Brazil is the Best Destination for Adventure

The editors of the National Geographic Adventure have chosen Brazil as the Best Adventure Destination of 2009.

This award is a recognition not only of our natural potential for adventure tourism but also the hard work on developing safe adventure travel in our country by the Brazilian Association of Ecotourism and Adventure Companies (ABETA), of which Brazil Ecojourneys is a member.

The Aventura Segura, a program of ABETA and the Ministry of Tourism, has helped to create an excelent standard of safety in Brazilian adventure outfitters that is now being recognised internationally.

Santa Catarina, and Florianopolis in particular, are amongst the destinations recognised by ABETA to be hotspots for adventure in Brazil.

Top 5 Adventure Trips in South Brazil by Brazil Ecojourneys :

• Rainforest Expedition to the Lagamar Estuary: canoeing in mangroves and trekking through the largest remnants of Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil
• Santa Catarina by bike: from the highlands to the coast: bike all the way from the stunning Serra Geral mountains to the Island of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis
• Crossing of Sao Joaquim National Park: a 3-day hike across this park, created to protect the Brazilian Araucaria, and one of the last natural habitats for pumas in South Brazil
• Aparados da Serra Canyons: an active tour of the "Grand Canyons of Brazil"
• Active Adventures in Florianopolis: rafting, trekking and biking your way around Florianopolis

Sao Paulo deserves a stopover!

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We ventured further north last weekend to attend the Sao Paulo Pride, where I was invited to speak at a Forum on LGBT Tourism.

It was my first time at the largest Pride Parade in the world and besides being amazed by the sheer size of it (2 to 3 million attendees, depending on sources), I was pleasantly surprised by the institutional support the event gets from all levels of government. For example, it was the first time I saw a campaign from the Ministry of Tourism targeting the LGBT segment. The slogan of their campaign was even cute: Diversity - Brazil is more beautiful with it.

Apart from the Gay Pride events, I must say that last weekend changed my perception about Sao Paulo- it was never a city I recommended to visitors, but I can see that it has its charm (even if it is quite hidden!).

Sao Paulo is well known in Brazil as cosmopolitan capital, for its great nightlife, cuisine and contemporary culture, but there is also quite a lot of history and beautiful architecture too, especially in the old part of town. Add to that some great hotels and your stopover could be quite enjoyable.


Brazil Ecojourneys tips:

• The Tourism Office downtown ( in the old Banco de São Paulo building- Rua XV de Novembro), provides good information about places to visit.
• From the top of the BANESPA building - a Brazilian version of the Empire State Building- you have a 360 degrees panoramic view of the city. Entrance to the tower is free.
• The MASP Museum has a wonderful exhibition from Vik Muniz , a local artist now internationally renowned that makes amazing portraits with recycled and perishable materials. Entrance is free on Tuesdays.