Version PDF
Brasília
The world's most ambitiously planned
city, is also Brazil's capital. Unfortunately, its
design favours cars and air-conditioning to people.
This World Heritage site was designed by architect
Oscar Niemeyer, urban planner Lucio Costa and landscape
architect Burle Marx, the city was built in an incredible
three years (1957-60) by millions very poor peasants.
Foz do Iguaçu (Iguazu Falls)
The Rio Iguaçu arises in the
coastal mountains of Parana and Santa Catarina and
snakes west for 600km (372mi) before it widens majestically
and sweeps around a magnificent jungle stage, plunging
and crashing in tiered falls at the border with Argentina
and Paraguay. The falls are over 3km (2mi) wide and
80m (262ft) high and their beauty is unsurpassed.
The best time of year to visit is August-November,
when there is least risk of flood waters hindering
the approach to the catwalks.
Salvador da Bahia
Founded in 1549, Salvador da Bahia
was Brazil's most important city for 300 years, and
the Portuguese Empire's second city, after Lisbon.
Bahia (often abbreviated to Salvador) is Brazil's
most Africanized state and as its capital, it is a
fascinating city and one of Brazil's cultural highlights.
As the centre of the sugar trade, it was famous for
gold-filled churches, beautiful mansions and the slave
trade. Now it is known for its many wild festivals
and general sensuality and decadence; Carnaval in
Salvador is justly famous and attracts many tourists.
São Paulo
South America's biggest city in
one of ethnic neighbourhoods, with around 17 million
people, many of Italian and Japanese descent, living
in a giant megalopolis. Sáo Paulo's industrial
development and cultural diversity has created Brazil's
largest, most cultured and educated middle class.
These paulistas are lively and well-informed and,
though they complain about the traffic, street violence
and pollution, wouldn't dream of living anywhere else.
Sáo Paulo can be an intimidating place but
it offers the excitement and nightlife of one of the
world's most dynamic places. Attractions include the
baroque Teatro Municipal, Niemeyer's Edifício
Copan, the Museu de Arte de Sáo Paulo (MASP)
and the 16th-century Patío do Colégio.
The city is southwest of Rio and you can fly from
there in less than an hour or take a six-hour bus
ride.
The Amazon
The Amazon basin contains 6 million
sq km of river and jungle and spans eight countries.
Just over half is in Brazil. There are 80,000 kilometres
of navigable rivers, and ocean-going vessels can sail
3500km inland up the mainstream to Iquitos, Peru.
Travellers enter the Amazon by bus, boat and air.
Within the Amazon, boats are definitely the transport
of choice, but flying can save a lot of time, is sometimes
quite affordable, and most large Amazon cities have
airports.
The Pantanal
The Amazon may have all the fame
and glory, but the Pantanal is a far better place
to see wildlife. This vast area of wetlands, about
half the size of France, lies in the far west of Brazil
and extends into the border regions of Bolivia and
Paraguay. Birds are the most frequently seen wildlife,
but the Pantanal is also a sanctuary for giant river
otters, anacondas, iguanas, jaguars, cougars, crocodiles,
deer and anteaters. The area has few people and no
towns, and access is often by plane into Cuaibá,
Campo Grande or Corumbá, then overland to the
gateway towns of Cãceres, Barão de Malgaça,
Poconé or Aquidauana; or by road via the Transpantaneira,
which ends at the one-hotel hamlet of Porto Jofre.
Boat trips are available along the Rio Paraguai from
the Bolivian border.
Hotels
All the hotels we recommend are clean,
well located and comfortable hotels varying in services
as according to their category. We rarely use hostels
as the price difference is negligible between a good
hostel and a hotel. In places like the Pantanal, we
work with some superb pousadas. We do endeavour to
choose the best hotels in line with your budget. There
are five star deluxe hotels we offer that are among
the best hotels in the world. We will always quote
you with good hotels on all our programmes but upgrades
or downgrades will be available as per your request.
However, as the price will decrease with downgrades,
this will ultimately reflect in the services and standards
of the hotel.
Flights
Unless otherwise stated, we do not
provide the internal flights in your programme, as
more competitive rates can be purchased with special
Air Passes when purchased in conjunction with your
international flight to Brazil. We can provide international
and national flight quotes upon request. We work directly
with the best airlines in South America but are not
responsible for any changes in flight schedules or
cancellations made by the airlines. This is the responsibility
of the airline in question. We will always endeavour
to minimise any delays or changes but cannot guarantee
a successful outcome.
Insurance
It is a mandatory requirement that
all our customers take out adequate travel insurance
cover. Once you have obtained your insurance, it is
company practice to check the validity and cover of
your insurance policy and we hold the right to refuse
travel to anyone whose insurance does not satisfy
Amazing Peru's stringent criteria. These include cancellation
and curtailment, death or injury, medical insurance,
emergency repatriation, delayed baggage, loss and
theft etc.
España
