Visiting Brazil as a family with mom in a manual wheelchair (standing impossible)

Hello, we’re planning a three-week trip to Brazil. What sights and accommodations would you recommend, given we’re a couple with mom in a wheelchair and two older teens, and we’d like to visit: -Iguazu Falls -Rio de Janeiro (Sugarloaf Mountain, Christ the Redeemer, old town... and a beach) -Salvador de Bahia -if possible, another city further north like Recife or Natal We’ll arrive in São Paulo, where we’ll visit the young Brazilian woman we had the chance to host during her high school year in France.

It’s hard to gauge hotel accessibility from France (bathroom photos aren’t very telling and worry us...) Another concern: domestic flights in Brazil.

Thank you so much for your tips and advice! :-)

Best regards,

Hi Steflo, Welcome to Brazil! 🇧🇷🇧🇷😊 You’re definitely facing a big challenge with the wheelchair. Very few places are set up to accommodate visitors in these conditions. Here are a few contacts who might be able to help locally. In Rio, check with Pascal from France-Rio—he’s a French expat who’s lived there for a long time. In Iguaçu, you could reach out to Hakim Allaki (he’s also French-speaking). Here in Salvador, it’s pretty complicated too... lots of hotels but few with wheelchair accessibility (one of the rare ones might be the Feira Palace, but you’ll need to double-check). Then you’ll need to find vehicles with space for 5 people PLUS luggage PLUS the wheelchair, so you’ll definitely need a van (or a second car). You’ll have to do this research well in advance for each city you want to visit. With patience, it should work out. Tropical greetings from Salvador. @ivanbahiaguide