From the incessant drum beat of samba to the twangy accordion strains of forró, music is everywhere in Brazil, and not just during official festivities. Samba started in Bahia, but it is Rio that not only dedicates five days to it (during Carnaval) but also gives it its own neighborhood (Lapa). Rio is also the birthplace of bossa nova, heard in the jazz bars of Ipanema. Outside of Rio, Carnaval is synonymous with the infectious hybrid sound of axé, a highly danceable style heard in Olinda and from the trios eléctricos that drive through the streets for Salvador’s Carnaval. The streets of Salvador are also the best place to see rodas of the athletic dance/martial arts style known as capoeira, brought to Bahia by Angolan immigrants; the city’s Pelourinho district has countless traveler-friendly capoeira schools to join. Pelourinho also hosts a legendary Tuesday night music party with musicians and raucous drum corps like Olodum parading through the streets until dawn. The music heard most often at local-frequented clubs is forró, Brazil’s own version of two-step country music; though it has yet to catch on with travelers, most still flock to the forró beach parties in and around Fortaleza and Jericoacoara. Reggae (that’s HEH-gee in Portuguese), though not native to Brazil, is immensely popular in this beach-and maconha-loving country, particularly in the laid-back state of Maranhão, called the “Brazilian Jamaica.”
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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