Getting There & Away

There are frequent flights to Rio from all major cities in South America and from a number of major airports in the USA and Europe. Other gateway airports in Brazil include São Paulo, Recife - popular with German package tourists - and Manaus, in the middle of the Amazon basin. Varig, Brazil's national airline, flies to many major cities in the world. For international flights, the departure tax is a whopping US$36, but this is often included in the ticket cost.

Brazil has land borders with every other country in South America, with the exception of Ecuador and Chile, so while some travelers may bus in from Uruguay or Argentina in the south, others arrive via the trem da morte (death train) - named after the fate that befalls many who hitch a ride on the train's roof - from Bolivia. By river, many travelers take a slow boat along the Amazon from Iquitos in Peru or into the Pantanal via the Rio Paraguay from Asunçion, Paraguay.

Getting Around

Flying within Brazil isn't cheap, but the huge size of Brazil makes taking at least a couple of flights almost a necessity. Shop around at travel agents for promotional specials, otherwise, if you plan to take more than a couple of internal flights, a Brazil Airpass is a money-saver. Domestic departure tax is US$2.50-6, depending on the airport, and is often included in the price of your ticket.

Except in the Amazon basin, buses are the primary form of long-distance transport for most Brazilians, and services are generally both excellent and inexpensive, with all major cities linked by frequent buses. Conversely, there are very few railway passenger services in Brazil, and the trend to cut more and more services continues; however, enthusiasts should not despair, as some wonderful railway routes remain in operation, including the Curitiba-Paranaguá run.

Although river travel in Brazil has decreased due to the construction of a comprehensive road network, it is still possible to travel by boat between some of the cities of the Rio São Francisco and along the Amazon, where road travel is generally not a practical option. Driving around Brazil is, ahem, an experience: it's anarchic and spectacularly dangerous, particularly at night, when many drivers prefer not to use their lights. Though a convenient way to get to many parts of the country, driving should only be undertaken with strong nerves, tidy documents and adequate insurance. It goes without saying that cycling is even more dangerous than driving; we don't recommend it.

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