Holidays in Brazil are as colorful, vibrant and multifaceted as the whole of this famous Latin American country. The largest country in Latin America is world-famous elite beaches (almost everyone knows Copacabana Beach) and comfortable hotels (a three-star hotel in sunny Brazil can be safely compared in terms of service level with five-star hotels in many countries). As well as the warm and transparent sea until the very day, the famous Brazilian cuisine (it is only spoken about in a blessed whisper).
Tours to Brazil, regardless of the season, are a kaleidoscope of impressions, as sultry as the melody of Bosanov published by six-string guitars. Individual tours prepared for Russian travelers by the leading tour operator in Brazil in Moscow will allow you to enjoy your vacation next to famous actors and politicians, plunge into the maelstrom of the carnival in Rio de Janeiro and realize the fact that the holiday can go on forever !
Diving and the rumble of the Iguazu Falls, beach holidays and trips to the Amazon jungle, languid rest in restaurants on the coast and an adrenaline rush from bungee jumping into a bottomless abyss – this is all Brazil, a country of passion and contrasts!
Currency: Brazilian real (BRL)
Language: Portuguese (Brazilian dialect), Spanish, French, German and Italian also spoken
Communication and communications:
You can call anywhere in the country from any red pay phone, which is usually located near large stores, office complexes and near intersections. Pay phones operate on tokens or cards, which are sold at tobacconists, newsstands, some shops and post offices. You can call to another country from specialized call centers at post offices, airports and train stations. Country code – 55. Codes of some cities: Brasilia – 61, Manaus – 92, Rio de Janeiro – 21, Salvador – 71, Sao Paulo – 11. Cellular communication – Communication standards GSM 1800 and iDEN. Roaming is available to subscribers of major Russian operators.
Entry:
Russian citizens do not need a visa to enter Brazil for the purpose of tourism, a short-term business visit or visiting friends and relatives, and the period of stay in the country cannot exceed 90 days within six months. Persons arriving in Brazil under the Visa Waiver Agreement must not intend to immigrate to Brazil or engage in paid activities there.
If you plan to stay longer in the country, you must apply for a visa in advance at the Brazilian Consulate in Moscow.
When crossing the border, you must present a passport (validity of the passport is 6 months from the end of the trip), return tickets. In some cases, the immigration authorities may require proof of sufficient funds for the entire stay or proof of hotel reservation.
Minors traveling with a parent or a third party must provide a notarized power of attorney translated into Portuguese from the remaining parent.
Flight: from 16 hours + connection time (depending on the airline’s schedule)
Customs rules:
The import of foreign currency is not limited (amounts over 10 thousand Brazilian reais or the equivalent in foreign currency are subject to declaration).
It is allowed to import duty-free up to 400 cigarettes or 25 cigars; up to 24 units of alcoholic beverages with a total volume of not more than 2 liters; clothing, books and other personal items, as well as any other goods and products for a total amount not exceeding $500 or equivalent. Also, one of the following items is imported duty-free: a tape recorder, a radio, a typewriter, a player, binoculars, a photo, film or video camera and a laptop.
The import and export of drugs, firearms, ammunition, medicines, radioactive materials, meat and meat products, dairy products (including cheese), eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, plants and their parts (including flowers, roots, bulbs and shoots), feed materials, honey, wax, live birds, insects and snails, as well as biological cultures (including vaccines, microbiological cultures, tissues, semen, embryos, etc.), as well as biological products or materials used in veterinary medicine (including drugs).
To import pets, you must have an international veterinary certificate, an import permit from a Brazilian consular office abroad, and a certificate of vaccination against rabies (if the animal is older than 4 months and there is no separate record of vaccination against rabies in the veterinary certificate).
It is forbidden to export any wild animals, their skins and products from them, shells, feathers and claws, as well as objects of art, antiques and historical values.
Tipping:
Tipping in expensive restaurants and bars is up to 10% of the bill (although often it already includes a service charge), in cheap eateries – 1-2 BRL. It is not customary to tip in the cafe on the beach. A porter at a hotel or airport is usually given 1 BRL. Tipping must be left to hairdressers (10-20%), petrol station attendants, shoe shiners.
In a taxi, the bill is rounded up (the newer the car, the wider the mathematical range the driver operates), and a separate fee is charged for turning on the air conditioner. If the taxi driver helps carry luggage, the usual reward is 25 centavos per bag.
Security:
The security situation in the country is far from clear. On the one hand, low living standards and unemployment provoke a high level of street crime. On the other hand, a whole army of policemen monitors the safety of tourists. The situation on the beaches and around the hotels is monitored by hidden video cameras. Dressed in uniform T-shirts and shorts, police officers monitor the controlled territory both on foot and by bicycle, and on horseback or patrol cars.
However, there are a number of areas (even in the capital) where tourists are simply not recommended to go. It is usually advised not to wear jewelry in plain sight, not to accept any invitations from strangers and not to leave money, photo or video equipment in a hotel room.
In the resort suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, in Manaus, at the Iguazu Falls, it is generally quite safe, but still you should not walk around the city or use public transport after the end of the working day.
Brazilians are mostly open, emotional, smiling and responsive. Only in the industrial areas of Rio, São Paulo and other large cities can you find outright rudeness. The abundance of beggars and slums usually leaves the most depressing impression (more than one-third of city dwellers live in “favelas”), but even the poorest members of society rarely stoop to outright begging and pestering tourists. There are no signs of racial or national hostility at all.
Medicine:
From January 26, 2008, yellow fever vaccination, which is mandatory before entering Brazil, has been abolished. However, it is recommended when visiting the provincial regions of the central and northern parts of the country and, first of all, the Amazon.
Pre-vaccination against hepatitis A and B, as well as prophylaxis against malaria, is also recommended.
International health insurance is required.
You cannot drink tap water.
Be sure to bring sunscreen with you.
Electricity:
The mains voltage in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo is 110 or 120 V, in El Salvador and Manaus – 127 V, in Brasilia and a number of other cities – 220 V at a frequency of 50-60 Hz.
Souvenirs from Brazil:
It is recommended to bring one of the national drinks from Brazil: “Caipirinha” (Caipirinha) – an emerald green alcoholic drink that is drunk with lime and ice, and “Cachaca” (Cachaca) – local cane moonshine. It is also worth buying real Brazilian coffee beans.
In Brazil, there are many mines for the extraction of precious stones, so here you can buy high quality jewelry and at lower prices than in other parts of the world. It is also worth paying attention to the local crystal.
For many, Brazil is associated with the famous carnivals. To fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the holiday, we advise you to buy a carnival costume and incendiary samba discs.
Many souvenirs in Brazil are associated with the sea and sailors. In souvenir shops you can buy ship models, shells, figurines of pirates, miniature lighthouses and ship lanterns, souvenir nautical charts, thermometers and even a real steering wheel. Tourists usually pay attention to the colorful hand-painted Brazilian dresses and lace, which are brought from the north-east of the country. Clothing, swimwear, and other souvenirs can be bought at the Sunday hippie fair in the Ipanema district of Rio de Janeiro. A good souvenir from Brazil will be the products of local artisans made of stone, wood, leather and other materials.
