Brazil

Brazil, in a few days

From Rio to the Amazon at Manaus, by way of the Iguacu falls and the old streets of Salvador: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Rio de Janeiro

Days 1-4

Mountains that come down to the sand, with Christ the Redeemer standing over the lot since 1931. Copacabana and Ipanema are the front garden.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Christ the Redeemer and SugarloafFull day · from €55
  The cog train up Corcovado and the two cable cars up Sugarloaf, ideally on the same clear morning.
• Samba class, or a guided favela tourHalf day · from €35
  An hour learning the steps, or a walk through a community with a guide who lives in it.

✦ Free to visit

• Copacabana and Ipanema beaches
• The Selaron steps
• The Santa Teresa district
• The botanical garden

📲 Book things to do in Rio de Janeiro on GetYourGuide

2

Iguacu Falls

Days 5-6 · ✈️ Domestic flight 2h

The Brazilian bank gives the wide view: hundreds of cascades strung along nearly three kilometres of river, seen head-on rather than from above.

🎟️ Worth booking

• The falls, Brazilian sideHalf day · from €35
  A shorter walk than the Argentine bank, and the one that puts the whole thing in front of you at once.
• The bird parkHalf day · from €20
  Aviaries you walk into, with toucans and macaws at eye level. It sits across the road from the park entrance.

✦ Free to visit

• The panorama over the falls
• The subtropical forest
• Tropical wildlife

📲 Book things to do in Iguacu Falls on GetYourGuide

3

Salvador de Bahia

Days 7-10 · ✈️ Domestic flight 2h30

The first capital of Brazil and the centre of its Afro-Brazilian culture. The painted old town, the Pelourinho, has been UNESCO-listed since 1985.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Pelourinho and capoeira, guidedHalf day · from €30
  The old town explained, then the fight that enslaved Africans disguised as a dance.
• Bahian cooking classHalf day · from €40
  Palm oil, coconut milk and dried shrimp: the three things that make a moqueca taste of Bahia.

✦ Free to visit

• The painted Pelourinho
• The Lacerda lift
• The coast beaches
• Mercado Modelo

📲 Book things to do in Salvador de Bahia on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

Internal flights · The country is the size of a continent. Flights are what hold Rio, Iguacu, Salvador and Manaus together in one trip.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

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Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Feijoada: black beans slow-cooked with pork, eaten on a Saturday.
• Pao de queijo: small cheese breads, chewy and served warm.
• Acai: the Amazon berry, frozen into a bowl with banana and granola.
• Moqueca: fish stewed in coconut milk and dende palm oil.
• Caipirinha: cachaca, lime and sugar, and nothing else.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Go out light: no jewellery, no phone in hand, only the cash you need that evening.
• Use Uber rather than a street taxi, above all after dark.
• Do not walk into a favela without a guide from the community.
• On the beach, take turns watching the bags. Nothing left on a towel stays there.

Words that help

English ↔ Portuguese

✈️ Flight delayed by 3 hours or more, or cancelled? You may be owed up to €600. Check your flight on AirHelp.

The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/brazil

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.