommodation in Rio de Janeiro
the Rio de Janeiro subway
map of Rio de Janeiro
a new Rio pass is launched
the new official Rio Guide
Rio de Janeiro’s Michelin guide for free
hang-gliding in Rio de Janeiro
Rio bus station: Terminal Novo Rio
double-decker hop on-hop off tourist bus for Rio de Janeiro

subscribe to the Brazil Travel Blog by Email
follow the Brazil Travel Blog on Twitter
follow the Brazil Travel Blog on Facebook

While we had lunch at a humble and very popular fish restaurant in Manaus (the off-the-beaten track peixaria do Jokka Loureiro), we enjoyed the view of the majestic river Negro on its very last kilometres of life – shortly after Manaus it becomes the mighty Amazon. Boats going up and down the river were our lunch companions while we stared at a mass of water our brain had problems processing as just a river.

We have published quite a few blog posts here at the Brazil Travel Blog on the Amazon, including an index of blog posts on the Amazon and an entry for Manaus.

This is the tenth on a series of videos produced by the Brazilian tourism authorities. They all have a common theme: those states that will host 2014 World Cup games. During the coming weeks we will present all those videos here in the blog. They are shortish videos, with conventional but beautiful images of the states and its main destinations. Today’s video is devoted to the state of Minas Gerais.

Minas Gerais:

We have plenty of information on the state of Minas Gerais here at the Brazil Travel Blog, with destination cards for Belo Horizonte, the Cidades Históricas, Inhotim, Mariana and Ouro Preto.

——————————
RELATED POSTS:
institutional videos: Paraná
institutional videos: Ceará
institutional videos: São Paulo
institutional videos: Rio Grande do Norte
institutional videos: Bahia
institutional videos: Pernambuco
institutional videos: Rio Grande do Sul
institutional videos: state of Amazonas
institutional videos: Rio de Janeiro

Most of you have probably heard of the big (massive!) party taking place every year at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro to celebrate the New Year. The most famous Brazilian réveillon (as it is known the New Year’s Eve) offers options for all tastes and budgets. From the free open air party at the beach to exclusive and pricey private parties. You will find some details in English at Concerts and fireworks make up New Year’s Eve in Rio; plan to be there and the full line-up at Rio’s official tourism website: Events calendar: réveillon.

Always bear in mind that while partying in Rio during the New Year doesn’t need to be a costly event, finding decent and affordable accommodation for the period is quite a different story.

Our main blog post on Rio de Janeiro is destination: Rio de Janeiro.

The Brazilian tourism authorities recently launched the website Brasil 360° Experience, with versions in Portuguese, English and Spanish.

While most travelers are familiar with panoramic and 360° photos, 360° videos will be a novelty for many. As the image moves, the viewer can change the angle of vision and point the camera in whichever direction he chooses. It is a technology that produces surprising and fascinating results. Brasil 360° Experience aims at surprising the views with moving images of a handful of Brazilian tourist destinations.

The website contains videos of Rio de Janeiro, Cuiabá and the Pantanal, Curitiba and Foz de Iguazú, Manaos and the Amazon and Salvador de Bahía.

The page contains a link “Know more about…” that takes the reader to the Brazilian Tourism Portal, a true liability for the promotion of Brazil as a tourist destination. At the portal, when the tourist tries to find out more information about, say, tourist attractions in Rio de Janeiro, he or she will find the following screen:

Worry not. If you want more info on the destinations covered by the new website, you can check our very own entries for those destinations:

• destination: Rio de Janeiro
• the Pantanal handbook
• destination: Curitiba
• destination: Iguazu Falls
• destination: Manaus
• destination: Salvador
• the Amazon: an index of blog posts

subscribe to the Brazil Travel Blog by Email
follow the Brazil Travel Blog on Twitter
follow the Brazil Travel Blog on Facebook.