Brazil hike/camp/backpack?

Hi Tim,

I've been to Sao Paulo twice and Rio once, all on business with some R&R mixed in. I realize that this doesn't help and I'm sure there's some good eco-tourism in Brazil but for a down and dirty overnight and on a short itinerary, dunno.

At risk of sounding like a stereotypical ugly American, I don't care for Sao Paulo. I traveled there with some likeminded and adventurous people; we all came to the conclusion that the best thing to do in Sao Paulo was to get out of it. Perhaps if we would have had more time on the ground to meet locals, I'm sure we would have found a few gems there… but we didn't. I hope someone will weigh in who can contradict me as I'll likely have to make a return trip there in the future.

On my second trip, my partner and I took a puddle jumper down to Rio. I found a full day was plenty to see everything there that I wanted to see. We hired a lady who picked us up from the airport and gave us a great tour of the town. It's been a few years but I believe I still have her contact information somewhere. Don't remember what we paid her but it was affordable, especially considering that we didn't have to pay for a taxi.

I've been to some sketchy locations. This includes having a Serbian Mig try to bomb our base in Tuzla, Bosnia and having a bomb detonate in front of our embassy in Islamabad a couple weeks prior to my arrival there. I've never felt as unsure of my safety as I did in Brazil. At the hotel I stayed in in Rio, my neighbor had his door kicked in; still unsure of what happened to him and the hotel wouldn't say. Mind you this was a nice hotel. With minimal street smarts, you'll be fine but always maintain 100% situational awareness, I'd skip the hostels in town, and take cabs instead of walking at night.

All this being said, I'm glad I had a chance to visit Rio once but the only way I'd return to Brazil on my own dime would be to travel far away from Sao Paulo and Rio.

Oh yeah… thread drift alert etc etc.

Ian — thanks. I did a quick search. Brazil does not should like the hiking capital of SA. The only good part of the trip is seeing moon in the wrong hemisphere.