Brazil Northeast Coast - Salvador, Recife, Natal etc

Wild Rover

Hey

Planning a trip to SA in March for a few months, and wondering if Brazil's Northeast coast is worth a look - Salvador, Natal, Recife etc, before continuing to Belém. Anyone been and tell me if its worth the time after i've finished in Rio???

Thanks!!

filthymcnasty

travelled north from rio last year as far as Salvador, a few nice beach towns in between such as puerto seguro & itacare but they are all pretty similar. not too many gringos going this direction.
i liked salvador however its a poor city( the amount of favelas/shanty towns as u approach city is unbelievable) so watch for pickpockets etc but the old colonial city centre is very nice, its the centre for capoeira the brazilian marshall art/dance yokey.
meant to be savage there at carnaval time. another nice beach town further north of salvador is praia du forte.
whatever u do don't stop in vitoria, first big town north of rio like we did, total kip

Wild Rover

Good advice lad, cheers

fikay

Salvador is not really what I was looking for in a city. Big, dirty, rundown etc. Not my cup of tea.
Natal itself is a cool spot but the costal villages and towns in the area, particularly to the north, are very pretty. Breathtakingly so. Admittedly I was being driven about by the family of a friend from there, but I think that were you to rent a car you will have no problem exploring the hinterland.
Recife is kinda modern and meh, but Olindia just outside it is an intersting spot an a great place for carnival too. Different buzz entirely from Rio.
Belém=Bellend imo. Don't think there's a good reason to go there.
Fortaleza is in that neck of the woods too and is pretty laid back, cheap, and has good bars.
Enjoy your trip

garrincha62

I think a trip to the northeast is a must if you are visiting Brazil. I can only vouch for Recife as I live here. Recife promotes itself as the the Multicultural Capital of Brazil. If you are planning a visit you should come in the build up to Carnaval or Carnaval itself. It has the third largest carnaval in the country and unlike Rio & Salvador, you do not have to pay to take part. The result is just mad chaos for a week on the streets of Recife and Olinda, which is on a hill nearby.

There are lots of beaches up and down the coast that are just spectacular. You can take surfing lessons, laze on a hammock, drink yourself to a stupor.

I've been to Salvador and while it was beautiful there was an edge about the place.

Further north you have Natal, which offers much the same as Recife. Avoid the city of Joao Pessoa as it is really boring.

I hear the beach of Pipa near Natal is amazing if you are a hippy type.

imme

There isn't tonnes to see or do in Belem. The market area is worth a look. I was out of place there for a couple of reasons,
-I was a gringo
-I didn't have a scar on show, loads of guys walking around with big slash/knive marks about the place.

If you go up that far a trip to French Guyana might be possible. You could fly up from Belem or take a boat on the Amazon delta from Belem to Macapa, then a bus to Oyapoque and across the river to Fr Guyana.

garrincha62

imme wrote: »

There isn't tonnes to see or do in Belem. The market area is worth a look. I was out of place there for a couple of reasons,
-I was a gringo
-I didn't have a scar on show, loads of guys walking around with big slash/knive marks about the place.

If you go up that far a trip to French Guyana might be possible. You could fly up from Belem or take a boat on the Amazon delta from Belem to Macapa, then a bus to Oyapoque and across the river to Fr Guyana.

Just read that to my wife (who is from Belem) and she went mental and wants to fight you, possibly with a knife.

imme

garrincha62 wrote: »

Just read that to my wife (who is from Belem) and she went mental and wants to fight you, possibly with a knife.

when and where:cool:
I guess everyone sees something different in where they go.

I spent three days there before I went on the Amazon to Macapa. I had just come up through Brazil so was probably a bit tired before I caught the boat. So, maybe I didn't get to see that much of Belem.

garrincha62

@ imme Nice post about going from iguazu to Rio. The reason they ask for your passport number on Brasilian busses is so they can assign you a seat and identify your body if there is an accident...:D