Rio & Buzios

About the destination: Rio de Janeiro, often referred to simply as Rio, is a Brazilian municipality, capital of the homonymous state, located in the Southeast of the country. The largest international tourist destination in Brazil, Latin America and the entire Southern Hemisphere, the capital of Rio de Janeiro is the best known Brazilian city abroad, functioning as a "mirror", or "portrait" nationally, whether positive ly or negatively. It is the second largest metropolis in Brazil, after São Paulo, and the sixth largest in America. It has the epithet of The Wonderful City and the one that is born in it is called carioca. Part of the city has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is one of the main economic, cultural and financial centers of the country, being internationally known for several cultural and landscape icons, such as sugar loaf, corcovado hill with the statue of Christ the Redeemer, the beaches of the neighborhoods of Copacabana, Ipanema and Barra da Tijuca, maracanã stadium, the bohemian neighborhood of Lapa, the forests of Tijuca and Pedra Branca, the island of Paquetá, The New Year's Eve of Copacabana, the Rio carnival, Bossa Nova and samba. It was the capital of Brazil, from colonial Portuguese until 1960, when the government's office was transferred to the newly built Brasilia. Welcome to this wonderful city, considered one of the most beautiful in the world.

About the destination: Armação dos Búzios often referred to as just Búzios, is a resort town and a municipality located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Today, Búzios is a popular getaway from the city and a worldwide tourist site, especially among Brazilians and Argentinians. In the early 1900s Búzios was popular with the Carioca’s high society, who wanted to escape from the chaotic city life of Rio de Janeiro and enjoy over 23 beaches that the peninsula offers. But it wasn’t until 1964, when the French actress Brigitte Bardot visited Búzios, that it grew to be a popular tourist destination. Today, the peninsula is a travelling site that offers calmness, direct contact with nature and scenic views. The west coast beaches offer calm, clear waters while the east coast ones, facing the open sea, are more wild and draw surfers and water sports enthusiasts. Azeda, Ferradura, João Fernandes, Armação, and Geribá, are the most popular beaches in town and to the surf. At night, Rua das Pedras, Buzios' main street, offers its visitors an active nightlife and a great variety of shopping and restaurants. MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS • Beaches The west-facing beaches generally offer calm water while the ones facing the open sea, to the east, attract surfers, windsurfers and kite enthusiasts. Clockwise around the peninsula, the main beaches are. o Praia Rasa. First beach on the left as you arrive from Rio de Janeiro. Wind surfing and kite surfing and a few pousadas but a bit off the beaten track. o Praia de Manguinhos. An extension of Praia Rasa, closer to the downtown area and with more accommodation. o Praia da Tartaruga. o Praia do Canto. The harbour for the downtown area rather than a beach. Lots of accommodation. o Praia da Armação and Praia dos Ossos. o Praia João Fernandes. This is an upmarket residential area but the beach is disappointingly small and at high tide there is little room. o Praia Brava. Surfing beach exposed to the Atlantic. Few facilities. o Praia Olho de Boi. Naturist beach reached by following a 500m trail from Praia Brava. Take your own refreshments. o Praia do Forno. Attractive toe-shaped beach with one small bar. o Praia de Ferradura. Large, sheltered beach for swimmers not surfers. A few bars where the vans stop. One upmarket pousada but little else in the way of accommodation. o Praia Ferradurinha. Attractive small beach that can get rather crowded. Only reachable by car if you want to pay R10 an hour for one of the few parking places. Park at or take a van to Praia de Geribá and walk. From Praia Ferraderinha the fit can swim to Praia dos Amores (Lovers’ Beach), where it is said that “two arrive and three leave”. o Praia de Geribá. Popular beach with many bars and restaurants and pousadas either on the beach or in the blocks behind it or on the overlooking hill. Good surfing location and there are several people offering surfing lessons (look for the upright surfboards in the sand). o Praia Tucuns. Long, almost deserted beach with no facilities other than a large, unattractive resort at the far end. • Rua das Pedras (street of stones) is a street that gives its name to the downtown area on the north coast that offers restaurants, shopping and nightlife. • Statue of Brigette Bardot. The peninsula was popularized by Brigitte Bardot in the 1960s, and a statue of her can be found on the sea front a short distance east of the wharf in the downtown area. • The views. There are several viewpoints (mirantes) around Buzios. On the top of a hill close to Praia Brava there is a tower that offers good views of much of the peninsula. The road up to it is not very good but it is just about reachable with an ordinary saloon car.