15 things to do in Brazil that will amaze you
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Loading... - Morgan Web
- 21 Jan 2022
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The country’s prowess as a natural paradise is impossible to deny, and superlatives simply don’t do it justice. The largest rainforest, the most sprawling wetlands, and more known species of plants, freshwater fish and mammals than any other country in the world can all be found in this continent-sized nation.
Brazil is also home to a myriad of indigenous and immigrant cultures, each with its unique languages, foods and music. Get a taste for Afro-Brazilian heritage by eating acarajé in Salvador. Dance samba in Rio de Janeiro or frevo in Olinda during Carnaval. The Amazon, too, hosts some of the biggest parties in Brazil. If you think you’ll be ready for another vacation at the end of all that, look no further than Brazil’s tropical islands for some downtime.
Here are the top things to do when you visit Brazil.
Spot whales in Praia do Rosa
Once a sleepy fishing hamlet, Praia do Rosa is now a top surf destination, with charming guest houses and hotels tucked into the hillside above a bay. In the winter months (June to November), surfers are joined by another type of visitor playing in the waves: Southern right whale calves.
Whales were hunted in these waters as far back as the 1700s and were widely thought to be extinct by the 1970s. Despite making a comeback, they’re still highly endangered. They migrate here from Patagonia every year to breed, and a marine reserve stretching 130km (80 miles) along the coast was established to help protect them. Only masochists will want to swim in the sea this far south in the winter, but the beach is a beautiful destination for windy walks and whale spotting year-round. Boat tours can also be booked for a closer look.
Watch birds in the Atlantic Forest
Bird-watching enthusiasts will want to trek to some of the most spectacular off-the-beaten-path spots in the Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Forest). One of Brazil’s six biomes, the Atlantic Forest is a hot spot for birding, home to nearly 900 bird species, a quarter of which don’t exist anywhere else, including three-toed jacamars and kaleidoscopic green-headed tanagers.
You can explore Atlantic Forest habitats in dozens of national and state parks as well as hundreds of private nature reserves. Itatiaia, established in 1937 as Brazil’s first national park, is a birding paradise. Farther south, among the mangroves and salt marshes of Superagui National Park and the Sebui private nature reserve, other Atlantic Forest species such as scarlet ibis and red-tailed amazon fill the skies at sunset as they come in to roost for the night.
Soak up the energy at a soccer game
It’s impossible not to know when there’s a big soccer game playing in Brazil, as every screen in every bar will have it on, with shouts ringing out across neighborhoods when goals are scored. Join in the action by booking tickets to see a game, where the passionate supporters can be as much of a spectacle as the game itself.
The Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro is legendary, and it hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup final between Germany and Argentina, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Flamengo is the biggest club in Rio and makes for exciting watching when the team goes head to head with a local rival. In São Paulo, Palmeiras and Corinthians both have new stadiums, and the latter in particular is famous for its passionate supporters. The city’s Pacaembu Stadium is an art deco jewel, although it hosts fewer games these days. The soccer museum underneath the stadium is a monument to Brazil’s greatest passion.
Dance during Carnaval
For one hot, sweaty but utterly thrilling hour of your life, you can feel like a star as you don an enormous costume and join a samba school to parade down the Sambódromo during Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro. Broadcast live on national television with many thousands of spectators cheering from the grandstands, this parade is a fierce competition that’s taken extremely seriously by the samba schools that prepare for it year-round.
But Carnaval is not all about Rio. Each corner of the country celebrates in its own way, and one of the most traditional can be found in Olinda. Instead of samba, the rhythms of frevo, maracatu and afoxé ring out across the hilly streets of this charming colonial town. Local bands playing percussion and brass draw huge crowds of excitable revelers trying to keep pace.
Get soaked on a speed boat under Iguaçu Falls
The thunder and roar of 396,000 gallons of water pouring over the edge of Iguaçu Falls is a thrilling, visceral experience. Dozens of activities in and around the falls keep visitors occupied for days, from hiking and cycling in the surrounding national park to feeding the birds at the Parque das Aves bird and wildlife sanctuary.
There’s a good chance you’ll get wet at some stage during a visit, so why not submit to the deluge in the most adrenaline-fueled way: with a speedboat ride right under the falls? Turbo-dinghies with 500 horsepower of outboard motors nearly go under the falls, where it’s so loud no one will hear your shrieks. The nearby Itaipú Dam – the world’s second-largest – is well worth a visit, too, and accessible via Brazil or Paraguay. Read More…
