Preparing for Brazil
For the last two years, I’ve been talking about going on my solo backpacking trip to Brazil. After falling in love with Argentina a few years ago, I am now ready to fall deeply in love with Brazil. I was initially supposed to pack my backpack and leave last December but then the recession hit North America and I was jobless. One year later and with much excitement, I’m finally getting ready for my solo 3-week Brazilian adventure.
Itinerary:
1st week: Jungle Tour in the Amazon, trekking, living with a tribe, camping, wildlife
2nd week: Rio de Janeiro, sight-seeing, hand-gliding, nightlife
3rd week: Bahia, beach, beach, beach! Surfing, Sand-surfing (if possible) and just chilling!
Although going on some Brazilian expedition sounds fun and only fun, there is some preparation involved. First off, Canadians need a tourist visa to enter the country. The cost is CDN $91. I have to admit that the process of obtaining one wasn’t too brutal. The next step is taking an appointment at the Travel Clinic to receive two shots: Yellow fever and Typhoid fever shots. Total cost of my visit was CDN $150. These vaccines are mandatory when going to the Amazon. You’ll need to provide an International Certificate proving that you received the yellow fever shot to enter the country. Although I don’t normally plan my tours prior to arriving in a country, I decided to select a tour operator for my adventure in the Brazilian Amazon. The main reason is because it’s an expensive tour and I want to make sure I’ll get my money’s worth. I want my experience to be maximized at its fullest potential! The second reason is that I want to be safe, regardless of the craziness involved in this adventure. More info to come on the tour operator after my trip.
I currently have my visa and vaccines. As I’m getting closer to the date, I’m starting to get nervous. I’ve never been to Brazil, I don’t speak Portuguese, I’m landing directly in the jungle and I won’t have access to a telephone for 6 days. Did I mention that I’ll be alone? It’s scary, yet exciting! I can’t wait to meet random people to share stories them, learn about a new culture, eat and obviously, explore!
Other than a high-level plan of where I’ll be for 3 weeks, I haven’t planned anything else. I don’t know when I’ll be flying out of Manaus or where I’ll be staying in Rio and Bahia. I’m thinking of winging it once I’m there so I can save some $$ on flights… let the wind take me away!
About The Author
Zalie
Hey girl….you know that I am all for winging it!!!! Because you can speak some Spanish, Portuguese will be easy for you, especially if you can see it written. Also as far as your Yellow Fever shot, it is really smart that you got it, but you won’t need to show it since you are not arriving from a country that has a risk of Yellow Fever. If you were continuing on to a different country after Brazil, you might have to show it then. In my 6 months in South America, no one ever asked me to show any sort of document, they barely even looked at my passport! You are going to have an amazing time!