Rio Carnival 2011! Itinerary

Rio de Janeiro:
• Day 1: Arrive in Rio, settle into your hotel getting into the spirit of the town.

• Day 2: A full day’s tour of Rio to get a feel of the city.

• Day 3: A free day to take in Ipanema, Leblon or of course Copacabana beaches at your own leisure

• Day 4: You have today free with perhaps the opportunity to attend one of the many carnival balls or engage in practice with a local samba school.

• Day 5: Attendance at the Sambadrome where you see the top samba schools (Mangueira, Viradouro, Bloco de Lama, etc) in the Winners Parade trying to achieve parade nirvana.

• Day 6: Your last day in Rio with the possibility of continuing in Brazil or returning to the UK.

The Rio Samba schools: Mangueira – Brazil’s most popular samba school, established in 1928, won the first competitive competition and are decked out in pink and green. Viradouro – This school hail from across the bay in Niteroi, dress in red and white and after ruling the roost in Niteroi thay’ve crossed over to claim top prize in the big city. Bloco de Lama – This is a mud fest in Paraty on the Costa Verde west of Rio where all participants wallow in the grey stuff and parade covered in mud! Beija-Flor – Dressed in blue and white they’re always there or there abouts during the final shake out with outstanding costumes and always original themes.

Salvador de Bahia:
Blocos Afros – These are based in Salvador of which Olodum are the best known who you’ll be able to hear practice in Pelourinho each evening.
Afoxés – The Filhos de Gandhy are the best exponents of this style of music similar to the candomblé you hear in Brazil and Uruguay

Olinda/Recife:
Virgens do Bairro Novo – The most influential bloco in Recife. This is a more intimate affair with this bloco parading along the seafront, very down to earth and swaying to local frevo and maracatu music making this arguably the most authentic carnival in Brazil.

Price includes hotels, transfers, internal flights (where applicable) and return international flights to the respective countries. Flights, hotels and excursions are subject to availability and seasonal variations, therefore the price shown is an approximate guide to cost.

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Rio Carnival 2011! Weather

	Daily Min C	Daily Max C	Total Rainfall (mm)	Number of Rain Days
Jan	23	29	114	12
Feb	24	30	105	9
Mar	23	29	103	9
Apr	22	28	137	10
May	20	26	86	8
Jun	19	25	80	6
Jul	18	25	56	6
Aug	19	26	51	6
Sep	19	25	87	6
Oct	20	26	88	10
Nov	21	27	96	11
Dec	22	29	169	13