Brazil is the largest and most populous country in Latin America, and the fifth largest in the world in both area and population. It borders Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and the department of French Guiana to the north, Uruguay to the south, Argentina and Paraguay to the south-west, Bolivia and Peru to the west, and Colombia to the north-west. The only South American countries not bordered by Brazil are Ecuador and Chile.

Brazil is a land of magical beauty. The long stretches of beach are snowy white and the water is a sparkling range of hues, from deepest indigo to brilliant turquoise. The people are friendly and upbeat, proud of their country and more than willing to welcome you in. Most of them live in large settlements along the coast. Further in land the lush emerald jungle is periodically broken up by rushing rivers and tumbling waterfalls. The trees are laden with exotic fruit and colourful birds, and an expansive array of plants and animals fill the landscape, everywhere you look.

As well as the natural beauty of the country, the culture of Brazil is rich and full too. The perfectly preserved colonial towns, the music and dancing, the delicious food and the famous caipirinha, Carnival and the many other parties (festas) make Brazil a wonderful experience for all the senses.

Official Tourism Body: Embratur - www.embratur.gov.br

EXCHANGE_RATE: 1 Euro = 2,43 Real
1 USD = 1.58 Real

Plug Shapes:
            

Although 90% of the country is within the tropical zone, the climate of Brazil varies considerably from the mostly tropical North to temperate zones below the Tropic of Capricorn, which crosses the country at the latitude of the city of São Paulo. Brazil has five climatic regions: equatorial, tropical, semiarid, highland tropical, and subtropical.

Personal items such as clothing, books, a personal stereo, a typewriter, a laptop and a camera,for professional or personal use or consumption, are allowed in. Animals and meat are not allowed into the country and all plants and seeds must be declared on arrival. Items that cost more than $500, if you are arriving by air, and $150, if you are arriving by land or water, will be subject to a 50% import tax.

Argentina - 011-4394-5255
Australia - 02-6273-4837
Bolivia - 02-440202
Canada - 514-499-0968
Colombia - 571-218-0800
France - 01-4561-6300
Germany - 030-726280
Ireland - 01-475-6000
Netherlands - 070-302-3959
New Zealand – 04-473-3516
Paraguay - 021-448084
Peru - 01-421-2759
Spain - 91-700-4650
UK - 020-7930-9055
Uruguay - 02-900-6282
USA - 202-745-2837
Venezuela - 02-261-7553

Brazil holidays include the usual Christmas and New Year. Other holidays include Carnival which is in February or March, 7 weeks before Easter. Monday and Tuesday are the actual holidays although celebrations usually begin the Saturday before and last until the morning of Ash Wednesday, when shops and services normally remain closed. Holy Friday is two days before Easter Sunday. Corpus Christi is celebrated 60 days after Easter.

Tiradentes is celebrated on the 21st April, in honour of the nationalist martyr from the 18th century. Labour Day is the 1st May. Independence Day is the 7th September. The religious patroness of Brazil is celebrated on the 12th October on Dia da Nossa Senhora de Aparecida. All Soul's Day is celebrated on the 2nd November and the 15th November is the Proclamation of the Republic Day.

Brazil's international country telephone code is 55. The area codes are two-digits long and phone numbers are eight digits long. The international phone number format for Brazil is +55-(area code)-(phone number).

To dial to another area code: 0-(carrier code)-(area code)-(phone number) To dial to another country: 00-(carrier code)-(country code)-(area code)-(phone number)

Local collect call: 90-90-(phone number) Collect call to another area code: 90-(carrier code)-(area code)-(phone number)

International Collect Call: 000111 or through Embratel at 0800-703-2121

Numbers beginning with digits 2 to 6 are land lines, while numbers beginning with digits 7 to 9 are mobile phones. To dial to another area code or to another country, you must chose a carrier using a two-digit carrier code. Which carriers are available depends on the area you are dialling from and on the area you are dialling to. Carriers 21 (Embratel) and 23 (Intelig) are available in all areas.

Phone booths are nearly everywhere in the cities and do not accept coins, but the standard prepaid cards can be used in all booths. These cards are easily available in shopping centres, gas stations, post offices, etc.

Be sure to have your travel insurance sorted out before you go. Find out exactly what it covers and how the payments will be made. Vaccination against yellow fever and taking anti-malaria medication may be necessary if you are travelling to central-western (Mato Grosso) or northern (Amazon) regions. If you're arriving from Peru, Colombia or Bolivia, the vaccination of yellow fever is required. You need to have the vaccination at least ten days before you travel. Remember to ask your doctor for your yellow booklet, the International Certificate of Vaccination. You'll need it to show what vaccinations you've had.

If you are travelling with a child between the ages of three months and six years then they will have to have the Polio vaccination before they travel. Other recommended vaccinations are; hepatitis A and B, and typhoid - for all travellers, rabies - if you plan on being in close contact with animals, chickenpox – for those who have never had it, measles – for those born after 1956, who have only had one measles injection. Everyone needs to make sure that they are up to date with their tetanus and diphtheria boosters too.

Most travellers from other continents will land in São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. Some regional airports such as Belém and Manaus are served by internal flights. Charter tourism flights from Europe often land directly in Salvador, Recife, Fortaleza and Natal. Direct flights to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro from Lisbon, Porto, Madrid, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Milan and Zurich are also available. TAM is the largest company, with flights from Paris, London, Miami, New York and Lima.

Direct flights are available to most South American capitals such as Buenos Aires, Santiago, Montevideo, Asunción, La Paz, Lima, Bogotá and Caracas, as well as to other regional hubs like Córdoba, Rosario and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Other Latin American cities with a direct connection to São Paulo or Rio include Mexico City and Panama City. South African Airways offer direct flights from São Paulo to Johannesburg or Cape Town, with onward connections to Australia, New Zealand and the Far East. Asian cities with connections to Brazil include Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka (Japan), and Seoul (Korea).

f you are planning to travel to Brazil by land then the main border crossings are:

From Argentina - Paso de los Libres/Uruguaiana, Santo Tomé/São Borja, Bernardo de Irigoyen/Dionísio Cerqueira, Tobuna/Paraíso (Santa Catarina), Comandante Andresito/Capanema, and between Puerto Iguazu/Foz do Iguaçu

From Bolivia - Puerto Suarez/Corumbá, Cobija/Brasileia/Epitaciolandia, San Matías/Cáceres and between Riberalta/Guayaramerin/Guajará-Mirim

From Peru - Iñapari/Assis Brasil

From Venezuela - Santa Elena/Pacaraíma

From Uruguay - Chuy/Chuí, Bella Unión/Barra do Quaraí, Artigas/Quaraí, Aceguá/Aceguá, Río Blanco/Jaguarão, and between Rivera/Santana do Livramento

From Paraguay - Ciudad del Este/Foz do Iguaçu, Salto del Guaira/Guaíra, and between Pedro Juan Caballero/Ponta Porã

The connection from Colombia to Brazil has no continuity inside both countries, and traffic is restricted to the twin-cities area of Leticia and Tabatinga.

A long-distance bus service connects Brazil to its neighbouring countries, or you can travel by car.

Air service connects all major areas of Brazil. Not all air routes are as direct as they seem to be on the map, and you will often be required to go through hubs such as Brasília or São Paulo. Besides the traditional airlines there are also cheaper "no frills" airlines such as BRA, Gol and Webjet that you can book over the internet. Booking on-line for domestic flights can be frustrating for non-Brazilian citizens. Often, you will be asked for your CPF national identity number after paying by credit card. Of course, as a foreigner, you won't have one. Some airlines such as GOL will accept American Express cards (but not VISA or Master Card) without a CPF. If all else fails, try calling or e-mailing the airline and ask how to proceed.

Always know and check your flight number, not just the city you're flying to as it might not be listed. Expect that a more distant city might be the only one listed for your flight, but the plane will still stop at the airport for which you have a ticket. Many domestic flights in Brazil are considered international, you must go through immigrations and customs again upon arrival, even though you never left Brazil. Foreign travellers on flights within Brazil do not need to fill out a new immigration form, just show the carbon copy of the one completed upon arriving internationally, with the passport and visa stamp.

The atlas called "Guia de Estradas" can be bought in most news stands. It provides not only maps and distances but also information about current conditions of the roads (which can indeed be very bad). There are the usual car rental companies at the airports. A car is a good idea if you want to explore scenic areas, e.g. the historic cities of Minas Gerais, the Rio-Santos highway, or the beaches in the North-East.

Driving anywhere in Brazil requires a maximum amount of attention. The problem behind Brazil's roads is the presence of potholes, mainly due to a lack of investments from the government, and animals which are left free to roam near the roads by the locals. When driving you should be careful and aware of this, as it is the primary source of road accidents.

Long-distance buses are a convenient, economical, and sometimes (usually if you buy the most expensive ticket), rather comfortable way to travel between regions.

In the Amazon region as well as on the coast west of São Luis, boat travel is often the only way to get around. It is also the most interesting way to explore different areas of the Pantanal.

When leaving Brazil through an airport you will have to pay a departure tax of US$36. Check with your travel agent whether the tax is included in the price of your ticket. If it is not then the full amount has to be paid before or at the check-in.