Legacy of the Incas
Luxury Argentina Tours & Travel
Peru:
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(11 days/10 nights)
Sacred Sites of the Incas
Luxury Argentina Tours & Travel
Peru:
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(12 days/11 nights)
Empire of the Sun
Luxury Argentina Tours & Travel
Peru:
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(14 days/13 nights)
Ancient Civilizations of Peru
Luxury Argentina Tours & Travel
Peru:
Colca Canyon - Machu Picchu
Lake Titicaca
(16 days/15 nights)
Archaeological & Ecological
Treasures
Luxury Argentina Tours & Travel
Peru & Ecuador:
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
Lake Titicaca (or Amazon)
(18 days/17 nights)
Grand Tour of the Inca Empire
Luxury Argentina Tours & Travel
Peru:
Colca Canyon - Amazon
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(22 days/21 nights)
Ancient & Colonial Capitals
Luxury Argentina Tours & Travel
Peru:
Machu Picchu
(10 days/9 nights)
Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Luxury Argentina Tours & Travel
Peru:
Machu Picchu
(13 days/12 nights)
Machu Picchu & Galapagos
Luxury Argentina Tours & Travel
Peru & Ecuador:
Machu Picchu - Galapagos
(15 days/14 nights)
Galapagos & Machu Picchu
Luxury Argentina Tours & Travel
Ecuador & Peru:
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
(18 days/17 nights)
Enchanted Isles of the Galapagos
Luxury Argentina Tours & Travel
Ecuador:
Galapagos
(11 days/10 nights)
Galapagos & the Kingdom of Quito
Luxury Argentina Tours & Travel
Ecuador:
Galapagos - Andes
(16 days/15 nights)
Galapagos & the Amazon
Luxury Argentina Tours & Travel
Ecuador:
Galapagos - Amazon
(16 days/15 nights)
Historic Haciendas of the Andes
Luxury Argentina Tours & Travel
Ecuador:
Cotopaxi - Antisana - Otavalo
(7 days/6 nights)
© 2011 Inka's Empire Corporation.
All rights reserved.
Hyacinth Macaw, Parnaiba Headwaters National Park, Northeastern Brazil.
Photo: Pete Oxford. Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
Entry requirements
Brazil's visa policy is based on reciprocity; therefore citizens of countries that insist upon entry visas for Brazilian citizens will need entry visas. Check with the Brazilian Consulate in your country. Passports must be valid for at least six months from the date of entry. Take good care of the "ENTRY/EXIT CARD", which is given to you and must be completed upon entering Brazil. The document has to be checked and stamped by the Federal Police on entering and leaving the country.
Customs requirements
Clothing and personal articles are free of import duty. Articles such as cameras, movie cameras, portable radios, tape recorders, typewriters, portable computers and binoculars are also admitted free if there is no more than one of each.
Vaccination
Vaccination against yellow fever is necessary when visiting the Amazon and the Central-West. Malaria Prophylaxis is advised when visiting some areas in the Amazon basin.
Currency, foreign exchange and credit cards
The Brazilian currency is the Real (R$) divided into 100 centavos. Foreign currency and traveler cheques are easily changed in hotels, some bank and travel agencies and in authorized exchange houses (Cambio) in major cities. Credit cards such as Diners club, Master Card, Visa and American Express are accepted nationwide in most hotels, restaurants and shops. Credit card transactions are charged at the official tourist rate. Visa Card cash advances are possible at Banco do Brasil and Bradesco. Master Card and Diners Club cash advances are available at Banco 24 horas (24-hour cash dispenser). American Express cash advances are obtainable only in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo at the American Express offices. Cash advances on credit cards will only be paid in R$, incurring a commission. Bank cards with PIN code and the Maestro/Cirrus logo can be used for cash withdrawals at certain cash dispensers at some airports, bank agencies and shopping centers. Always look for the Maestro/Cirrus logo.
Airport tax
The equivalent of about US$ 39.00 is charged for international flights and between US$ 6.00 to US$ 9.00 for domestic flights, depending on the airport classification. It must be paid at the airline check-in desks, in R$ or US$. More and more foreign operators include these taxes when selling the tickets to their clients to avoid delays during check-in.
National holidays 2010
January 1 (New Year), February 12-17 (Carnival), 2 April (Good Friday), April 21 (Tiradentes), May 1 (Labor Day), June 3 (Corpus Christi), June 24 (São João), September 7 (Independence Day), October 12 (Nossa Senhora Aparecida, Patron Saint of Brazil), November 2 (All Souls' Day), November 15 (Proclamation of the Republic), December 25 (Christmas).
Hours of business
Banks are open from 10:00 to 16:00 (exchange of foreign currency from 11:00 to 15:00) on weekdays. Shops open from 9:00 am to 18:00 on weekdays and from 09:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays. Shopping malls open from 10:00 to 22:00 from Mondays to Sundays.
Electric current
Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Salvador, Manaus 110-220 volts AC, 60 cycles (as in the USA), Belo Horizonte 120-220 AC, 60 cycles. Foz do Iguaçu, Belém, Manaus 110 volts AC, 60 cycles, Brasília, Recife, Fortaleza 220 volts, 60 cycles. Most hotels provide converters.
Postal services and internet access
Post offices are open Mondays to Fridays from 08:00 to 17:00 and on Saturdays from 08:00 to 12:00. Fax services are available in the main post offices in major cities. Internet access is possible at the better hotels, the bigger shopping centers and at small internet offices (rather than café's) in all important tourism centres.
Telephone calls
Public telephones can easily be found throughout most cities and suburbs of the country, even on the beaches, and accept special telephone cards (cartão telefónico) rather than coins. Public phones for intercity calls are blue. International collect calls can be made from public phones: dial 000111 and ask for the telefonista internacional / international operator (services are provided either in Portuguese or English). Collect calls within Brazil can be made by simply dialing 9090 plus telephone number for local calls or 9021 followed by area code and telephone number for intercity calls.
Pharmacies and drinking water
Most bigger pharmacy chains are open 24 hours. Tap water is treated and chlorinated. Nevertheless, drinking bottled mineral water (available everywhere in Brazil) is always strongly recommended.
Climate
Brazil's climate varies according to latitude and elevation. Seasons are opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere. Conditions during winter (May-September) are similar to a north European summer in Rio de Janeiro and a north European autumn in São Paulo and southern states. Summer and winter conditions north of Rio de Janeiro are tropical, ranging from 25ºC to 40ºC (75ºF to 100ºF) during daytime and 20°C to 25°C (65°F to 75°F) at night. On the coast and in the Amazon there is a high degree of humidity. Luminosity is also very high (sunglasses are advisable). The season of heavy rains is from December to March in the Amazon, the Pantanal and the Southeast and from May to August in the Northeast.
Dress
Casual light clothing and comfortable shoes are recommended during the day and in the evening. When dining or going out to a club or a show, the dress is casual chic for women, sports shirts and slacks for men. Jackets and ties are not necessary (with a few exceptions in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo). In winter (May-September), a sweater is sufficient, with the exception of southern Brazil, where a coat may be needed.
© 2011 Inka's Empire Corporation, Luxury Peru Travel & Peru Tours. All rights reserved.
