Traveling Tips

Depending on the airline, children pay between 50 and 70 percent of the discounted fares, while infants under the age of two generally pay 10 percent of the airline's cheapest official, non-discounted fare. All fares quoted below include tax.

Getting around

Local travel in Brazil is always easy. Public transport outside of the Amazon is generally by bus or plane, though there are a few passenger trains, too. However you travel, services will be crowded, plentiful and, apart from planes, cheap.

Car rental is also possible, but driving in Brazil is not for the faint-hearted. Some international car rental companies have local agencies and there are quite a few reliable Brazilian ones as well. Hitchhiking, over any distance, is not recommended.

Airplanes

It's hardly surprising that a country the size of Brazil relies on air travel a good deal; in some parts of Amazonia air links are more important than either the roads or rivers. Any town has at least an airstrip, and all cities have airports, usually some distance from the city but not always: Santos Dumont in Rio, Guarulhos in São Paulo and Guararapes in Recife are all pretty central.

Flying to the Northeast or Amazonia from southern Brazil can be tiresome, as many of these long-distance routes are no more than glorified bus runs, stopping everywhere before heading north again. In planning your itinerary, it's a good idea to check carefully how many times a plane stops - for example, between São Paulo and Fortaleza a flight may stop as many as four times or as few as one. On scheduled domestic flights you should check in an hour before take-off, but expect delays if the plane you're catching is arriving from elsewhere.

When buying your international ticket, you should consider the possibility of adding an air pass: even if you plan on taking just a couple of flights, they can work out far cheaper than purchasing individual tickets. Their route options vary somewhat but their basic conditions are virtually identical: passes can only be bought outside Brazil in advance of your trip with a return air ticket to the country. Only Transbrasil passes are available to anyone regardless of which airline they're traveling into Brazil on.

For all internal flights you have to pay an airport tax: between $7 and $9 depending on the airport, payable in local currency usually at the airline desk of the company you're traveling with (not the check-in desk, except at Rio and São Paulo); airline desks are generally in the entrance hall of the airport. Departure tax for international flights is $36, payable in local currency or dollars when you check in. Note that duty-free shops do not accept Reis - only credit cards or dollars.

It is always a good idea to reconfirm onward flights a day or two in advance: it can be done over the phone - airline offices always have someone who speaks English - and you can make seat reservations at the same time. Another point to remember is that if you have an air pass and change your flights, always remember to cancel the original flight. If you don't, the computer flags you as a no-show, and all your other air pass reservations will also be cancelled.

Trains, ferries and boats

You probably won't be taking many trains in Brazil. Although there's an extensive rail network, much of it is for cargo only, and even where there are passenger trains they're almost invariably slower and less convenient than the buses. Exceptions are a few tourist journeys worth making for themselves, in the South and Minas Gerais especially.

Water travel and ferries are also important forms of transport in parts of Brazil. Specific details are included in the relevant parts of the Guide, but look out for the ferry to Niterói, without which no journey to Rio would be complete; Salvador, where there are regular services to islands and towns in the huge bay on which the city is built; in the South between the islands of the Bay of Paranaguá and most of all in Amazonia.

Amazon riverboats

In Amazonia, rivers have been the main highways for centuries, and the Amazon itself is navigable to ocean-going ships as far west as Iquitos in Peru, nearly 3000km upstream from Belém.

In all the large riverside cities of the Amazon - notably Belém, Manaus and Santarém - there are hidroviárias, ferry terminals for waterborne bus services. Amazon river travel is slow and can be tough going, but it's a fascinating experience. On longer journeys there are a number of classes; in general it's better to avoid cabine, where you swelter in a cabin, and choose primeiro (first class) instead, sleeping in a hammock on deck. Segundo (second class) is usually hammock space in the lower deck or engine room. Take plenty of provisions, and expect to practise your Portuguese.

The range of boat transport in the Amazon runs from luxury tourist boats and three-level large riverboats to one- or two-level smaller boats (the latter normally confining their routes to main tributaries and local runs) and covered launches operated by tour companies. As a rule, most local boats cost about $20 a day (including food), more for the tourist boats and tour-based launches. The most popular route is the Belém-Manaus trip which costs $55-85 (hammock space) and takes four to six days.

Buses

The bus system in Brazil is excellent, as good as anywhere in the Americas, and makes traveling around the country easy, comfortable and economical, despite the distances involved. Intercity buses leave from a station called a Rodoviária, usually built on city outskirts.

Buses are operated by hundreds of private companies, but prices are standardized, even when more than one firm plies the same route, and are very reasonable: Rio to São Paulo is around $20, Rio to Belo Horizonte $35, Rio to Foz do Iguaçu $35, São Paulo to Brasília $50, Recife to Salvador $35 and Fortaleza to Belém $55. Long-distance buses are comfortable enough to sleep in, and have on-board toilets (which can get smelly on long journeys): the lower your seat number, the further away from them you'll be. Buses stop every two or three hours at well-supplied postos, but as prices are high it's not a bad idea to bring along water and some food to last the journey. Some bus companies will supply meal vouchers for use at the postos on long journeys.

There are luxury buses, too, called leitos, which do nocturnal runs between the major cities - worth taking once for the experience, with fully reclining seats in curtained partitions, freshly ironed sheets and an attendant plying insomniacs with coffee and conversation. They cost about a third of the price of an air ticket, and between two and three times as much as a normal long-distance bus; they're also less frequent and need to be booked a few days in advance. No matter what kind of bus, it's a good idea to have a light sweater or blanket during night journeys as the air-conditioning is always uncomfortably cold.

Going any distance, it's best to buy your ticket at least a day in advance, from the Rodoviária or, in some large cities, from travel agents. An exception is the Rio-São Paulo route, where a shuttle service means you can always just turn up without a ticket and never have to wait more than fifteen minutes. Numbered seats are provided on all routes: if you want a window ask for janela. If you cross a state line you will get a small form with the ticket, which asks for the number of your seat (poltrona), the number of your ticket (passagem), the number of your passport (identidade) and your destination (destino). You have to fill it in and give it to the driver before you'll be let on board. Buses have luggage compartments, which are safe: you check pieces at the side of the bus and get a ticket for them. Keep an eye on your hand luggage, and take anything valuable with you when you get off for a halt.

City transport

Shoals of local buses clog city streets: you enter at the back - where route details are posted - and move through a turnstile as you pay your fare. Fares are all flat-rate, and rarely more than 50¢. Buses often get unbelievably crowded, and in large cities are favorite targets for pickpockets. It's safer to go immediately through the turnstile even when there are seats at the rear, as assailants prefer the backs of buses where they can make a quick getaway through the rear door. There are also good modern metrô systems in Rio, São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre and Recife. Again, they're cheap and efficient, and they're also relatively safe - but, since they weren't built with tourism in mind, their routes are not always the most useful.

Taxis

There are enormous numbers of taxis in Brazilian cities, and they aren't too expensive, especially if there are two or more passengers. City cabs are metered, but the meters always lag way behind inflation. On the windscreen you'll see a sticker for a UT (unidade taxímetro), showing by what fraction or multiple you should reduce or increase the meter figure. This gives you a rough idea of what you're paying, though the exact fare is determined by the tabela, the card with price readjustments to which the driver will refer at the end of the journey - ask to see it if you suspect you are being overcharged.

Taxis in small towns and rural areas do not often have meters, so it's best to agree the fare in advance - they'll be more expensive than in the cities. Most airports and some bus stations are covered by taxi co-operatives, with a slightly different system: attendants give you a coupon with fares to various destinations printed on it - you pay either at a kiosk in advance, or the driver. Tipping is not obligatory, but appreciated.

Driving and car rental

Driving standards in Brazil hover between the abysmal and the appalling. Brazil has one of the highest death tolls from driving-related accidents in the world, and on any journey you can see why, with thundering trucks and drivers treating the road as if it were a Grand Prix racetrack. City driving would make even an Italian blanch, and takes a lot of getting used to. Fortunately, inter-city bus drivers are the exception to the rule: they are usually very good, and many buses have devices fitted that make it impossible for them to exceed the speed limit.

Road quality varies according to region: the South and Southeast have a good paved network; the Northeast has a good network on the coast but is poor in the interior; and roads in Amazonia are by far the worst, with even major highways closed for weeks or months at a time as they are washed away by the rains. Around half of Brazilian cars now run on álcool - a mixture of petroleum-based fuel and alcohol - which is half the price of gasolina, but which works less efficiently. Outside of the towns and cities, service stations can be few and far between, so keep a careful eye on the fuel gauge. Service stations do not accept international credit cards, so make sure you always have sufficient cash.

Renting a car in Brazil is relatively straightforward, as long as you're confident that you can handle the drivers. Hertz, Avis and other big-name international companies operate here, and there are plenty of Brazilian alternatives, such as Interlocadora (www.interlocadora.com.br), Nobre and Localiza (www.localiza.com.br). Unidas (www.unidas.com.br) are also represented throughout the country and are highly recommended, as their cars are always in excellent condition, service is efficient and - if you take out their comprehensive insurance policy - there is no excess payable if your car is stolen or damaged. 

Often, though, you'll find the lowest rates are offered by smaller, local companies, but this can be a risky proposition. Car rental offices (locadoras) can be found at every airport and in most towns of any size.

Take sunscreen and mosquito repellent. Drink plenty of water when you're in Brazil (tap water is unsafe to drink).

Electricity can vary within cities. Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo use 110 volts AC, Bahia (Salvador) and Manaus 127 volts AC, in Brasilia and Recife 220 volts AC. Most hotels do provide 110-volt & 220-volt outlets or adaptors. Check with your hotel which voltage is used in your room to avoid damaging your electronic equipment.

If you want to dial internationally, it is necessary to dial 00 - 21 - country code - city code - phone number. For local calls within the city, just dial the telephone number. Between Brazilian states you need to dial a carrier code (021, 031, etc) then the state code and the phone number.

Brazil uses the metric system, Celsius temperature, and military or British time.

Visitors will find that Brazilians are very friendly people - easy to approach, respectful of visitors and always willing to help if possible.

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