Olympic Games Make Brazil More Affordable For Travelers: Wildland Adventures Shares Three Reasons To Plan A Brazil Adventure Now

Brazil has recently emerged on the world adventure travel radar as travelers have discovered all that it has to offer: a wide range of unique cultural experiences, captivating adventures and a paradise for wildlife seekers. And with the Rio 2016 Olympic Games quickly approaching, Wildland Adventures (http://www.wildland.com/) offers three ways active travelers can capitalize on the opportunities created by the international sporting event. 1. It just adds up: Brazil has temporarily lifted the mandatory $250 visa for US citizens this summer (through Sept.18), and, on top of that, the US Dollar is the strongest it’s ever been to the Brazilian Real. Add that to that the fact that roundtrip flights from the US to many of the most sought-after adventure destinations in Brazil are as low as $450 in July and August (including the Amazon and Pantanal), travelers can expect significant savings. Many of the popular adventure resorts still have availability for July and August. 2. Can you taste it? There is an emerging mouth-watering culinary scene in Brazil thanks to its being one of the word’s cultural melting pots. From churrascaria to feijoada, Brazil’s distinct tastes and flavors entice and satisfy even the most discerning gourmands. Brazil's history and culinary stage are inarguably intertwined. Sugar and coffee are vitally important crops while also being labor intensive, which fueled the African slave trade to Brazil and in turn, African culinary traditions as well. Brazil’s national dish, feijoada, is thought to be an African take on a traditional Portuguese dish. Another beloved Brazilian dish, acaraje, originally from Nigeria, has become a staple of Bahian street food and the use of dende (African palm oil) is one of the principal ingredients inmoqueca, an otherworldly classic Bahian stew. After the abolition of slavery, immigrants from Italy and Japan joined the Brazilian labor market and added their own influences to the melting pot of the Brazilian culinary scene. Pizza in Brazil can easily rival that of Naples and New York and is practically its own food group.  Unique ingredient additions find their way into the pizza ovens of Brazil's urban centers that include everything from soft catupiry or local minas cheese, cinnamon, bananas and even guava. 3. Where to go: With the huge crowds expected in Rio this summer, now is the perfect time to venture off the beaten path and explore the wilds of Brazil. Brazil offers many rare opportunities such as scouting for jaguars in the expansive wetlands of Brazil's Pantanal or swimming with pink dolphins in the Amazon.  Active visitors can snorkel in crystal clear rivers and explore ancient caves in Bonito, or trek through mysterious valleys, past table top mountains and waterfalls in Salvador’s Chapada Diamantia. One can cruise on a private schooner past pirate coves on the Costa Verde in Paraty or gaze dumbstruck at Brazil’sIguassu Falls. Wildland Adventures has even pioneered a new activity where travelers are able to swim at the “Meeting of the Waters”, a natural phenomenon where the Negro River (originating in Colombia) meets the Solimões River (originating in Peru) to form the Amazon River. Wildland Adventures has recently expanded their trips to Brazil by venturing to new areas offering several unique explorations of 9 to 14 days. - Ultimate Jaguar and Wildlife Adventure is 14 days and explores Brazil's two largest and most famous regions of biodiversity: the Pantanal and the Amazon. - The 12-day Best of Brazil: Amazon, Rio de Janeiro, and Iguassu Falls itinerary explores the tropical rainforest of the Amazon and Iguassu Falls, one of the world’s largest waterfalls. - On the 13-day Brazil Family Adventure kids and parents kayak, snorkel, spot jaguars, hike, play in the surf and learn to cook while exploring Bonito, the Pantanal, Paraty and Rio de Janeiro. - Guests trek through the mysterious valleys, past tabletop mountains and waterfalls in Chapada Diamantia National Park on Wildland’s 14-day Brazil Trekking Adventure. - Into the Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil (Costa Verde) focuses on the biodiversity of the Atlantic Rainforest. In the 9-day itinerary, guests will kayak along secluded beaches, search for wildlife and hidden waterfalls in mangrove forests and explore the colonial city of Paraty. Brazil and Zika: Is it safe to travel to affected regions? Until more is known, and out of an abundance of caution, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recommends special precautions only for pregnant women and women trying to become pregnant: Pregnant women in any trimester or women trying to become pregnant should consider postponing travel to the areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. Pregnant women who do travel to one of these areas should talk to their doctor or other healthcare provider first. Wildland Adventures urges all passengers to travel sensibly, and to take preventive measures against mosquito bites. Any passenger who is pregnant or think they may become pregnant during or prior to their trip should contact their doctor and potentially reconsider their trip in accordance with CDC/WHO advice. Kurt Kutay, Founding CEO/President, and Anne Kutay, Vice-President, established Wildland Adventures in 1986. As active managing directors they are continuously refining and evolving their Wild Style of travel. The ‘Wild Style’ is based on an ethic of sincerity, compassion and understanding that breaks down barriers of separation to build lasting intercultural, interpersonal, and environmental bonds designed to enhance rather than exploit the people and places where they travel. Rated byNational Geographic Adventure as the #1 Best ‘Do-it-all’ Outfitter on Earth and Fodor’s as one of the World’s Best Tour Specialists, Wildland Adventures offers more than 150 unique itineraries on seven continents in 45 countries.By fostering genuine connections to create personalized experiences their travelers, Wildland fosters a growing and vibrant community of enlightened and compassionate travelers. # # # Follow Wildland Adventures Facebook:     https://www.facebook.com/wildlandadventures Twitter:          https://twitter.com/WildTravel YouTube:       https://www.youtube.com/wildtravel Google Plus:  https://plus.google.com/+wildlandadventures

Travelore News: Americans, Canadians, Japanese And Australians Won't Need Visas To Visit Brazil This Summer For Olympics

To ease travel for the 2016 Summer Olympics, Brazil will allow U.S. tourists to enter the country for up to 90 days without a visa.

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Aerial view of Barra da Tijuca beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

To ease travel for the 2016 Summer Olympics, Brazil will allow U.S. tourists to enter the country for up to 90 days without a visa.

Despite U.S. passport holders being some of the most powerful (yes, powerful) when it comes to travel, Americans can't just come and go as they please. But tourists traveling to Brazil this summer are now in luck: In the hopes of drawing people to the country for the 2016 Summer Olympics, held in Rio de Janeirofrom August 5–21, Brazilian officials have announced they are temporarily waiving visa requirements for travelers in the country from June 1 through September 18. In addition to U.S. tourists, the visa waiver also applies to citizens holding passports from Japan, Australia, and Canada.

Why the sudden generosity? Call it common sense—and a nifty tourism strategy. Brazil's economy is in a deep recession, and an increase in travelers would both ease logistics in and out of the country surrounding the Olympics and provide a much-needed financial boost. Brazilian Tourism Minister Henrique Eduardo Alves has high hopes for the three-month initiative, saying that the goal is for leisure travelers from the four countries to increase by 20 percent. Flights to South America have been on the risethis year, and Brazilian airline Azul made an all-you-can-fly pass available in country as added incentive to visit. But outside of this visa-waive period, getting to Brazil can typically be a hassle: U.S. citizens still have to make an appointment at their nearest Brazilian consulate; arrive with a valid passport, extra photo, completed application, and copy of their round-trip ticket; and cough up the $160 fee. Now you won't have to trek to a consulate to apply for a visa—saving yourself time and cash that can be better used on beachside caipirinhas. What's Portugese for "thank you"?

Written by Katherine LaGrave
www.cntraveler.com

20 Things You Need To Know About Brazil

With FIFA 2014 passed, and the Rio Summer Olympics taking place in 2016, Brazil has been all the buzz around the internet and in conversation. But how much do you really know about the country?

Did you know that in the city of Laguna, fishermen use dolphins as their assistants to help catch fish? After they cast their nets into the murky water, they wait for dolphins to show them where the fish are. If no dolphins show up that morning, the locals will pack up and leave. Here are 20 more things you may not know about Brazil:

(Photo Courtesy of FIFA World Cup Brazil)

The national football (soccer) team of Brazil has won the FIFA World Cup a record five times.

Every Brazilian city has at least one soccer stadium.

The best coffee in the world is said to come from Brazil.

Caipirinhas are the national drink of Brazilians.

(Photo Courtesy of Shutterstock)

Brazil is the only country in South America that speaks Portuguese (not Spanish or Brazilian).

Brazil contains almost 60 percent of the Amazon rain forest.

There are more species of monkeys in Brazil than anywhere else in the world.

The Christ Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro is one of the 7 Wonders of the World.

(Photo Courtesy of Stanislaw Tokarski/Shutterstock)

Brazil covers three time zones.

Brazil shares a border with all South American countries except for Chile and Ecuador.

Brazil has 13 cities with over one million residents.

Brazil is 100 percent energy independent.

(Photo Courtesy of Celso Pupo/Shutterstock)

Brazil has the most famous and celebrated carnival festival in the world.

Brazil has the world's largest beach at 24,606 feet long.

It is the longest country in the world from north to south via land, spanning approximately 2,800 miles.

By 2032, Brazil's economy will overtake Germany's in size.

(Photo Courtesy of Adriana Lima)

Brazilian models are generally considered to be some of the most gorgeous women in the world.

The Brazilian bikini wax was invented in New York in 1987 by seven Brazilian-born sisters.

Brazil has the ninth highest number of billionaires in the world.

The prisoners of Brazil's Arisvaldo de Campos Pires maximum security penitentiary wait out their sentences by knitting, thanks to a partnership with Brazilian fashion designer Raquel Guimaraes.

Contributed by Nicolle Monico
[Top Photo Courtesy of Shutterstock]