Some people think Brazilian Carnaval is just a debaucherous four-day party in Rio de Janiero but the rest of the country would have to disagree. Months leading up to Fat Tuesday, even the tiny towns are constructing elaborate floats, practicing samba routines, and gearing up for this nationwide party. Beyond the grandstands of Rio, here…
If you couldn’t already tell from our five weeks of travel through Brazil, we love this place. But it is not just the pristine beaches, the exotic jungles, incredibly friendly people, and the potent caiparinhas that made us head-over-heels for the Brasileros. True love is in the quirks. Brasil’s got its own set of rules (or…
Walking into a 20-million person city is a little intimidating but with our good friend and resident Paulista, Marcelo, as our guide, we saw the sweeter side of South America’s biggest metropolis. With a wild abundance of restaurants (12,500), bars (15,000) museums (110), and the craziest soccer scene, we had our hands full with good…
If you need a reason to visit Ilha Grande, simply give another glance at the photo above, taken a short walk from town on the way to a secluded beach on the other side of the island. Ilha Grande has some of the most picturesque beaches we visited in all of Brazil, and we would…
They say Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro is the ultimate party…and they aren’t lying! We spent six days in the thick of it all–street parties, grand-stand parades, costume balls, and somehow we even managed a little sightseeing. For a little culture amongst the madness, we snuck to the stairs of Escadaria Selarón. It’s a project…
In our three-week journey down the coast of Brazil we encountered some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen, but none as chic as Trancoso, Bahia. Accessed by a semi-paved road an hour from the nearest city of Porto Seguro, we bumped along assuming this was going to be a ten-shack town but instead…
Brazil’s deepest cultural roots lie in Salvador, the country’s original capital. Established by the Portuguese and built largely by slaves in the 16th century, Brazil’s unique blend of European and African heritage shine through in the most brilliant way. The historical section is divided into a lower and upper half and connected by funiculars and…
The moment you touch the sand at Pipa beach you know you are in a special place, with steep Neapolitan-colored cliffs in both directions, dolphins jumping at Praia dos Golfinos, and the wonderful cobble stone streets cross-hatched on the hillside. If you are planning a trip to the North East coast of Brazil (which then…
After one wild night in the beach city of Fortaleza (we partook in a carnaval practice party and danced through the streets with our hostel mates until 3AM), we caught a four-hour bus to the beautiful Canoa Quebrada. Set up above red sand cliffs and surrounded by dunes, this 3,000-person beach town has plenty to…
Jericoacoara was not originally on our Brazil destination list since it was north of our long route south; however, after three different Brazilians told us this beach town was on their life list….well, we had to adjust our plans. Though only accessible by dune buggies and mega trucks, we were now determined to get to…
Manaus is the only city in the Amazon so if you have dreams of exploring the world’s biggest river and jungle housing the most species on the planet, you basically have to pass through this two-million person town. Originally, we thought of it as a stop-off to get to our jungle tour but found ourselves…