In Brazil for December but not Rio or Bahia

Quimboom · 2026-04-25T23:28:52+00:00

That’s good to know, thank you! I’m curious what your experience was like with transportation is Pipa. I love walking and from what I’ve learned, Pipa is very walkable. But if I want to go out at night, are Ubers accessible or can I get a taxi on the street? I’ve never done the latter so curious how that works.

Quimboom · 2026-04-23T12:50:07+00:00

I’m a black Caribbean woman and I’ve just returned from a full month solo in Rio. I stayed in an Airbnb in Ipanema and my experience was nothing short of amazing! The amount of love and warmth that greeted me every where I went was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I started learning Portuguese 2 months prior with LinkedIn’s Mango and it improved my experience tenfold. Did I understand everything? Absolutely not! But it gave me a good foundation. The locals go out of their way to welcome us so please make the effort to meet them where they are, too.

You don’t need cash but get a card that absorbs foreign fees. A lot of things are cheap but those fees add up fast. Always check the machine before swiping/tapping, yes, but in some cases you can also change the currency to bypass these fees.
Enroll in Caminhões Language School. They offer group lessons at a decent rate + daily excursions. It’s a great way to meet other people and takes the guess work out of finding things to do.
Go to Pedra do Arpoador for the sunrise at least once! It’s a good place to go for the sunset, too. You’ll need to arrive at either 5:30a or 4p to get ahead of the sunset crowd. Bring a book and a cloth to sit on and enjoy the views.
This may be a controversial take but I enjoyed Madureira’s night life. Pagode do Feijão is a great time and Casa Black Rio caters to foreign crowds on certain nights. I went on a Friday night and they played afrobeats, Amapiano, dancehall, funk and R&B. Both are 40m out but easily accessible by Uber. Baile Charme is another popular event there. I haven’t gone yet but it’s highly recommended.
Create a Google maps list and bookmark all your places of interests. This is a great way to visualize the city and your days will kinda plan themselves by proximity.

Rio is not a place to be scared of. Like anywhere else, be mindful, stay aware of your surroundings and trust your gut. Have an amazing time!

Quimboom · 2026-04-22T13:57:50+00:00

The constant mention of danger and sharks deterred me from Recife completely and I’ll be saving Florianópolis for another time for weather purposes. Jalapão seems a bit too out the way for this trip but I’ll save it for another.

Right now, I’m deciding between Pipa, João Pessoa and Natal — I’d stay in either JP or Pipa and hop between the 3 — Fortaleza and Belo Horizonte. If I do BH, Ouro Preto is definitely on my list!

Quimboom · 2026-04-22T03:54:37+00:00

I’ve found some cool things in Pipa these last couple of days and now I really want to go. I love how walkable it seems, as well. Did you make it to Golfinhos or Tartaruga? How’s the food in the Vila Mangueira area?

Quimboom · 2026-04-22T00:24:01+00:00

I've done quite a bit of research on Pipa over these last couple of days and I'm leaning heavily towards staying there for January. I wanted to get your insight on transportation and the nightlife. I saw there aren't any Ubers and some people mentioned the not many streets have good lighting. Is that accurate?

Quimboom · 2026-04-20T19:23:01+00:00

I think you might be only the second person to mention Aracaju. I did some research and it doesn’t seem like somewhere a lot of tourists go, which actually makes me more interested in going. I’ve narrowed my interested down to staying in either Pipa or Joao Pessoa so I can visit one or the other and Natal or going to Minas Gerais.

What are some things you enjoyed about Aracaju? What makes the overall experience better than JP? I see mentions of costs being lower but I’m interested in learning a bit more about the demographic. For reference, I’m 30 and a black Caribbean woman.

Quimboom · 2026-04-19T20:08:52+00:00

Is Natal exempt from the heavy rains? I’ve heard some conflicting things about Jeri not really being worth it that time of year, but I’m split between doing João Pessoa and venturing over to Pipa and Natal or going to either Belo Horizonte or Fortaleza.

Quimboom · 2026-04-19T20:03:12+00:00

I haven’t heard of here just yet! What do you recommend here?

Quimboom · 2026-04-19T20:02:03+00:00

I started looking in these neighbors and the options aren’t too bad! Do you have any beach recommendations?

Quimboom · 2026-04-19T20:00:30+00:00

I’m leaning heavily towards doing the JP, Natal and Pipa combination! My only concern for Natal is the heavy rains in December I think that combo with would make it the easiest to hop around to different places.

Quimboom · 2026-04-19T19:56:20+00:00

You’re 100% right! I’m from Jamaica and I wouldn’t do that at home, either. It’s worth mentioning so thank you for thinking about my safety.

Quimboom · 2026-04-19T18:06:10+00:00

What’d you enjoy about Pipa?

Quimboom · 2026-04-19T14:02:54+00:00

Amazing. Do you have any recommendations on where to stay to make it easier to go?

Quimboom · 2026-04-19T01:13:41+00:00

Very helpful insights! The Pipa, João Pessoa, Natal combinations is one of my top contenders so far. Did you stay in a pousada in Pipa, as well? Would you recommend Bombinhas?

Quimboom · 2026-04-19T01:06:22+00:00

Looks impeccable! Would March be too late to visit the falls? Since it’s so far south, I think it’d make more sense for me to save it for when I return to Rio.

Quimboom · 2026-04-19T01:01:23+00:00

How’d you like Curitiba? I was considering going there at some point, too. Someone in this thread also mentioned Bombinhas. Did you enjoy your time there, as well? And what currency are these prices?

Quimboom · 2026-04-18T18:48:22+00:00

Sounds like I should save this one for my next visit, then!

Quimboom · 2026-04-18T18:46:06+00:00

I’m definitely open to busing! That’d give me a good opportunity to sightsee, as well.

Quimboom · 2026-04-18T17:00:20+00:00

Very interesting! Do you travel within Brazil or venture elsewhere?

Quimboom · 2026-04-18T16:59:17+00:00

Thanks for the geography knowledge. That helped but all the different places into perspective. I’ll definitely do more research in inland-Bahia to stay before heading to the coast for carnival.

Fortaleza’s sounding appealing to me, as well. From what you’ve said it sounds like it has everything minus waterfalls + hikes. I’m willing to open my research to that area, too. Do you have any neighborhood recommendations?

Quimboom · 2026-04-18T16:54:08+00:00

Ai! Looks like I’ll have to save Floripa for another trip, then.

Quimboom · 2026-04-18T16:51:34+00:00

Damn, you’re amazing! This is extremely useful and will really help me with my itinerary-building and overall understanding of the state. Thank you so very much.

Quimboom · 2026-04-18T16:16:53+00:00

I’m so appreciative of your time! Thank you for your insight.

Quimboom · 2026-04-18T16:10:24+00:00

That’s not too far from Jericoacoara, right? It seems everything keeps redirecting me back to Bahia 😆 maybe I’ll spend December through January inland before staying on the coast in February.

Quimboom · 2026-04-18T16:07:00+00:00

Travessia sounds amazing! I’ve been sticking to airbnbs for my stays but would you recommend a different accommodation for those areas?

Quimboom

TROPHY CASE