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Brazil Information

Overview

Brazil is South America’s biggest and most influential country and takes up almost half the continent. It is one of the world’s economic giants and is revered for its football prowess, coffee production and distinctive music such as samba and bossa nova.

Two-thirds of Brazil’s population lives near the coast, meaning that life is a beach for locals and tourists alike. People are the essence of the country, and while Brazil is home to a multitude of ethnic groups of varying economic status, there are some characteristics that everyone shares - energy and passion.

Brazilians enjoy a good party whatever the circumstances. Rio is the hottest of destinations, particularly around Carnival time. Dancers gyrate, the music beats and the summer temperature rises. Almost anything goes. Bodies of all ages, colours and sizes don the very minimum in beachwear and idle away the days on the sun-kissed Copacabana and Ipanema beaches.

Brazil’s landscape is as diverse as the people who inhabit it. Few tourists venture far from Brazil’s spectacular beaches but a trip into the interior reveals a different Brazil, one with a great deal to offer the visitor. As well as the world’s biggest rainforest in the Amazon, Brazil boasts many wilderness areas including the wildlife-rich wetlands of the Pantanal, the canyons and caves of the Chapada Diamentina, and the Mata Atlântica (Atlantic forest), which runs for much of the length of Brazil’s coastline.

The population of Brazil is a big melting pot of races, including indigenous people, descendants of slaves from Africa and the offspring of European immigrants. This variety is reflected in the food, architecture, music and culture of Brazil. It is this massive assortment of places, people and traditions that makes Brazil such an interesting country to visit.

Author

Sharon Harris

Top Things To See

In Rio de Janeiro take the railroad (website: www.corcovado.com.br) to the top of Corcovado (Hunchback) mountain and enjoy one of the most beautiful views in the world from under the arms of the iconic Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue.

Witness the spectacular sight of Iguaçu Falls (website: www.fozdoiguacu.pr.gov.br/turismo), an awesome set of high waterfalls with 275 cataracts, including the impressive Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat). The area surrounding the falls is protected national park containing hundreds of species of plants, animals and birds.

Explore the colourful city of Salvador da Bahia, with Pelourinho’s colonial era buildings and winding cobblestone streets. This UNESCO World Heritage Site boasts a staggering number of churches. The Museu Afro-Brasileiro (website: www.ceao.ufba.br/mafro) gives a fascinating insight into Afro-Brazilian culture.

Take a hike in Diamantina National Park, also in Bahia. This is one of Brazil’s ecotourism hotspots and an adventure playground for trekking, caving, diving and rafting. The park is full of natural attractions including mountains, forests, caves, underground lakes and Fumaça Waterfall, which at 311m (1,020ft) is one of the highest in Brazil.

See Oscar Niemeyer’s vision for a modern city in the capital Brasília. Often overlooked by visitors, the city was designed by the renowned architect and many of his creations, including the city’s cathedral and the national congress, have been accorded UNESCO World Heritage status.

Visit Manaus , the gateway to Amazon rainforest. Transformed by the 19th-century rubber boom, the city boasts some excellent colonial buildings including the famous Teatro Amazonas and the Centro Cultural de Palacio Rio Negro, with an extensive archive of naturalist Alexandre Ferreira.

Take a trip down the coast to Paraty (website: www.paraty.com.br), a charming town that was once a major port for the export of gold and coffee. This wealth is reflected in the beautiful colonial buildings, such as Santa Rita Church, built by freed slaves.

Get in touch with nature on a visit to the Pantanal (website: www.pantanal.com) in southwest Brazil. This vast wilderness supports a number of different ecosystems, including the largest wetlands area in the Americas.

Join the carnaval atmosphere in the historical town of Olinda, a colourful, colonial town that was once the centre of Brazil’s slave trade and is another of the country’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
 
Journey to the northern coastal city Fortaleza, a popular holiday resort and the starting point for a trip to Jericocoara. Just four hours by car, this heavenly village is nestled between a dazzling white sand-dune desert and a balmy turquoise sea.
 
Visit the ruins of 300-year-old Jesuit missions (website: www.rotamissoes.com.br) in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. One of the most fascinating is Saõ Miguel das Missões, yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site, located 58km (36 miles) from the town of Santo Angelo.

Experience a little piece of Germany in Blumenau (website: www.blumenau.com.br) and Joinville (website: www.promotur.com.br) in Santa Catarina state. Both are living testaments to the last century’s massive influx of German immigrants. German architecture, culture and language abounds in this area and the annual Oktoberfest in Blumenau is not to be missed. 

Go for gold in Minas Gerais (website: www.turismo.mg.gov.br) and witness some of Brazil’s best preserved colonial architecture. The state is named after the abundant gold and diamond mines that transformed the state into a treasure trove of gold and baroque art.

Journey to the mouth of the mighty Amazon with a visit to Belem, a thriving port city with an exquisite historical centre. The Goeldi Museum (website: www.museu-goeldi.br) boasts the largest collection of tropical plants in the world. The docks are the location of the early-morning Ver O Peso (See the Weight) market.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.

Top Things To Do

Enjoy the greatest party in the world at Rio de Janeiro ’s Carnival. While the Rio event is most famous, carnival is celebrated throughout Brazil. Salvador also holds a big carnival but festivities in Olinda are renowned as being the most traditional and authentic.

Explore the Amazon rainforest, the world’s largest biological reserve. It contains one-third of all living species on the earth and is crossed by 10 of the world’s 20 largest rivers, including the River Amazon. The usual base for trips is Manaus.

Take a leap of faith on a tandem paragliding or hang-gliding flight from Pedra Bonita in São Conrado, just outside Rio. This popular adventure excursion gives a bird’s-eye view of Rio and its favelas (shanty towns) and the Atlantic forest before landing on the golden sands of São Conrado beach.

Stroll along the world-famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches in Rio de Janeiro, where sun bronzed beauties share the sands with beach soccer and volleyball players.

Stretch out on the golden sands on some of the many thousands of beaches on Brazil’s Atlantic coast beyond Rio, including the chic beach resort of Buzios, Praia da Rosa near Floianopolis, Jericoacoara in Ceará state and Ilha de Tinharé in Bahia.

Take a hike on trails into Brazil’s wilderness areas, such as forested Tijuca National Park in Rio and mountainous Diamantina National Park in Bahia.

Learn to dance the samba. An exciting way to experience the genuine samba is by attending a rehearsal at theescolas de samba (samba schools), which open their doors to visitors a couple of months before the beginning of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival.

Shop in Salvador’s Mercado Modelo, famed for quality handicrafts from Bahia and throughout Brazil. Arts and crafts markets can be found elsewhere in Brazil in most tourist destinations.

Ride the waves on Brazil’s fantastic surf beaches. Surfing hotspots include Joaquina Beach on Santa Catarina island, Saquarema in Rio state, Itacaré in Bahia, Pipa near Natal and Cacimba do Padre on Fernando de Noronha.

Dive into the deep blue waters of coastal Brazil. Diving is popular in the protected marine park on the island of Fernando de Noronha. The coast off Angra dos Reis in Rio de Janeiro state is littered with 300 islands ripe for underwater exploration.

Watch a game of football in Rio’s Maracanã Stadium, which was the largest stadium in the world when it was built. Football is a national obsession and matches are colourful and noisy affairs.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.

Going Out

Food and Drink

Brazilian food caters for all tastes and standards are generally very high. European, North American and Asian foods are widely available in resorts and main cities. There are many traditional dishes and regional specialities, such as those developed by slaves in Bahia during the days when they had to cook scraps and anything that could be caught locally, together with coconut milk and palm oil. 

Things to know: Some bars have waiters and table service. There are no licensing hours or restrictions on drinking.

National specialities:
• Feijoada (thick stew of black beans, chunks of beef, pork, sausage, chops, pigs’ ears and tails on white rice, boiled green vegetables and orange slices).
• Moqueca (delicious fish stew from Bahia)
• Vatapá (shrimps, fish oil, coconut milk, bread and rice).
• Caruru (shrimps, okra, onions and peppers).
• Churrasco (mixed grilled meat served with manioc flour).   

National drinks:
• Beer is particularly good and draught beer is called chopp. Brahma and Nova Schin are popular brands.
• The local firewater is cachaça, a spirit derived from sugar cane popular with locals. It is often mixed with sugar, crushed ice and limes to make caipirinha, a refreshing if intoxicating cocktail, and the Brazilian national drink.
• Southern Brazilian wine is of a high quality.
• Sucos (fruit juices) are freshly made at juice bars, and Guaraná is a popular fizzy drink made with energy-giving extract from an Amazonian plant.
• Coffee is available everywhere and is exceptionally good.

Legal drinking age: 18.

Tipping: 10 to 15% is usual for most services not included on the bill.

Nightlife

The best entertainment occurs in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. In Rio, the major clubs do not present their main acts until after midnight, and the daily paper gives current information; small clubs (boites) provide nightly entertainment throughout the city. São Paulo nightlife is more sophisticated, with greater choice. Both cities host top international DJs. Samba shows and clubs are popular, especially in Rio. Outside the main cities, most towns have late night bars and clubs.

Shopping

In Rio and São Paulo, major shops and markets stay open quite late in the evening. Rio and Salvador specialise in antiques and jewellery. Special purchases include gems (particularly emeralds) and jewellery (particularly silver). Fashions and permissible antiques, crystal and pottery are a speciality of São Paulo. Belém, the city of the Amazon valley, specialises in jungle items, but visitors should be careful not to purchase objects that have been plundered from the jungle, contributing to the general destruction. Travellers should also be aware there may be restrictions on import to their home country of goods made from skins of protected species.

Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1900. Supermarkets are open Mon-Sat 0800-2200. Major shopping centres also open on Sundays 1500-2200. All the above times are subject to local variations and many shops open until late in the evenings, especially in December.

Climate

The climate varies from hot and dry in the arid interior to the hot tropical rainforests of the Amazon jungle. Coastal Brazil tends to be hot and sticky for most of the year but it can get cold in the south and in the mountains during the winter months. Rainy seasons occur from January to April in the north, April to July in the northeast and November to March in the Rio/São Paulo area.

Required Clothing

Lightweight natural fabrics; waterproofs for the rainy season. Warm clothing is needed in the south during winter (June to July). Specialist clothing is needed for the Amazon region. The sunlight is extremely bright and sunglasses are recommended.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2008-December 2009 period.

2008
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
20 Jan* Founding of Rio de Janeiro.
25 Jan* Founding of São Paulo.
4-6 Feb Carnival.
21 Mar Good Friday.
23 Mar Easter Day.
21 Apr Tiradentes.
1 May Labour Day.
22 May Corpus Christi.
7 Sep Independence Day.
12 Oct Our Lady Aparecida, Patron St of Brazil.
2 Nov All Souls’ Day.
15 Nov Republic Day.
24 Dec Christmas Eve.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
31 Dec New Year’s Eve.

2009
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
20 Jan* Founding of Rio de Janeiro.
25 Jan* Founding of São Paulo.
23-25 Feb Carnival.
10 Apr Good Friday.
13 Apr Easter Day.
21 Apr Tiradentes.
1 May Labour Day.
11 Jun Corpus Christi.
7 Sep Independence Day.
12 Oct Our Lady Aparecida, Patron St of Brazil.
2 Nov All Souls’ Day.
15 Nov Republic Day.
24 Dec Christmas Eve.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
31 Dec New Year’s Eve.

Note

*Regional observances only.

Health

Diphtheria

Special Precaution: Yes

Hepatitis A

Special Precaution: Yes

Malaria

Special Precaution: Sometimes*

Rabies

Special Precaution: Sometimes

Tetanus

Special Precaution: Yes

Typhoid

Special Precaution: Yes

Yellow Fever

Special Precaution: Sometimes**

Health Care

There is no reciprocal health agreement with the UK or USA. Full insurance is strongly recommended as medical costs are high. The standard of medical care is generally very good in major towns and cities. English-speaking medical staff are found mainly in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The main hospital in São Paulo is the Hospital das Clinicas.

Note

* Malaria risk exists throughout the year below 900m (2,953ft) in Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão (western part), Mato Grosso (northern part), Pará (except Belém City), Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins states, as well as some larger cities, such as on the periphery of Pôrto Velho, Boa Vista, Macapá, Manaus, Santerém, Rio Branco and Maraba.

** A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers over nine months old arriving within from infected regions. Vaccination is strongly recommended for those intending to visit some rural areas.

Further Health Information

We advise you to check health requirements for the country you are traveling to with your GP, practice nurse or travel health clinic as health requirements and vaccinations can change at short notice.

Money

Currency

Real/Reais (BRL; symbol R$) = 100 centavos. Notes are in denominations of R$100, 50, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are in denominations of R$1, and 50, 25, 10, 5, and 1 centavos.

Currency Exchange

All banks, cambios, travel agencies and authorised hotels exchange recognised traveller’s cheques and foreign currency. The US Dollar is the most widely accepted foreign currency.

Credit/Debit Cards and ATMs

Most major international credit cards are accepted, though not universally. There is an extensive network of ATMs around the country.

Traveller's Cheques

Exchangeable at hotels, banks and tourist agencies. Tourists cannot exchange US traveller’s cheques for US banknotes but they may, however, benefit from a 15% discount when paying hotel or restaurant bills in foreign currency or traveller’s cheques. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, it is advised to take traveller’s cheques in US Dollars.

Banking Hours

Mon-Fri 1000-1600.

Passport/Visa

British

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: No
Return Ticket Required: Yes

Australian

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: Yes
Return Ticket Required: Yes

Canadian

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: Yes
Return Ticket Required: Yes

USA

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: Yes
Return Ticket Required: Yes

Other EU

Passport Required: Yes
Visa Required: 1
Return Ticket Required: Yes

Passport Note

All non-Brazillian nationals under 18 years of age, when not accompanied by both parents, must have a birth certificate (an original or authenticated photocopy). This must be in English, French, Portuguese or Spanish, otherwise an official translation must be presented as well. When travelling alone or with one parent, a declaration from the absent parent(s) must be presented authorising the journey and giving the name and address of the person in Brazil who will be responsible for the minor. In the case of divorced or deceased parents, papers attesting to full custody must be presented.

All travellers must be in possession of onward or return tickets and sufficient funds to cover their stay.

Passports

Passports valid for at least six months from date of entry required by all nationals referred to in the chart above.

Visas

Required by all nationals referred to in the chart above except the following:
(a) 1. nationals of EU countries (except nationals of Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Malta who do require a visa) for touristic and business stays of up to 90 days;
(b) transit passengers continuing their journey to a third country by the same or first connecting flight, provided holding onward documentation and not leaving the airport.

Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements (see Contact Addresses).

Types of Visa and Cost

Tourist: cost varies according to nationality. Generally, it is around £30. Other prices, based on reciprocity, are £28 (for nationals of Australia); £32 (for nationals of Canada); free, but £80 processing fee (for nationals of the USA). Business and Transit: cost varies according to nationality; contact the consulate for details.

Validity

Normally 90 days from date of issue, although this is at the discretion of Brazilian immigration officials. Tourist visas can be used for multiple entry within the period of validity. Tourist visas can be extended up to a further 90 days, provided the application is made at least two weeks before the expiration of the visa. Nationals should apply in Brazil to the federal police; this must be done before the visa expires or nationals risk deportation.

Note: Some Brazilian immigration officials have been restricting single male tourists aged 25-50 to stays of up to 30 days, particularly in the north east region, in an effort to combat sex tourism.

Applications to:

Consulate (or consular section at the embassy); see Contact Addresses. Applications made through travel agents are subject to a fee of £8.

Working Days Required

Depends on nationality. Up to seven days for applications made in person and 10 days for applications made by a third party. Additional time is required to process applications made by post.

Contact Addresses

Brazil Embassy and Tourist Office in the UK

32 Green Street, London W1K 7AT, UK
Tel: (020) 7399 9000 (embassy) or 7629 6909 (tourist office).
Website: www.brazil.org.uk  
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1300 and 1400-1800.

Brazilian Consulate General in the UK

6 St Alban’s Street, London SW1Y 4SQ, UK
Tel: (020) 7930 9055.
Website: www.brazil.org.uk/consulate
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1600.

Brazilian Embassy in the USA

3006 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 238 2700 or 2828 (consular section).
Website: www.brasilemb.org

Brazilian Tourism Office in the USA

@Brazil Information Center, 2141 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite E-2, Washington, DC 20007, USA
Tel: 1 800 727 2945.
Website: www.braziltourism.org

Travel Advice

Warning

Most visits are trouble-free. 

Travellers should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.

Violence and threatened violence is a common occurrence in Rio de Janeiro. Travellers should be particularly vigilant in Rio de Janeiro before and during the festive and Carnival periods, as there is often a seasonal upsurge in robberies against foreigners around this time.

Levels of crime and violence are high, particularly in major cities. Travellers should be vigilant, especially when going out after dark.

There is a recent and contained outbreak of Yellow Fever in Brazil affecting the states of Goais and Federal District. Travellers are recommended to be vaccinated against the disease at least 10 days prior to visiting these areas and a number of other states in Brazil.

There is currently a Dengue Fever epidemic in Brazil; 480,000 cases have been officially recorded between January and October 2007, which is a 50% increase on 2006. The states of Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso and Goias have been particularly affected, although occurrences of the disease have been reported throughout the region. 

Following two air crashes since September 2006, the Brazilian civil aviation network is undergoing changes. Many of these alterations were introduced on 1 October 2007 and they could cause delays to flights and changes to departure and arrival airports. On 7 November 2007, BRA (Brasil Rodo Aereo) airline temporarily suspended all flights. Passengers with BRA tickets are advised to contact the company to have their tickets refunded or transferred to other airlines. Travellers are also advised to check the estimated departure time of their flight before leaving for the airport.

Drug trafficking and use is on the increase, with severe penalties in Brazil.
Dengue fever is endemic to Brazil and since January 2007 there have been significant outbreaks in the south of the country.

It is a legal requirement in Brazil to carry evidence of identity at all times.  A photocopy of the relevant pages of your passport is acceptable.

This advice is based on information provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK. It is correct at time of publishing. As the situation can change rapidly, visitors are advised to contact the following organisations for the latest travel advice:

British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Tel: 0845 850 2829.
Website: www.fco.gov.uk

US Department of State
Website: http://travel.state.gov/travel

• Brazil Overview
• Brazil Things to See
• Brazil Things to Do
• Brazil Events
• Brazil Climate
• Brazil Public Holidays
• Brazil Health
• Brazil Currency
• Brazil Passport & Visas
• Brazil Contact Addresses
• Brazil Travel Advice