City guide article

Rio de Janeiro Today

Rio continues to enjoy its status as one of the must-see destinations and is perhaps the most visited city in the southern hemisphere. The city is always buzzing with creative energy and development projects taking shape. One of these is the controversial Favela-Bairrio Project which aims to bring the favelas into the city by providing basic sanitation and planning health clinics, schools and community centres. Some of the city’s colonial infrastructure is being given a lease on life and the coup-de-tat will be the city playing host to the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

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Overview

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Rio de Janeiro History

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Visa Information

Requirements for a visa include your passport being valid for six months from date of issue, a passport photograph and your travel documents (or legitimate copies). If your don’t have travel documents then proof of financial support – such as credit cards and financial statements – are acceptable. The fee for a visa is reciprocal – usually between US$40 and US$60.

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Rio de Janeiro Residents

The country of Brazil is a melting pot of racial populations: 55% white, 6% black, 38% mixed and 1% other. Rio de Janeiro is no exception with Portuguese, Indian and African lineages also mixing things up along with the immigration of Italians, Spaniards, Germans and Japanese just to name a few. The Brazilian spirit seems to be a split personality at times, celebration life to full during Carnaval then drowning in nostalgic melancholy of saudade. However what is constant is kindness and patience, something that Brazilians have no shortage of. Residents of Rio are called ‘Cariocas’ and are one of the many Brazilian groups that make up the kind hearted yet complicated soul of the country. Cariocas welcome everyone to their city and it’s hard not get caught up in their free-spiritedness and sensuality. Having said that, Brazil has a reputation of having one of widest gaps of income between the rich and the poor and you won’t find that more obvious then in Rio. Dating as far back as the mid-19th century, mass immigration has given birth to favelas (urban slums) that surround major cities in Brazil. Dwellings are nothing more than a few boards put together and access to fresh water, sewage, schools and healthcare is almost non-existent. Crime is rampart in the favelas and drug lords control the streets.

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When to go

December to March is the peak tourist season in Rio de Janeiro so it is best to book accommodation in advance (especially if you intend to go during Carnaval). Prices rise during this period and crowds are everywhere but this is Brazil’s festival season after all, so it is worth the bustle and noise. The low season is during the winter which is May to September (Brazil is on the other side of the equator, so summer and winter months are opposite from ours); this period is the cheapest and least crowded time to visit, with the exception of July which is school holiday month.

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