The country that gave the world Pelé, Romário, Ayrton Senna, and Guga is unsurprisingly a country of fitness and sports fanatics, especially evident in Brazil’s fanatical devotion to and ability for futebol. Soccer fans shouldn’t miss a game in Rio’s Maracanã, the world’s largest stadium. Beach futebol is also popular, but it faces stiff competition from volleyball (Rio hosts the international championships) and other beach sports like futevolei (nearly impossible no-hands volleyball) and frescobol (beach ping-pong). A different range of aquatic sports are popular in the Northeast, including windsurfing in Fortaleza and Barra de Santo Antônio, snorkeling in the piscinas naturais that dot the Northeast coast, and scuba diving on Bahia’s Morro de São Paulo.
Surfing is fantastic all over much of Brazil, particularly in Saquarema, Ilha do Mel, and expat enclave Itacaré. Those bored with surfing on water can try sand surfing down the famed dunes of Jericoacoara. The sand elsewhere in Brazil is reserved for horseback riding: try it at Praia do Forte and Natal or head to the Pantanal for nighttime horseback rides. Bahia’s Lençóis is known as the “Poor Man’s Pantanal” and is a haven for hikers and outdoor sportsmen, particularly kayakers. Those sick of the water and the land can take to the air in a heart-stopping hang gliding trip either at Arraial d’Ajuda or in Rio. The true adventure sport capital of Brazil is the Center-West’s Bonito, a city of kayaking, extreme hiking, rappeling, and more.
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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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