You probably know that Brazil is a huge country. But when you’re in the country itself, you realize how big it REALLY is. The distances are unreal and you really have to plan an itinerary so you won’t be surprised by the amount of time you’re traveling from A to B. Read everything about the transport in Brazil in this article.
Travel by bus in Brazil
Travel by bus in Brazil is a really good way. The connections are great and although the busses are not that cheap, it is still way cheaper than flying. Try to get as many night busses as you can. You save a lot of precious time by traveling at night and the time flies, since you’re asleep. But make sure you bring a sweater and long trousers. It can be so freaking cold in the busses. To give you an idea about the hours of traveling, I listed the most important connections for you:
- Rio de Janeiro – Ilha Grande = 3 hours
- Rio de Janeiro – Paraty = 5 hours
- Paraty – Sao Paulo = 4 hours
- Sao Paulo – Iguacu Falls = 16 hours
- Iguacu Falls – Campo Grande = 13 hours
- Campo Grande – Pantanal = 5 hours
- Campo Grande – Sao Paulo = 14 hours
- Campo Grande – Rio de Janeiro = 20 hours
- Rio de Janeiro – Salvador = 28 hours
- Rio de Janeiro – Sao Paulo = 7 hours
- Salvador – Chapada Diamantina = 5 hours
- Salvador – Fortaleza = 20 hours
Travel by car in Brazil
You can also choose to travel by car, but I won’t recommend this. The distances are so huge that you will spend a lot of time driving around. And no one can drive that long so it will take days to get to the next destination. Do you really want to travel by car? Just choose one region, like the area around Pantanal and Campo Grande. Or travel by car in Bahia, so you can visit Chapada Diamantina.
Travel by airplane in Brazil
I didn’t want to travel by airplane at all, but I really had to. I had two domestic flights in Brazil: from Rio de Janeiro to the Iguaçu Falls and from Campo Grande to Salvador. The distances were too huge to travel by bus and I only had one month.
The flights are not that cheap in Brazil. You pay around 120 USD for an one way ticket. Make sure you book on time, because it gets more expensive the later you book.
Taxis and Ubers in Brazil
You can do the small distances by taxi. The taxis in Brazil are actually pretty cheap. Download the app Easy and order a taxi via the app. It’s very easy and you can check the prices immediately. The prices never change so that’s really good to know.
I don’t have the best experiences with ordering Ubers. It’s legal in Brazil but they just don’t show up. This is a way to make little money very quick. When it takes so long for the driver to get there, the person who orders the Uber will probably cancel the car. And when you cancel a car, they will get a small amount for their ‘’effort’’. I’ve noticed that a lot of drivers did this to us so I won’t recommend ordering an Uber in Brazil.
Wanna know more about all the practical stuff in Brazil? Read my article with everything you need to know about Brazil!