Brazil Holidays

A difficult question. The coast line of Brazil is huge with many stunning beaches. The time of year that you are travelling may dictate which areas will be best. Also which other parts of Brazil you will be exploring and the beach experience you are looking for such – remote hideaway, a luxurious resort or a thriving town.

Carnival is celebrated across the whole of Brazil so wherever you go, there will be festivities. Some cities and towns are particularly extravagant in their Carnival processions, costumes and events such as Salvador, Recife & Olinda.

Whilst in Rio the main processions now take place in the Sambadrome and entrance tickets are expensive, in other locations such as Recife & Olinda, everything takes places in the centre of the cities and so you can join in as much or as little as you want.

Rio does retain an image of being dangerous and crime is around but if you travel sensibly you should be absolutely fine. Whilst there is the reputation this is something concentrated in particular areas, around the favelas; things are moving forward with police taking control of favelas. Of course, we still suggest taking the normal precautions as you would in any big city and do ask your guide for advice.

Travelling involves huge journeys, lots of internal flights and it is an expensive destination, but you will be rewarded with incredible beaches, wildlife, culture and fun.

It is always best to pack light and while casual dress has become more acceptable in recent years, Latin Americans tend to devote great care to their clothes and appearance. A laundry service is available at most if not all hotels.

Depending upon where you are travelling to in Brazil this will dictate what is best to wear. We find that a good fleece, waterproof jacket, layers and zip-off trousers tend to work well for most destinations. Walking sandals which do not slip are good for slippery pavements in the cities.

Brazil’s typical restaurants are churrascarias where meat is very much on the menu much like a barbeque. Seafood also features highly with the traditional Moquecas being served in Bahia. Typically the traditional drink is a Caipirinha but beer is drunk throughout the day as well as many delicious exotic fruit juices.

Brazil has three time zones. The one used mostly on holiday is Brasilia time (BRT) which is three hours behind GMT. When observing daylight saving time, it becomes BRST and the difference is just two hours behind.

Brazil is lucky enough to be one of few countries in South America which has direct flights with British Airways and TAM, the Brazilian carrier. A direct flight from Heathrow takes 12 hours.

Most hotels supply these in the rooms, or you can ask for a ‘secadora de pelo’ at reception.

Rio does retain an image of being dangerous and crime is around but if you travel sensibly, you should be absolutely fine. Whilst there is the reputation, crime is concentrated in particular areas around the favelas. As the police take over favelas, the threat level is draining away. Of course, we still suggest taking the normal precautions as you would in any big city and do ask your guide for advice.