Information about flying to and in Brazil

By Air

Getting there

The cost of an airfare to Brazil is becoming more affordable, this especially depends on which airline, destination and length of time you will stay in Brazil. The main cities you can fly to direct from Canada are Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo.

The best airlines to check out are Vasp, Canadian Airlines and British Airways, with a bit of hunting you can find bargain tickets for as little as Cnd $850. In normal cirumstances be prepared to pay $1000 to $ 1200 for a return fair. Personally I have found that Vasp provide and excellent service and are quite cheap.

Be aware that most airline tickets have a certain limit on the amount of time you can spend in Brazil from 30, 90 & 180+ days. (Note. the more days you require the more your ticket will cost.)

Tourist Card

When you enter Brazil, you will be given a Tourist card to fill in. The card has two parts, immigration officials will keep one part and the other part will be attached to your passport. When you leave Brazil, this will be detached by immigration officials. Note. Do not loose your part of the card as it will cause a lot of fuss delaying your departure.

Internal flights

If you decide to travel by air in Brazil be prepared to pay, as the cost of flying internally is very expensive. If you can afford it, the best airlines to check out are Varig/Cruzeiro, VASP, Trans Brazil, Nordeste, RioSul, TABA, Votec, & Tam.

If you're considering a short stay in Brazil for less than 3 weeks an atractive option is an Air Pass. You have to purchase this outside Brazil and will cost from $450, this will buy coupons for five internal flights in Brazil. The Air Pass is not such a good deal as it used to be but it is very cheap compared to buying standard internal air flights.

The main disadvantage of an Air Pass is that all the flight coupons must be used within 21 days! Hence, only allowing a brief visit at each destination before you have to move on. This doesn't really give you much time to explore. So expect to spend a good portion of your 21 days at airports or in the air !

Tips

Remember to photocopy all your flight tickets, travel insurance policy, Passport, Yellow WHO health certificate & Tourist Card. Keep them separate, they may help you get replacements.

Airport Tax - this is generally $10 for internal flights and $20 for international flights. (Note. Watch how much they charge you, I was once asked $120 for airport tax, just laugh at the clerk and tell him/her NO. (Nao)

While arriving in Brazil you will have to pass through Passport control. Guys from the Federal Police will check your passport, stare at you and stamp it. They all dress in black and are quite scary.