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When it is not too busy dancing in the crazy Carnival rhythms, Brazil has much more peaceful and rewarding travel destinations. Its natural diversity encompasses thousands of unique species, such as sea turtles, macaws or pink dolphins. Pink-sand beaches are calling your name - welcoming for you with an ecclectic cocktail - and the rainforest is a unique journey at the end of which the buzz of the crazy city life is inviting to an unique adventure. The days may pass as fast as a samba dance so be aware to get the best of all worlds!
Capital City: Brasilia
Population: 209.3 Million
Currency: Brazilian Real, BRL, R$
Climate: mild year-round, hottest month is February, and coldest is July. Most of the rain occurs in December at almost 169 mm.
Time Zone: GMT – 2
Languages: Portuguese, but German, Italian, and even English are spoken
Popular Foods
You can find many Brazilian restaurants which offer all you can eat buffets. Normally they cost about 25 reals (€6), which is a good deal given the variety of dishes you can try.
Some of the dishes that you might find commonly in Brazil include acaraje, which is a donut-like dish made of black-eyed peas and filled with chili peppers and vatapa.
Churrasco is a Brazilian barbecue dish which consists of skewered meat that is cooked on a brick grill, and as this is a Brazilian favorite, there are restaurants where you can have all-you-can-eat churrasco with a wide array of side dishes as well.
If you're looking to eat something traditional, try to find arroz com feijao, which is a simple Brazilian dish made up of beans and rice, which is extremely nutritious.
Popular Drinks
Agua de coco. While you might have tasted coconut water at home, Brazil is where the real coconut water tradition started. You get water in coconuts that are taken from coconuts along the beach. Ask for coconut water, which can be served gelato or chilled to enjoy it.
Caldo De Cana. This traditional Brazilian drink is made from real sugar canes that have been pressed and processed. This drink contains 40-50 percent of sucrose by weight, so be prepared to have some sugar!
Porradinha. This drink is pretty common amongst Brazilian youths and consists of liqueur made of sugar cane which is then mixed with soda.
Batida. This drink can be called a sort of an alcoholic cocktail! It consists of national alcoholic drink cachaça mixed with different fruit flavorings, and the barman can customize your drink right in front of you!
Popular Tourist Destinations
Honestly, Brazil is a year-round tourist destination country. In Brazilian winters, which is from July to September the evenings can get cooler, but the temperature is still pleasant and not unbearably cold.
Iguacu Falls
This natural wonder of the world is located right on the border of Argentina and Brazil, and this whole system of waterfalls consists of 265 waterfalls along the Iguacu river.
Pantanal
The Pantanal is the largest wetland in the world, and while a large part of it is located in Brazil, it extends into Bolivia and Paraguay as well. It is one of Brazil's most popular tourist attractions, and you are almost guaranteed to some exotic wildlife!
Salvador
Salvador is the capital of the state of Bahia and is one of the hottest tourist attractions in Brazil because of its music scene and a wide variety of beaches.
Souvenirs
A canga is similar to a pareo, sarong, or big lightweight scarf commonly used as a towel. This beautifully decorated towel can be a perfect gift for someone at home or just a souvenir for yourself. Cangas are available almost everywhere so you will have no trouble finding the perfect canga for you.
There are numerous coffee brands in the world that advertise themselves as original Brazilian coffee traders, but in reality, they taste completely different from the coffee bought in Brazil. Buy a couple of packages while you are there, especially if you are a big coffee drinker. You will fall in love with coffee all over again!
Things to Know
In Brazil, it isn’t always warm, and if you’re visiting Brazil in the Brazilian winter months, takes some warm clothes with you as the weather can chill you.
Also, beer is served in relatively smaller glasses, so don’t be surprised if you get served with small beer glasses, that is how things work in Brazil! Remember that Spanish is not the most commonly spoken language there, and the actual language spoken most commonly is Portuguese.