Discover brazil
So I decided to treat myself to a birthday trip to Brazil in June 2023 and it was such a great trip! Initially I was only meant to visit Rio but after a little research just a week before my departure, I figured I could also visit Argentina and Uruguay as well, yay!
The flight to Rio de Janiero from Philly (where I’m based) was surprisingly long. I first had to catch a flight to Miami (2hrs, 45min) then hop on another flight from Miami to Rio (8hrs, 40min) so in total it was about 12 hours of travel time. I did not realize how far Brazil is until this trip, wow!
For those who don’t know, Rio is NOT Brazil’s capital city though many people confuse it to be so due to its popularity. The capital city is actually Brasília. Rio WAS the capital city before Brasília, back in the 1700s up until 1960. Rio also currently is the 2nd most populated city in Brazil, with São Paulo being the most heavily populated… just some fun facts that I thought you should know.
I had booked an airbnb right on Copa Cabana beach that was $40 a night. I tend to prefer airbnbs over hotels especially as a frequent traveller to keep my costs low. On my first day out in the city, I took a city tour dubbed ‘The Best of Rio Tour’ and it had various stops including:
Christ the Redeemer
Tour of the city
Sugar loaf mountain
The booking also includes a barbecue lunch which was really delicious! On Day 2, I decided to do a full city tour with the same company and for $64 it included:
local markets visit
various restaurant stops
a trip to the Favelas
Rio de Janiero Cathedral
Selaron staircase
Tijuca forest and the Botanical gardens
Day 3 was spent in Búzios, a municipality (city) within Rio with fantastic beaches! It’s one of the more well known vacation destinations in Brazil with about 20 beaches spread across its coastline. It's about a 3-4 hour road trip and even more fun when you have company. I did some snorkeling here, got on a few boat rides and with some new friends I made and captured some great memories.
Let’s talk about ARGENTINA
My day 4 was spent on a plane to Buenos Aires, Argentina, a decision if you remember, I made on a whim. The flight cost $344 and it took exactly three hours. Once again, I booked an airbnb in the city centre for $45 and did a local city tour on the same day where I got to see some local monuments and sampled some local argentinian food.
I was in Argentina for exactly 12 hours before I had to leave for…
URUGUAY
Day 5. This time I took a ferry in the evening to Colonia del Sacramento, a historic city and UNESCO heritage site in southwestern Uruguay. The ferry cost $89.49 and takes 1 hour 15 minutes to get there. I arrived at 10pm and there were no taxis at the time and there’s no Uber operational in that part of town… I was stuck. (need more info to find out how you managed to get out of here to a hotel)
The hotel I found was a bit outdated but comfortable at $81 a night. (I hope you can see the cost difference between this hotel and two airbnbs I stayed at in Brazil). Also to note - the food at this hotel wasn’t great.
The next day (day 6), I did some sight seeing in the morning, got some nice shots of the Colonia del Sacramento harbour and by 2pm I was back on the ferry heading back to Buenos Aires to catch a flight back to Rio.
Who would have thought that in six days I’d have managed to visit three countries in South America without much planning?? Despite not planning for Argentina and Uruguay, both visits turned out great and I hope I get to come back and spend more time there to soak up more culture and get to try more of their local foods.
As you can tell by now - I’m a spontaneous traveler, I go where I want to go, when I want to go and I know that’s not possible for everyone. That’s why I started Open Travel Gates - a space where I can take stock of all my trips, share my adventures with fellow travel addicts and those who are just curious to know about different places in the world.
I hope this first, albeit, very short trip inspires you to go somewhere you’ve never been before. Could be the town just an hour’s drive away from you or a neighbouring country… take that trip, I promise you it’s always worth it.