Brazil with kids?

Another day I was reading about the 1000 places that you need take your child before they grow up. About Brazil, this guide had just two places, Amazon and Pantanal. Hopeful I can say or better unsay, that for me, these two places, that I went when I was a child was totally boring.
At these place most of the time, you just wait. You wait for a snake, for a tiger, for different kinds of birds… Just wait, and in the middle of this “wait time” you see a lot of alligator or capybara, which could be very funny and exciting… But not for more than two hours, and the tour is a least 5 hours… And image spending two or three days like that.

I went with my parents and my younger brother… believe me, nobody had fun. Neither the kids, nor adults, that don’t have any time to appreciate the view and local fauna. So, I decide talk a little bit about places that are (and I had) fun for travelling in Brazil with kids.

One place is Curitiba and Foz do Iguaçu, both in Parana state in southern Brazil. Curitiba is the best life quality in Brazil, a stunning city amid a lot of parks, tours, different cultures and things to do. I believe that if I need compare Curitiba, I could say that’s our San Francisco city, without the Golden Gate… The Tanga and Passauna Park, Japan, Ukraine and Italian Memorials, the Flower clock, the Iron Theatre ( a glass and metal structure building) and the Botanical Garden, are just a little bit of the city tour. You can certainly spend days and days with totally fun, and is not just for the kids.

One of the memorable places that me and brother though about there (just 6 months before Pantanal). During 68 miles trip, the train goes thru the ocean mountain range to finish in the most important port city in the south, Paranagua, its passes for historic cities, edge, stone tunnels, waterfalls, old bridges and when arrives in Paranagua, you can find museums, old fashion restaurants and tour to Honey Island, where there are beautiful swimmer calm beaches. After you can take a bus to go back and if possible, try the “grown ups” night. The city has the a lot shopping center, bar and pubs options. In Iron Theater (Opera de Arame, in Portuguese) you can also watch greats shows and concerts, in some times of the year, especially Christmas (that is the best time to go, because all the city will be lightly), there will be a batch of children’s shows, plays and ballets.

After Curitiba, the best thing is go to Foz do Iguacu (that has the most impressive waterfalls group in America), about 395 miles, looks far but it’s worth the trip. I’ll talke a little more about latter. For while, the best thing to do is click on the gallery photos and see for yourself why Curitiba will be so much funny, nice and good for (not just) kids!

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Does Brazil has fancy Places? Yes! Campos do Jordão!

That question is asked very often since a lot of people don`t know that Brazil, has a lot of place that’s more European than you can imagine. One very good example is Campos do Jordão.

A small municipality at a high elevation in the Mantiqueira mountains, in the north of São Paulo state, Campos has a German and Swiss looking architecture, with fancy restaurants, fancy hotels, fancy shops, fancy visitors and if I need say all those “fancys” that Campos is about, will it be too much for just one post…

The city is a good option for a romantic trip, especially because the big choice of hotels, pousadas (inn) and chalets, with fireplaces, fondue and beautiful view. The best time to go is in the winter (June-August), when the city receives four times more visitors than its population. There are a lot attractions during this time of the year like the famous Campos do Jordao Winter Festival of Classical Music, Theater and Gastronomic, as well, more than 50 German, Swiss, Italian and French restaurants, bar and pubs.

Of course like all Brazil, Campos is not just about builds, concerts, good food and wine. The good thing about Campos is that you can also find a lot of outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, mountain climbing, horseback riding, ATV, motorbike and my favorite… Treetop Cable Swings. The activities here are in the form of footpaths, footbridges, networks and zip lines on the top of the trees, made from ropes, cables, steel and wood. It's a very fun and a big adrenaline rush in a beautiful place with a lake a few miles from the city. Another nature attraction is the Trunk Complex that is one of the most impressed rocky formations for all Brazil.

The complex is forming by three big stones: the Trunk Stone, the Little Trunk and the Boat Ann (Pedra do Bau, Bauzinho e Ana Chata). The vertical wall wich is about 1.149 ft, provides a unique panoramic view, one of the most famous place to hilk and climbing on Sao Paulo state. The climbing is pretty much easy, one time that in the Truck Stone there is metallic stairs on the side and of course there are more difficult levels too.

Campos do Jordão could be a great place in the middle of your trip, between one beach and another, but just remember, due to the elevation, it's relatively cold by Brazilian standards, in summer, the maximum temperatures average 75ºF and minimum 55ºF, and in winter get worse… Maximum temperatures are around 64ºF and minimum 32ºF. However if you decide to go to Brazil just for Campos, its better if you plan go to other near and similar places too, like Monte Verde, Itatiai and Petropolis (this weekend I`ll talk a little more about these places).

I hope you have a good time and believe… Brazil does have fence places, you can check Campos Photos!

More about Campos do Jordão:

Gallery Photos

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Why Cardoso Island (Ilha do Cardoso)?

About Brazil beaches everybody knows. The thing that a few ones know is that you can find a beautiful, semi desert and wild beaches in the south of Brazil… Better, just 187 miles from Sao Paulo, one of the biggest cities in the world.

Cardoso Island (area 22,000 hectares), it is a nature reserve since 1962 and one of a few places in Brazil that is totally wild just like 500 years ago. In the island you can find unspoiled beaches, picturesque waterfalls and a biodiversity that at least 40 species of whales, dolphins and seals. The Island doesn't have electronic energy, car or airplanes, so when you get there you can really feel like years ago, and the best thing is just people how really want enjoy the nature and peace of the place go over there, making the Island a great (e save) place to camping and trekking.

The Island has 6 local communities… The biggest one, Maruja stays more in the south part and even without electric energy, you will found some local and small hotels with a hot shower, light (everything provide by alternative energy) and good places to eat during the day. If you don`t have any plans for the next news years evening, or December vacations, Maruja could be a great deal! There will be more people than another time of the year and a lot of local music and shows during all night on the beach.

Even soon, if what you really looking for is adventure, you can camp in the at Pereque, the first community where as well is the main Park, and go until Maruja walking or biking, the trip is amazing, but can cost you a more than a couple days and you will for sure need a local guide.

So.… If you like adventure, enjoy the nature and have an alternative style, Cardoso Island could be one of the best beaches to go in Brazil!

You can also checK:

More about Cardoso Island

Cardoso Island Gallery

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Why Chapada Diamantina National Park ?

If I need pick a place in all the places that I already went, I certally pick The National Park Chapada Diamantina… Why? Not just for the amazing landscape and nature, but also for everything that evolve the place… The food, the people, the weather and off course all thousand different places that you can visit … I my point of view I believe that for sure that Diamond Chapada, is the most wonderful place that I had been in my life, not just for the singular aspect, but for everything that evolves.

Diamantina means Diamond, that refers to the diamonds found there in the mid 1800s and Chapada is a Brazilian word that means a region of steep cliffs, usually at the edge of a plateau. One of the things that most impressed me is all those kinds of things to see and to do. You can see waterfalls extrelime green, blue or until red (Yes! Red, that because some rivers over there contains a lot of copper so, because that the water could be extremity clear, but red…), you also can dive in a extrellyme blue water in a cave, find a lot of trails for the Canyons and hills, stay in the tow with all examples of residential architecture from the 19ths or visit the Cachoeira da Fumaça, the highest fall in the country, where the water does not have sufficient volume to overcome the drop of 380 meters and the force of the wind cooperates in transforming the water into vapor, and thats not all! The Park, has a lot of more beautiful waterfalls, caves, trails and historic citys (like the city build just with stone, in the diamond time). The places is so wordefoul that you need go to see for yourself what I`m talk about (Of course that you can also go in the gallery and checkup some pictures).

The Chapada Diamantina National Park, is for sure, a place that difficult you`ll ear about, specially if you are planning a trip to Brazil, and the most sad is that until a lot of Brazilian don`t know either, this great place to go!

You can also see:

More about Chapada Diamantina National Park

Chapada Diamantina Gallery Photos

Chapada Diamantina

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