The Paradise of Brazil

Brazil is a massive and exciting country. You would need months to see it all, I’m from there and I still haven’t seen it all. This itinerary will cover what I deem to be the paradise of Brazil as it will be filled with vivacious beach towns and what I deem to be the most beautiful place in Brazil, the island of Fernando de Noronha. The route will be Atlanta to Fortaleza to Natal to Fernando de Noronha back to Atlanta. If you have an extra week I would strong suggest adding Bahia into your itinerary. The best time to head to this part of the country is during the U.S.’s winter months.

Day 1: Flight from ATL to Fortaleza (FOR)-lose 2 hours

The cheapest flight I found to Fortaleza from Atlanta priced 10/25/15 was $780. Brazil is currently really trying to encourage tourism so flights are getting pretty cheap. The same flight with Delta is $980 but only 30,000 skymiles (that’s only 10,000 more skymiles than a flight in the continental US!).

Day 2-4: Exploring Fortaleza

The best thing about Brazil is there is not a huge change in time zone so your internal clock doesn’t get messed up. The bad thing is that it usually takes a long time to get to the north of Brazil because all the direct flights go to Brasilia or Sao Paulo first, so the trip time can be grueling. You will more than likely still need a day of catch-up and adjustment.

Things to do: Morro Branco, Cachaca Museum, Praia do Futuro, Fontes Beach, Beira Mar Avenue, Meireles Beach, Crocobeach, Sightseeing Tour, and Colosso Lake Lounge.

Places to stay: Hotel Gran Marquise ($110/night), Hotel Luzeiros ($74/night), Seara Praia Hotel ($87/night), Holiday Inn Fortaleza ($79/night).

Day 5 – 7: Quick Flight to Natal(NAT)

The flight from Fortaleza to Natal is only 55min and is about $100 on TAM. Natal is a beautiful beach town surrounded by sand dunes that you can take dune buggies and ride on.

Things to do: Dunes of Genipabu (dune buggy ride – Buggy Turismo – One Day Tours or ride dune buggies and camels with Marazul Passeios de Buggy), Parque das Dunas (Dune Park), Camurupim Beach, Diving and Snorkeling with Natal Divers Centro de Mergulho, and several other sea and fresh water beaches.

Places to stay: Serhs Natal Grand Hotel ($137/night), Ocean Palace Beach Resort and Bungalows ($127/night), Manary Praia Hotel ($100/night), Aquaria Natal Hotel ($109/night).

Day 8 – 12: Quick Flight to Fernando De Noronha(FEN)

The flight from Natal to Fernando de Noronha is about 1 hour and 15 min and around $300 Roundtrip. In my not so humble opinion Fernando de Noronha is the most beautiful place in Brazil. Crystal clear blue waters filled with sea turtles, dolphins, and fish. It’s definitely one of the best locations for scuba diving

and snorkeling in the world. It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site so there are visitor restrictions(420 tourists on the islands). Permits are about R$ 180 per adult for a 5 day stay ($60 with current general exchange rates).

Things to do: Baia do Sancho, Cacimba do Padre Beach, Alantis Divers, Boat tours with Trovao dos Mares, Baia do Sueste (big sea turtles at this beach), Conceicao Beach, Atalaia Beach, and so many more!

Places to stay: Dolphin Hotel ($195/night), PousadaDo Vale ($225/night), Beco de Noronha Pousada ($185/night), Pousada Coline dos Ventos ($155/night), or splurge on Pousada Ze Maria ($483/night).

Day 13 – Fly back to ATL(gain 2 hours)

First you have to fly back to Natal (included in the price above) then fly from Natal to Atlanta. Cheapest flight found on Delta for $1041 which is also only 30,000 skymiles with Delta.

Estimated Trip Costs

The great thing about Brazil is that with the exchange rate the US Dollar goes a long way, and aside from the flights everything is pretty cheap. Also I highly recommend using skymiles for this trip, 60,000 miles is a very good deal for the long flights. You can also get really cheap flights if you are willing to leave from Orlando or Miami.

Event Average Price Per PersonFlight from ATL to FOR 7803 nights in Fortaleza 131Flight from FOR to NAT 1003 nights in Natal 177Flight from NAT to FEN 1505 nights in Fernando de Noronha 655Flight from FEN to NAT 150Flight from NAT to ATL 1,041Subtotal Base Cost 3,184

12 Breakfast @ $6 (usually free with hotel) 7213 Lunches @ $15 19512 Dinners @ $20 240Excursions 600Public Transportation 100Total Estimated Cost 4,391

Total Estimated Cost with 60,000 skymiles used 2,670