We had our Brazil adventure almost 4 years ago, in May 2019 more exactly. As the seasons are exactly the opposite in the Southern hemisphere compared to the Northern one, this was during the autumn season. In that time of almost 3 weeks we managed to visit Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Ilha Grande. As it is the largest country in South America (bigger than Australia) you will definitely need a lot more time to further explore it. The first thing that impressed me in this amazing country was the flora, you can see lots of plants, trees and palms everywhere you go, which is no wonder since around 60% of the Amazon rainforest is in Brazil. The tropical rainforest is full of animals and sometimes are called ‘the lungs of the Earth’ because all the trees pump out oxygen which helps combat climate change.
Carnaval! You must have heard about the world-wide famous Brazilian Carnival which is a humongous parade of people wearing different costumes all dancing on samba rhythms and celebrating in epic fashion before the 40-day-long Easter fasting period. It is originally held annually in Rio de Janeiro but nowadays has extended countrywide. Such a crazy celebration gathers visitors from around the world who flock to see the vibrant city of Rio.
Another thing that I can say about Brazil is that it is definitely a fruit and pastry paradise. Brazilians love their food. In addition to the rich vegetables and tropical fruits variety, they are also big meat lovers. One of the most popular things to eat is feijoada, which is often considered a national dish in Brazil, especially Rio de Janeiro. It is made from black beans, pork and beef stewed together. As I am a huge pastry lover, I found their delicious pastry recipes were outstanding, pão de queijo or Brazilian cheese bread being the most popular snack and breakfast food in Brazil. The fruits were the best I’d ever had. Their bananas, mangoes, pineapples or papayas were like nothing I have ever had before. I took advantage of every opportunity to drink tropical juice or coconut water. Speaking of drinks, when in Brazil you should definitely try Caipirinha. Caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail made of cachaça (a hard liquor distilled from sugarcane), blended with sugar and lime. And of course let’s not forget about the tapioca, açaí bowl (the açaí bowl is made of frozen açaí palm fruit that is pureed and served as a smoothie in a bowl), dulce de leche or passion fruit desserts that were my favorite.
1. Island paradise – Ilha Grande
The vacation started in Ilha Grande – a magnificent island situated 140 kilometers away from Rio de Janeiro. The island is famous for the beautiful white beaches, with crystal clear waters delimited by wild vegetation and tropical forests. It is home to thousands of species of wild animals from birds and jungle animals to sea creatures.
As it’s famous for its marine rich life we decided this is the best place to have our first ever scuba diving experience. That was a real treat! Corals, banks of fish swimming next to you, sea horses, starfishes and a bunch of other creatures. We didn’t notice sea turtles during our scuba diving session, but we got a chance to see them one or two days later while snorkeling.
For two and a half days we went on boat hopping trips that offered us the possibility to see many exotic beaches and small nearby islands. Because the island is a car-free zone, a boat is the only choice to get around the island. I really enjoyed this and the fact that there were no large hotels on the island contributed to the unique vibe Ilha Grande has.
If you aren’t a beach fan, there are many trails on the island so you can go hiking through the tropical forests, the highest point being Pico do Papagaio at 1039 meters.
The island has everything you could ask for a perfect getaway from the big city life.
2. Sao Paulo – from ” wild jungle” to “urban jungle”
Leaving the island paradise behind and switching the scenery to one full of tall overbearing buildings was a little bit hard to adapt to. This is due to the obvious nature versus city reasons but also because of the society we now live in. We noticed there is a big discrepancy between social groups and this can be seen everywhere. For example, in the financial district there are businessmen enjoying their lunch and 10 meters away you can see somebody sleeping on the sidewalk. These are hard truths present everywhere so unfortunately it’s something we have to accept. Nevertheless, we went about continuing our exploration of the Sao Paulo metropole.
Before our trip, a friend who previously visited told us that it’s impossible to see the city’s margin from a plane. We found that hard to believe, until we saw it for ourselves after our own plane took off.
This immense metropole of 22 million people was the birthplace and home of Ayrton Senna, the late F1 champion. Aside from being a worldwide famous F1 star, Ayrton was even more popular among the people for his generosity and active involvement in fighting social injustice. Three million people were present on the streets of Sao Paulo attending his funeral.
3. Ocean, beaches, mountains, hills, tropical forests, lagoons and…monkeys from Rio de Janeiro – this city has everything!
What a landscape! Even if Rio de Janeiro is not the capital (but Brasilia), Rio is Brazil’s most famous city and it’s totally the 1st choice destination in Brazil. Compared to São Paulo, which is mostly on flat ground, the city of Rio developed itself surrounding the hills and mountains.
From almost everywhere in the city, Jesus’s statue – Christ the Redeemer (one of the new 7 Wonders of the World) can be spotted watching over from the highest point of Corcovado Mountain. Going up one mountain is best followed by going up another one so we headed to our next destination. Reaching the top of the Sugarloaf Mountain by cable car was also worth our while as the view was completely different. In fact, there are plenty more mountains that can be used as belvedere points all over Rio. Walking or biking through Copacabana and Ipanema beaches is also a must as well as visiting the Botanical Gardens, the Lagoon and Parque Lage. These offer amazing views and a real feel of the nature within the city.
Rio’s scenery gives so much variety – from tall and fancy skyscrapers spanning across the shores of beaches like Copacabana or Ipanema, to much smaller and poorer buildings going up the hill in each direction. These poor neighborhoods that overlook the city are called favelas. Favelas are usually run by gang lords where criminals are a lot more heavily armed than the police (as per our guide’s description). Every single police officer we saw was wearing a bulletproof vest. Knowing this and seeing for ourselves live burglary on the beaches, their motto embedded on the Brazilian flag, “Ordem e Progresso” (which is translated as “Order and Progress”) made more sense.
Brazil is a must-visit destination and is perfect for any type of traveler. It’s such a vibrant country with such passionate people and rich history. Even though only 200 years have passed since their independence from Portugal, their culture extends way further.
This is a wonderful country and the few places we’ve been to have been truly amazing. There are many more things to visit and experience in this country and we will be back one day for sure, especially for Iguazu Falls, where we didn’t have the chance to go. Can not wait to visit Brazil again!
More articles to follow on each of the Brazilian destinations & the unique experiences.
TRAVEL JAR 