Brazil travel guide

The state of Alagoas is not a very touristic state. For beaches people tend to go to Bahia or to beaches close to large cities so that they don’t have to travel too long.
Alagoas is covered with sugar cane plantations and the beaches are empty and pristine because of a reef just out in the sea. In the South of the state, at the São Francisco river, lies Penedo, a pleasant town and a colonial gem.

The only down side of Alagoas is that the sugar cane factories can smell like you are just driving behind a garbage truck but hey, without them there wouldn’t be cachaça for caipirinhas or sugar cane alcohol for half of the Brazilian cars!

The marvelous city doesn’t need a lot of introduction. It is a city that you can easily fall in love with. Except for some colonial buildings in the city center, the architecture in Rio is not that pretty. The landscape however is amazing. The city spreads in between and on the hills. Mostly the wealthier places are at the bottom of the hills and the poor area’s, the favelas, are on the slopes . From the Corcovado, where the Cristo Redentor (Jesus) statue stands or from Sugar Loaf Mountain, you can admire this unique cityscape.
It is the general vibe though that makes the city so fascinating. From the hustle and bustle of the city life you can go chill on the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema or head to the rainforest at the Tijuca national park, which is in (and surrounded by) the city.
To experience Rio just as the Cariocas (people from Rio) do, have some beers at the beach and then later at night go party with excellent Samba or other Brazilian music. A cidade maravilhosa!

You can travel down the Brazilian Amazon starting at the triple border with Colombia and Peru from the town of Tabatinga. From here to Manaus the river is called Rio Solimões. Only after the Rio Negro joins, it changes its name to Rio Amazonas. At this place, you can see the "encontro das aguas", the meeting of the two rivers that don't mix for about 6 kilometres because of their different temperature, speed and density.
Tie your hammock amidst hundreds of others on one of the passenger/cargo boats, catch up with your reading, chat with the locals or just stare at the horizon.
Downstream is the fastest way. Count on about a week travelling from Tabatinga to Belem but it is even better to stop for a few days in places such as Manaus or Santarem.

Ponto do Seixas is the most Eastern spot on the American continent. It lies in the state of Paraíba in the North East of Brazil. The state capital, João Pessoa, is only a few kilometers North from here.
A few hundred meters from this place is Cabo Branco where there is a lighthouse on the cliffs. At Ponto do Seixas itself there is nothing more than white beaches and some beach shacks where you can have a drink and some snacks.