Brazil Getting Around

Getting Around

By plane Air service connects all major areas of Brazil. Note that not all air routes are as direct as they would seem on a map, and are often required to go through hubs such as Brasilia or Sao Paulo. Besides the traditional airlines Varig (see bankruptcy notice above) or TAM, there are also cheaper 'no frills' airlines such as BRA, Gol and Webjet booking over the internet. For international travelers, air passes for in-country flights may be available while buying your flight to Brazil.

Beware of flight listings at the airport which only show the final city in route (which you are probably not aware of). Always know and check your flight NUMBER, not just the city you are flying to (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. Strangely, international flights are just the opposite, with only the first destination in Brazil shown -- even though the same flight may go directly to other cities.

Many domestic flights in Brazil are considered "international," giving flyers a chance to purchase items at a "duty free" store in the airport. (There may be passengers on board from other South American countries who have not yet cleared customs.) Also, you must go through immigrations and customs again upon arrival, even though you never left Brazil. Foreign travelers on flights within Brazil do NOT fill out a new immigration form, but show the carbon copy of the one completed on arriving in Brazil the first time of same visit (with their passport and visa stamp).

By car The atlas called 'Guia de Estradas' can be bought in several newstands. It provides not only maps and distances but also information about current conditions of the roads (which can be indeed 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 North-East Brazil.

Driving anywhere in Brazil requires a maximum amount of attention. In a recent year, Brazilians won first, second, and third place at the Indy 500 auto race -- which should give you an idea on how they drive -- Velozes e Furiosos! If you are bold enough to drive at all in Brazil, at least consider avoiding night-time driving. The problem behind the Brazil's roads are the presence of potholes (mainly cause of lack of investiments from the government) and animals (which are created freed near the roads by the locals), and by driving on then you should really be carefull and aware of this, as its the primary source of accidents on the roads.

If you drive, be careful: a flashing left signal means that the car ahead is warning you not to pass, for some reason. If the car ahead of you wants to show you that it is safe to pass it will flash the right signal. This arrangement seems to be the opposite of the rest of the world, but the idea behind this is really simple. The right signal is the same signal to indicate that you are going to stop on the side of the road, so it generally mean you are going to slow down. On the other hand the left signal is the same signal to indicate you are going to pass through the car upfront, meaning you are going to speed up. Flashing headlights from the incoming cars means caution on the road ahead. Most of the time, it indicates that there are animals, cops or speed radar ahead. Keep the doors locked when driving, especially in the larger cities, as robberies at stop signs and red lights is not unheard of in certain areas. You'll make it much easier for the robber if he can simply open up the door and sit down.

By bicycle In rural areas in Brazil the bicycle is a common means of transport. This does not mean that cyclists are respected by car, truck, or bus drivers. But you may find good roads with little traffic outside the cities. It is also easy to get a lift by a pickup or to have the bike transported by a bus. Cycling is not very stimulated in big cities. Two exception are Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza where there are cycle tracks along the beaches.

By train Brazil's railway system was mostly wrecked during the military regimes. Today there are few passenger lines left:

From Curitiba to Paranaguá - This scenic 150km-long railroad links the capital of Paraná to the coastal cities of Morretes and Paranaguá, through the beautiful Serra do Mar mountains covered with mata atlântica forest. The trip takes about 3 hours and has bilingual guides. Trains leave daily at 08:00 and prices start from about R$ 40 (round-trip) From São João del Rei to Tiradentes - This 35-minute trip on a steam train is almost like time travel. The train operates Fri-Sun, with departures from São João at 10:00 and 15:00 and 13:00 and 17:00 from Tiradentes. The round trip costs R$ 16. From Belo Horizonte to Vitória - Daily trains operated by Companhia Vale do Rio Doce leave Belo Horizonte at 07:30 and Vitória at 07:00. Travel time is about twelve and a half hours. Tickets are sold at the train stations and a single 2nd class fare costs about R$ 25. Seats are limited and it is not possible to reserve, so it is advisable to buy in advance. From São Luis to Carajás - interesting because part of it passes through the Amazon rainforest. From Macapá to Serra do Navio

By bus Long-distance buses are a convenient, economical, and sometimes (usually if you buy the most expensive ticket), rather comfortable way to travel between regions. Bus terminals in cities play a role akin to train stations in many countries.

Brazil has a very good bus transport system, Basically, long distance routes depart from capital cities or economical centers, so if the city is big it will have connections to neighbouring capitals at the very least. One can expect just about any town to have a bus route to the capital or a regional economic center. Generally speaking bus tickets are bought at bus terminals at the end points or at the scheduled stops along the route. The facility of flagging a bus and hopping on (if there are available seats) is widespread in the country. This is less likely to work along a few routes where armed robberies have happened frequently, such as those leading to the border with Paraguay and to Foz do Iguaçu.

ANTT, the national authority for land transportation, has a search engine{4} (in Portuguese) for all available domestic bus lines.

By boat In the Amazon region as well as on the coast west of Sao Luis, boat travel is often the only way to get around.