Where To Go
The most heavily populated and economically advanced part of the country is the Southeast, where the three largest cities - Sao Paulo , Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte - form a triangle around which the economy pivots. All are worth visiting in their own right, though Rio, one of the world's most stupendously sited cities, stands head and shoulders above the lot. The South , encompassing the states of Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, stretches down to the borders with Uruguay and northern Argentina, and westwards to Paraguay, and includes much of the enormous Parana river system. The spectacular Iguacu Falls (at the northernmost point where Brazil and Argentina meet) are one of the great natural wonders of South America. The vast hinterland of the South and Southeast is often called the Centre-West and includes an enormous central plateau of savanna and rock escarpments, the Planalto Central . In the middle stands Brasilia , the country's space-age capital, built from nothing in the late 1950s and still developing today. The capital is the gateway to a vast interior, the Mato Grosso , only fully charted and settled over the last three decades; it includes the mighty Pantanal swampland, the richest wildlife reserve on the continent. North and west, the Mato Grosso shades into the Amazon , a mosaic of jungle, rivers, savanna and marshland that also contains two major cities - Belem , at the mouth of the Amazon itself, and Manaus , some 1600km upstream. The tributaries of the Amazon, rivers like the Tapajos, the Xingu, the Negro, the Araguaia or the Tocantins, are virtually unknown outside Brazil, but each is a huge river system in its own right. The other major sub-region of Brazil is the Northeast , the part of the country that curves out into the Atlantic Ocean. This was the first part of Brazil to be settled by the Portuguese and colonial remains are thicker on the ground here than anywhere else in the country - notably in the cities of Salvador and Sao Luis and the lovely town of Olinda . It's a region of dramatic contrasts: a lush, tropical coastline with the best beaches in Brazil, slipping inland into the sertao, a semi-arid interior plagued by drought and appallingly unequal land distribution. All the major cities of the Northeast are on the coast; the two most famous are Salvador and Recife , both magical blends of Africa, Portugal and the Americas, but Fortaleza is also impressive, bristling with skyscrapers and justly proud of its progressive culture.
Fun Tipsmary says "Bring your inhaler if you have asma." tips for BrazilRobyn says "Dont go it so boring,so dont go " travellingayanda says "can anyone tell me about cheap accomodation in brazil?" Tour Brazil and Argentina On Line (Video + Stills)David Mundstock says "My recent movie, “Tango and Samba Falls”, presents highlights of Argentina and Brazil, starring Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Iguazu Falls.
Tango in Buenos Aires, meet Evita, enjoy Gaucho dancing from the Pampas; and then north to the Argentina side of massive Iguazu Falls, featuring “The Devil’s Throat”.
Across the border to Brazil, for a close-up of the falls from below. In Rio, gaze at the views from famous mountain tops, and look for the Girl from Ipanema at Rio’s beaches. Take in a Samba show, featuring costumes that range from almost nothing to extremely elaborate and colorful. With digital effects.
“Tango and Samba Falls” can be seen on the web, if you have a high speed internet connection. This is a free, non-commercial, streaming video on the Windows Media Player. No ads and no strings attached. I sell absolutely nothing.
With any modem you can view a gallery of Argentina/Brazil still pictures.
There are over 30 of my other amateur travel videos on-line including trips to China, Russia, Antarctica, Italy, Britain, Hawaii, Australia, Bali, American National Parks, Africa, Greece, and Turkey; see lions, whales, elephants, or penguins.
The planet is yours, including my Home Page giant galaxy of still pictures from every continent.
To watch videos or look at the stills, please ask a search engine for: Intrepid Berkeley Explorer" hellomeiden bantugan says "cn u v my chatmate"
Your Tip for Brazil
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