1. Our route

route 1: Uruguay, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Pantanal, Paraguay

route 2: Paraguay, Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Northeast Bolivia

route 3: Bolivia [Corumbá], São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Bahia, coast Sergipe and Alagoas, interior of Pernambuco, Ceará, Piauí, Maranhão, Tocantins and Pará, crossing Amazon River to Amapa, French Guiana

2A. Car shipment across the Amazon River from Belèm to Macapá [Jan '11]

- To ship your car across the Amazon, you need to arrange freight transport.

- The crossing takes 35-42 hours.

- There are various freight transport companies plying between Belèm and Macapá [Santana]. Most of them sail on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. To obtain a good price, check out various companies [mostly situated along the waterfront north of downtown Belèm].

- For the Land Cruiser and the two of us we paid 1000 reais [including meals]. In retrospect this may have been too much. We thought all prices were one way, but later we were told that trucks pay 2500-3000 for a return ticket [they have to return within the same week].

- Some companies only allow the driver to accompany the car. In one case, I [Karin-Marijke] was only allowed to cross as a stowaway – which I did not find a good plan. Hence we shipped with J. Sabino Filho, where I could travel as a legal passenger.

We crossed with:

J. Sabino Filho - Tropical Transportes

Rua do Cruzeiro 985 [between R. 15 de Agosto and R. Juvêncio Sarmento]

Icoaraci [north of downtown Belèm]

Crossings on Monday, Wednesday, Friday

gps: S 01.17.539 - N 48.28.922

Another company north of downtown Belèm is:

Sanave

AV. Pedro A. Cabral 1323, Bairro Umarizal

www.gruposavanve.com.br

We know of a couple that paid 2000 reais for the crossing of their MAN truck and the two of them.

2B. Crossing of the Oiapoque River from Oiapoque, Brazil, to St. George de Oyapock in French Guiana [Feb '11]

This information will soon be outdated. A bridge connecting the two countries is under construction and should be opened some time this year [2011]. For the time being, you still depend on the car ferry.

- There is only one car ferry [cargo boat], a private company that charges outrageous prices [which may be understandable considering the fact he will soon be out of business].

- Prices:

1 car = 200 euro

2 cars = 120 euro per car

4 cars = 80 euro per car

- The ferry sails upon request [within reason, and depending on possible other passengers of course]. Best course of action is to drop by, chat with the owner and see if there are any other car owners who want to share the costs.

- Name company: Lunay, located along the waterfront of Oiapoque. If you happen to want to cross from the French Guiana side, take a passenger ferry to Brazil to make arrangements with the owner.

Owners: Señor Luis and Señor Wendell

gps: N 03.50.633 - W 51.50.372

- Note:

1. You have to leave the country on the same day you receive your passport exit stamp.

2. After your exit papers for the car have been stamped, you have 48 hours to get the vehicle out of the country.

3. Money matters

We had the following experiences with ATMs:

- Bradesco and HBSC banks: always successful.

- Banco de Brasil: sometimes successful, sometimes not.

- Most of the time ATMs at other banks didn't work.

- Sometimes we would succeed at an ATM in a big shopping mall, but often these standalone machines charge outrageous fees up to 12 reais [6 euros] per transaction.

In writing R$ is used. Compared to Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina and Bolivia, Brazil is more expensive [hotel, food and beverage] – as is Chile.

January 2011: the rate is R$ 2.27 to a euro.

4. Documentation

Visa

At the border we [Dutch] get a 3 months' visa, free of charge [if my information is correct, US citizens have to buy a visa beforehand]. According to the customs official at the border it is possible to extend your visa in any big city where there is a customs department.

According to Brazilian law visitors can stay 180 days per year in Brazil – whether this is one continuous stay, or various shorter ones. It is NOT possible to exit the country after 180 days and return the next day [as is possible in, for example, Argentina / Chile]. 180 days per year in - 180 days per year out.

Our extensions / renewals of visa:

1. April 2007: We extended our visa in Rio de Janeiro at the Policia Martima Building, at Avenida Venezuela in Centro.

2. October '09: We crossed the border at Caceres into Bolivia for one night to renew our visa, which was easy. [We have no idea if it had been possible to arrange an extension in Caceres, we forgot to ask].

3. October 2010: We arranged our extension at the airport of Brasília. Easy and fast.

Requirements for an extension of visa:

- you have to be present in person [Coen could not arrange it for me]

- passport

- import document [immigration slip, you always have to fill in this paper when entering a country]

- 67 reais per person [same price in 2007 as 2010].

Carnet de Passage

Carnet is not needed, at the border you obtain a Temporary Import Document, which is valid for 3 months.

Our extensions / renewals of Temporary Import Document:

1. April 2007: We extended it in Rio de Janeiro. The customs building is next to the Policia Maritima Building [see above at "visa"].

2. October '09: We crossed the border at Caceres into Bolivia for one night to renew our visa. Easy.

3. October 2010: We arranged our extension at the airport of Brasília. Easy and fast. The customs building is next to the passengers' hall of the airport.

5. Border crossing

Border crossings are straightforward and take little time.

Interesting to know:

1. When entering Paraguay coming from the Pantanal [Brazil]:

You can't cross at Bela Vista because there is neither immigration nor customs office. You have to go to Ponta Pora, which is an easy border crossing on both sides.

2. From Guajará Mirim [Rondônia] to Guayaramerín [Bolivia]:

There is no regular car ferry plying between the two towns [only for pedestrians]. When on the Brazilian side, you have to go to Bolivia [or ask somebody to go] to arrange a boat there to pick you up. No, this can't be done by telephone…

Price car ferry [boat]: 250 bolivianos ferry + 30 bolivianos disinfections [about 2,80 euros, Dec '09].

6. Car, diesel, petrol stations, roadmap

Diesel and petrol stations

Prices of diesel vary greatly.

Indication:

Mato Grosso do Sul R$ 2.40 [Oct '10]

Goiás R$ 1.79 [Oct '10]

São Paulo R$2 [Oct '11]

Salvador da Bahia R$ 1.78 [Nov '11]

Interior northeast R$ 2.05 [Dec '11]

Amapá R$ 2.16 [Jan '11]

- Sometimes it is possible to get a discount when you pay cash, this is called a vista. Petrol stations may be found everywhere.

- Fill up before crossing into French Guiana, where the diesel costs €1.40.

Car

In São Paulo we can recommend the Toyota Garage + found a good place where the exhaust was fixed.

In Belo Horizonte we had some work done on the leaf springs in the front.

In Santa Filomenta [Maranhão] we had some good welding done.

Check out the gps overview for more and specific info on car repairs.

Traffic

Brazil is easy to travel through, with generally reasonable to good roads. Main roads are tarmac, although some of them have lots of potholes. As soon as you leave the main roads you hit unpaved roads. Of course travelling the Amazon Region during rainy season includes conquering lots of mud!

The main arteries are toll roads [southeast Brazil] which can be quite expensive, up to 6 reais for every 25 kilometres. In Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso and northeast Brazil we didn't encounter any toll roads.

Road maps

Reise Knowhow map of Brazil [1: 1.385.000] is not detailed enough. 

We found the following options in Brazil:

1. Guia Quatro Rodas. These maps are divided per region or province. The scale differs per map [e.g. Paraná 1.950.000 / Santa Catharina 1.650.000].

Guia Quatro Rodas also has a book with detailed maps of the whole country.

2. Mapa de Estradas – Brasil, by O Guia Mapograf. Available in separate maps per region or in one book of entire country. The latter costs about 30 reais.

Quatro Rodas is mostly used by the Brazilians. We chose number 2. Graphically number 1 looks much better but we feel that number 2 has many more details. We found it a good choice.

More information on road maps

- Brazil – Tips on Road Maps, Road Books and Road Travel Info

7. Paid accommodation and wild camping

So much space, so few people. Brazil is an awesome country for rough camping. Besides primitive camping we often camped in the parking lot of a hotel, where they often let you use their toilet/bathroom facilities.

In big cities we were grateful for the help we got from members of the Hospitality Club [www.hospitalityclub.org].

Maybe strange, but after four years we finally discovered the possibility of staying at 24 hour petrol stations. This worked out great, especially the showers were inviting!

For the gps waypoints, check out the gps overview.

8. Internet

Available in every town, costs 2 to 3 reais per hour. WIFI is available in some places but you have to search for it.

Internet cafe is called a Lan House, although the word 'Internet' is getting better known as well.

WIFI is called Rede sin fil, or 'WIFI'.

9. Tourist information

- The southern part of the country has many tourist information centres. They vary from very good, with interesting information and maps, to places where they are only interested in selling you a guided tour.

- In Minas Gerais the tourist information centres were poor, with the exception of Ouro Preto.

- Mato Grosso has few Tourist Information Offices. In case they do exist they are more or less useless. Better ask at hotels, at the Prefeitura or Secretaria do Turismo.

- In northeast Brazil: don't count on obtaining any decent tourist information.

For those who love shopping: remember that the shops downtown are closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Supermarkets and shopping malls are often open in weekends though.

10. Food and beverage

Water

We drank water from the tap without getting into problems. At petrol station they often have water coolers – this should be filtered water [although, of course, you never know for sure].

Food

- We love Brazil's kilo restaurants. You take your pick from a buffet and pay according to the weight [prices vary from 10 to 25 reais per kilo]. Sometimes they have a system where you pay a fixed price and can eat all you want.

- A cheaper alternative is marmitex, often available at the same restaurants but also at Lanchonettes. For about 5 to 7 reais you get a meal to go. This consists of fesjão [beans with rice], sometimes pasta and you can often choose between different kinds of meat.

Articles on Brazilian food

- What to eat in Brazil

- Where to eat in Brazil

- Pacu fish

- White Beans, Black Beans and Feijoada

- Salvador de Bahia's culture of aracajé snacks

- Mariscos in Brazilian Seafood Restaurants

- Translation of Seafood Dishes on Brazilian Restaurant Menus