10-day independent trip to Brazil
FR

Translated into English.

Original post
CA
hi,

We’re planning a trip to Brazil in March 2026, just the two of us, for 10 days without using an agency. Rio, the falls, and Bahia too. How can we get around there? Train? Car rental? Plane? Are the roads easy to drive on? Is Rio safe to explore on our own? We’d love any travel journals with ideas for places to see, as well as books to help us plan the whole trip. Thanks in advance for all your tips! See you soon, cheers
MA Mathews Globetrotter ·
How can we travel there? Train? Car rental? Plane?

You should check if you can buy an air pass. For a 10-day trip, I doubt renting a car would be useful since the distances between cities are very long. In Brazil, there are no train lines. As for Rio, avoid isolated areas at night.
DJ Djalma Globetrotter ·
Hello! The roads are mostly in good condition, and the buses are comfortable and fast. My last trip was too long ago to provide reliable info, like car rental prices, which were higher than elsewhere at the time, and it was better to have good insurance! If you only have 10 days, you’ll need to limit yourself! Either head north or south. If I were you, I’d head to the southern coast: Angra dos Reis, Paraty, then São Paulo. By overnight bus (with sleeper berths), you can then go to Iguaçu. If you don’t mind long drives, make a detour on the way back through Minas Gerais: Ouro Preto. But a flight will be necessary...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XCOyB7WStI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2eI67iCbKY
IV IvanBahiaGde ·
Hey Camidav! Welcome to Brazil! 🇧🇷😊 Your project sounds interesting! 👍🏾 First question: do you speak Portuguese? Did you know that foreign languages aren’t widely spoken in Brazil? 😅 The roads here in Bahia have improved a lot in recent years. That said, you’ve got to stay 100% alert as a driver. Make sure you have at least 2 GPS navigation apps on each smartphone. Must-see spots in Bahia: - Salvador, Brazil’s first capital since 1549 - Recôncavo Baiano, Bahia’s colonial heartland - Chapada Diamantina National Park, also known as the Brazilian Grand Canyon. Here are some key tips and must-visit places. Tropical greetings from Salvador, @ivanbahiaguide
Découvrez l'art de vivre à Bahia
CA Camidav ·
Thanks so much for your replies and info! We don’t speak Portuguese, but a translator will help us out ;) We’re planning to go in March 2026—what’s the weather like then?

We’re not planning to rent a car, just traveling by domestic flights and then using public transport. I’ve heard about the air pass—what exactly is that?

Thanks in advance! Best regards,
DJ Djalma Globetrotter ·
Good evening, That route seems a bit ambitious to me. You’ve gotta make a choice. If you’re heading to Bahia, maybe skip Iguaçu—or vice versa. Anyway, it’s up to you, as Laspalès used to say ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XCOyB7WStI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2eI67iCbKY
DJ Djackx67 Veteran ·
For just 10 days, if I were you I’d either combine Rio and the surrounding area—like Paraty plus Iguazu Falls (by plane, of course)— or I’d fly straight to Bahia and spend all 10 days there.

On another note, sorry but I make this point a lot: with a 10-day trip, you really need to factor in the time difference, which hardly anyone seems to consider these days.

But hey, your trip isn’t for another year, so you’ve got plenty of time… and prices and news about Brazil will probably have changed by then.
MA Mathews Globetrotter ·
I heard about the air pass—what exactly is it?

That was my mistake. I checked Latam and Gol’s websites, but apparently there’s no air pass anymore 😕. I was able to buy one with Varig a long time ago, but that was ages ago.
DE Dennis2 Regular ·
We’re not planning to rent a car—just traveling by domestic flights and then using public transport. I’ve heard about an air pass—what exactly is that? Thanks in advance! Best regards

Hi! Brazilians mostly fly with low-cost airlines.

GOL and Azul are good options—check based on your route.

Brazil is an easy country to travel in, even if you don’t speak Portuguese!
GE GeorgesOZ Globetrotter ·
As mentioned earlier, 10 days is quite short for Brazil! But it’s still enough for an “introduction.” My very recent experience (April 2025) with a 17-day itinerary might give you some ideas. By the way, this is my 5th or 6th visit to Brazil—my first trip was back in 1984 (!).

To start, here’s the itinerary: - - Saturday, March 29: Departure from Lisbon and arrival in São Paulo with LATAM - - 2 nights in São Paulo - - Monday, March 31: Bus from São Paulo to Paraty - - Monday, March 31; Tuesday, April 1; and Wednesday, April 2: 3 nights in Paraty - - Thursday, April 3: Bus from Paraty to Angra dos Reis, then ferry to Ilha Grande - - Thursday, April 3; Friday, April 4; and Saturday, April 5: 3 nights in Abraão, on Ilha Grande - - Sunday, April 6: Speedboat to Conceição de Jacareí, then bus to Rio de Janeiro - - Sunday, April 6; Monday, April 7; Tuesday, April 8; and Wednesday, April 9: 4 nights in Rio - - Thursday, April 10: Flight with LATAM from Rio to Foz do Iguaçu - - Thursday, April 10: 1 night in Foz do Iguaçu - - Friday, April 11: Visit to the Iguaçu Falls on the Brazilian side, then crossing the border to Puerto Iguazú - - Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12: 2 nights in Puerto Iguazú - - Saturday, April 12: Visit to the falls on the Argentine side - - Sunday, April 13: Return to Brazil, LATAM flight to São Paulo - - Sunday, April 13 and Monday, April 14: 2 nights in São Paulo - - Tuesday, April 15: Flight from São Paulo to Lisbon with LATAM, arriving on Wednesday, April 16.

It’s clear that I’m writing this from Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil), and the rest of the itinerary—visiting the falls and returning to São Paulo—is still ahead. I’ll definitely share more details in the following posts.
GE GeorgesOZ Globetrotter ·
Here’s the link to the travel journal I’m starting about my brand-new 17-day itinerary in Brazil:

Title: 17 days between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro + Iguaçu/Iguazu

https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=10704957;live=1;

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