Two weeks in Brazil and Argentina: a dream come true! Here is a summary of my journey and the visits I managed to do between 2 caipirinhas!
3 days in Rio
I landed in Rio end of October to spend a few days in the city I fell in love with whilst watching the Olympics during the summer. I stayed in a rather standard hostel perfectly located in Ipanema: El Misti hostel. In 3 days I had time to:
- Stroll along Ipanema and Copacabana beaches admiring the surfers fighting the cold winds and the cariocas showing off while exercising
- Do a free tour around downtown Rio and Lapa with Free Walkers tour
- Take two cable cars to the Sugar Loaf to enjoy the beautiful view on the bay (and the airport!)
- Take pictures of 30-meters-tall Jesus Christ lying down on the floor
2 days in Ihla Grande
Bumpy shuttle and ferry rides (booked from our hostel) took me to paradise: the stunning car and road-free island of Ihla Grande! My first afternoon in paradise was spent on the beautiful beach of Praia de Lopes Mendes. After a very nice meal on the beach and a very good night at Pousada Casablanca, I walked to the small beach of Praia da Julia to find myself nearly alone sunbathing and swimming. I wish I could have stayed longer!
More info about 5 days in Rio and Ihla Grande here.
2 days in São Paulo
A ferry and a mini-van took me to Paraty for a couple of hours.
Another bus later, I arrived in Sao Paulo. The plan was not to stay for a long time in the cities as I much prefer nature. What did I do?
- Discover the mini jungle of the Parque Trianon
- Stroll down Avenida Paulista
- Explore downtown São Paulo: Pátio do Colégio, Catedral Metroplitana (and its numerous beggers), Praça da Sé
- Enjoy the lively market area on a Saturday (and taste tropical fruits!)
- Take the viaduto do Chá (transported from Belgium !) to the Theatro municipal and looking up toward the Edificio Itália and Copan before arriving to the Praça da República
2 days in Florianopolis
Renting a car was totally necessary. After the traffic jam getting out of the airport, time for a rest like at home in a perfect little Airbnb in Lagoa de Conceição. How did I spend my 2 days on the island?
- Lying down on the extremy long praia Moçambique
- Shopping in Lagoa and Floripa shopping
- Staring at the sunset in Santo Antônio de Lisboa
- Trying to hide from the wind in praia Armação
2 days in Iguazu
2 flights later, it’s time to reach the other side of Brazil. The first day was spent in the Brazilian side of the Iguazu falls and the second on the Argentinian side. Such an IN-CRE-DI-BLE place! The images are great but the reality is 1 million times better!
4 days in Buenos Aires
The last part of my trip was in Buenos Aires. I strongly recommend the Play Hostel in the Palermo area: I spent great evenings with the amazing staff and travelers (big up Francisco, Carlos, Freddy, Florencia and Ricardo!). Sometimes strangers you’ve just met treat you more respect than people you considered as friends. I felt like a true princess. My activities in Buenos Aires:
- Discover the very heteroclite architecture of the city and discuss Argentian politics with a truly knowledgeable guide during a Free walking tour
- Read and meet locals in the Jardin Botánico
- Search for Evita Peron’s graveyard in the Recoleta cemetery
- Eat a real Argentinian steak ( big enough for 2!) at Don Julio
- Shop in Avenida Santa Fé and Avenida Florida (Cuesta Blanca is my new favourite shop!)
- Eat pizzas, pasta and ice screams in Palermo
- Say “wow” in El Ateneo
I also spent a day in Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay.
Bye bye South America! See you very soon!
Ps: I should probably have done more in the time I was given but due to specific circumstances I don’t want to get into, I was not able to. Not everything always goes as planned! A lesson learned!
Great post – I’lol keep this in mind for my upcoming South America trip 🙂
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Wow what a trip! Sounds like you enjoyed some of my favorite places in Brasil as well! Hehe you chose well! I also went to Ilha Grande (but on the south side, to surf). And I loved Floripa to death! Such a beautiful city! Beautiful photos by the way!
Sadly, i didn’t get to go to Argentina or Uruguay, but will most probably make my way back there in the future! Did you get to learn some Portuguese or Spanish? 🙂 Eu nao falo portugues!!! jajaja
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Thanks Ramon! I speak Italian entonces entiendo un poquito espanol but Portuguese… my god! So difficult, especially the pronounciation! Did you notice that they say “Ilha Grandgi instead of Grande”!
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It sounded like you managed to fit a lot in to me. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your itinerary. You included a few places I have never heard of. I hope to travel to Brazil and Argentina sometime next year and will keep your post in mind.
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It’s always so beautiful for me to see plants and flowers crawling outside houses in Europe.
And your itineraries are so exciting especially the 3-day stay in Rio.
Thanks for sharing!
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OK I’m officially obsessed with the Iguazu falls after reading your lovely blog! It looks absolutely breathtaking :O
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Wait till you go there… your obsession will become even worse 😀
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I wanna to visit Brazil in my future travel since Filipinos doesn’t have to get a visa to go there. Thank you for sharing your experience 🙂
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What a nice trip! I loved the photos, especially the fruits stand and waterfall! I’ve never been to South America before, but it’s definitely on my bucket list. It’s such a beautiful place with rich culture.
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That looks like a perfect itinerary. I am still wondering when I will reach South America.
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What an amazing itinerary! I’d love to do something similar someday. I really would love to visit Buenos Aires and I really really want to see Iguassu Falls!
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This trip itinerary is great! I’m planning on visiting more of South America in the future. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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This is just amazing and so detailed! I really wish to visit South America soon and will include this to my list of guides in the future. Thanks for this! 🙂
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