One month in Brazil: itinerary ideas

Let me start off by saying - Brazil is a big country and it is impossible to see everything there is to see in a month, not even a year! In this blogpost I’m writing a few ideas on how to spend a month in Brazil and some tips on how to get around.

Start in: Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro
Most likely if you’re flying internationally, you’ll arrive in either Sao Paulo or Rio. Often times, Sao Paulo is the cheaper option. But don’t be too tempted by the price tag because you’ll likely spend your savings from the cheap ticket on domestic travel. If you’re not used to big cities and would like to experience the largest metropolitan in South America, I think spending 2-3 days in Sao Paulo could be a good plan. However, there are many things to see and do in Brazil, so I wouldn’t stick around there for too long. I’d suggest booking your return flight to Rio instead, because the airport is closer to the city and the city is more centered around tourism so you’ll have more time to spend instead of having to commute. Let’s say you start at the airport in Rio.

Rio de Janeiro 
Spend at least a week, preferably around 10 days in this city. Enjoy hiking beautiful trails such as Pedra Bonita and Dois Irmaos, going to Tijuca national park and of course, spending many hours on the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana. In Rio you can find a variety of transportation such as Ubers and Motor Ubers (faster and cheaper) as well as renting bikes. Zona Sul is mostly flat so I would recommend renting a bike, you can do so in your Uber app. Of course you want to make the most of your time in this city, but don’t forget to also plan some days to relax and recharge. I would probably plan it this way: 
* Day 1: arrive, find a sim card and get some cash out, get familiar with the surroundings of your hotel/hostel, go out for a nice dinner. 
* Day 2: Go to Tijuca national park (now that you still have the energy) or do a different activity in nature. Go out at night to a Samba (Tuesdays and Thursdays), a club (Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays) or Pedro do Sal (Mondays) 
* Day 3: have a lie in and visit the city centre. If you’re feeling up for it, stay in the city centre until the evening to experience the crowded streets in the party district, Lapa. 
* Day 4: Spend some well-earned relaxation time at the beach and go for a nice meal. Catch the sunset at Pedra da Arpoador.
* Day 5: Do a sunrise hike to Dois Irmaos or a sunrise paddle boarding experience. Relax on the beach in the afternoon and catch a football game in the stadium at night. 
* Day 6: have a lie-in and visit Pao de Azucar in the afternoon. Preferably on Tuesday or Thursday, as there will be a DJ set. Stay until the sun sets. (DJ set ends at 19h and is free) You can also opt for walking the Trilha da Urca trail to go to the DJ set for free, though you won’t have the most iconic view because it’s on the first rock of the two. 
* Day 7: Visit Cristo el Redentor in the morning and hike the very easy Pedra Bonita trail in the afternoon. Spend the sunset with a beautiful view of the city and Cristo. 
* Day 8: Have another beach day, because you’ve been very active so far! Catch another sunset at Pedra da Arpoador. Go out at night. 
* Day 9: Visit an iconic market such as the Feiria da Gloria, Feiria da Uruguay or Feiria da Copacabana. Buy some souvenirs and have one last night out!
* Day 10: Spend your morning on the beach to soak in the last iconic views before taking your bus or flight to your next destination!

Some info and tips: 
Safety: Rio is a big city and that comes with crime. If you stay in Zona Sul you’ll generally be fine. Even though you see a lot of people walking around with their phones out, beware of pickpockets. I heard frequent stories of people getting their phone stolen at parties or in the streets by motorcyclists that drove by. Beware of paying with a card, sometimes extra zeros are added to the payment. Always view the amount before paying. 
Parties: Some of the most iconic parties to do in Rio are: Spend a Monday night at Pedro do Sal (beware of pickpockets, it gets extremely crowded!), Attend a Samba circle at one of the funcaçaõs, Go to a Brazilian Funk party (often in the favelas), Visit the Lapa party district, attend a bloco in Zona Sul, Go clubbing (Barzinho is a popular place) ans attend a DJ set at Pedra da Urca (Tuesdays and Thursdays). I personally didn’t visit the favelas because it’s not something I want to do, you can also find Brazilian Funk in different parts of town. 
Hikes: most of the hikes you can do on your own. Just make sure you have a group of people (3-4 minimum) and you’ll be fine. It isn’t worth spending a lot of money on them, unless you are very crunched in time.

Exploring the coast of Rio
After Rio de Janeiro, you can either stay in the region or take a plane elsewhere. If you stay in the region, you can take  four to five days to explore Ilha Grande, only a few hours from Rio. Ilha Grande is the perfect island getaway full of hiking trails and beautiful beaches. If you go further South, you’ll get to Paraty. This is an old colonial town with a dark history of slavery and transportation of gold. The city itself is stunning, but prices to go out to eat are steep. I spent an entire week in Paraty, but I reckon you’d need about three days to fully enjoy it. Here’s what I’d recommend you: 
* Day 1: Visit the historic city centre (preferably with guide), have a nice meal and go to Praia Pontal at night to experience the liveliness of the city. 
* Day 2: Take a local bus or van from the rodoviaria to Paraty Mirim beach. The vans go every hour and the bus has a designated schedule that you can find on a paper stuck to the wall outside of the bus stop. When in front of the rodoviaria, the buses will stop on the left hand side and the vans on the right hand side. People cue up nicely to enter the bus and the elderly and people with children have priority. You will often see them skipping the line or entering the bus from the back, but do not be alarmed or annoyed. I think the respect for elderly is a beautiful part of Brazilian society. The bus or van should cost you 5 reais per ride. When at Paraty Mirim, take the morning to relax on the beach and admire the beautiful views. At noon, after having a pastel for lunch, try to gather up a group of people and walk over to the boats next to the beach. Talk to the captains until you find one that will take you to the fjord for at most 80 reais per person, 350 reais per boat (to go and return). The boat will drop you off on a small beach in the Mamangúa Bay, where you let the captain know when you want to go back to Paraty Mirim. I suggest telling him to pick you up 2 hours later. From the small beach, the hiking path starts to the Pico do Pao de Açucar. This is an easy, 400 meter elevation jungle hike to a beautiful view point over the bay. Not a lot of people do this hike, though you’ll meet plenty of people at the top. At first I also didn’t think of doing it, but I’m very glad I did. It was one of the most beautiful viewpoints I’ve seen in Brazil so far. Walk back down and take the boat back. In Paraty Mirim, wait at the bus stop where you were dropped off. Take the first van or bus back to Paraty. If you have the budget, go out for a meal. But more likely, you’ll want to cook something yourself to get a break from the usual rice-bean-meat combo. 
* Day 3: Go to the rodoviaria and take a van or bus to Trindade. This little town has some stunning beaches! The waves are more rough because the sea is less shallow than on the Paraty side, which is why Paraty was chosen for the gold route instead of Trindade. In the waters of Trindade, Dutch pirates waited for the Portuguese to rob their Brazilian gold during colonial times. Trindade also has a beautiful natural swimming pool at the end of their beaches. When you get dropped off by the van, just follow the wooden signs and walk on the beach until you see the natural swimming pool. Enjoy the beauty, swim and have a drink at a beach bar. Take the van or bus back where it dropped you off earlier. If you take a bus, there might be a chance that you have to transfer to a van halfway through the ride because of roadworks that the bus can’t pass. This won’t cost you extra, and hopefully by the time you read this, it’s already finished.

If you’re still in the mood for islands, you could now consider visiting Ilha Bela, an island a few hours more south where there are many active humpback whales. Stay there for two to three days to try to spot them, or skip the island and go straight to Sao Paulo. If you haven’t already, you could spend a few days here to explore the urban jungle. 
Sao Paulo is a great place for cheap domestic flights. You could take a plane to Foz de Iguazu, where you can admire the large waterfalls. Take at least three days here, so you have time to explore them from both the Brazilian and Argentinian side.

Choose your own adventure: jungle, beaches, history
From Foz, you could go to the north. You can choose between a few interesting places: 
1. Pantanal: the large Brazilian wetlands. Take a plane to a city near Bonito, and take a taxi or bus to this town. Bonito is known for its stunning rivers and landscapes. Spend four to five days here and be sure to also take a tour of the Pantanal. 
2. Amazon: the lung of the earth. Take a plane to Manaus or Santarem. Manaus is a large city where you can find a lot of tours that will take you into the Amazon. You're also close to the meeting of the rivers, where the brown and black rivers meet. If you only stay in Manaus, stay there for four days so you have the chance to do some tours and experience gastronomy only found in the Amazon region. You can also fly to Santarem and from there, take a 40 minute taxi ride to Alter do Chao, the Caribbean of the Amazon. Alter do Chao is a relaxed place where you can also do some tours that will take you into the jungle. It’s a small town, so don’t expect the same variety as Manaus. If you have the time, you can also consider flying into Manaus, spending four days there, taking the 30 hour slow boat (sleeping in a hammock between the locals) to Santarem, and spending three days relaxing by the beach and exploring the region. On day eight, you take the plane to your next destination. 
3. Bahia: the heart of Brazilian afro culture. If you are interested in history and culture, take a plane to Salvador de Bahia. Here, you can spend three days exploring the city, rich history and Afro Brazilian culture, and interesting gastronomical flavours. After three days, take a boat to Morro de Sao Paulo, a beautiful beach town. Be sure to visit Praia da Gamboa. To do so, go to the marina and ask to be taken there. It should cost you between 5 and 10 reais per ride. After Morro de Sao Paulo, you can take a ferry and bus to Itacaré, another stunning beach destination in Bahia. You fly out from Ilheus Airport, about an hour away from the city. If you have time, you can also squeeze in four to five days after visiting Salvador, to go to Chapada Diamantinha, one of the most beautiful national parks of Brazil. Everybody that visits it is amazed by its beauty and it could be a welcome change from the beaches. Here, you will do a trek into the national park, known for its rock formations and waterfalls. Beware, you need a guide to do so. 
4. The North: You can go to Jericoacoara, known for its warm Caribbean waters and stunning beaches. Spend a few days here before going West towards Sao Luis and the Lençois Maranhenses national park. Alternatively, you can fly into Fortaleza or if you have more time, start in Recife / Olinda before making your way up to Jericoacoara by bus. Beware: you will spend many hours on a bus with this route, but the buses are very comfortable.

You can mix and match the suggestions above to fit your personal itinerary. These are just some of my favourite places and places that every traveler I’ve met has raved about. In general my advice would be to try and not cramp too many destinations into your itinerary. Enjoy the atmosphere and try to follow the Brazilian rhythm of life instead of ticking off destinations from a bucket list. Brazil is huge, but so worth it. Every place is uniquely beautiful and worthy of your time. And I am sure that once you go there, you’ll surely go back again!