Brazil Vacations - Carnival in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil and South America;

If you are seeking the trip of a lifetime, come to Brazil in time for Carnival (or as the Brazilians say Carnaval.)

BrazilVacations.net has put together a few special packages for Salvador da Bahia and Carnaval in Rio de Janiero for 2009 . There are 5 and 7 day packages available. Please call us toll free at: - 1-866-299-1779.

Prices above INCLUDE AIRFARE. They are per person and include breakfast and all taxes and ground transportation. Please call for more information about flights from your city. All prices subject to change prior to confirmation.

**Does include very special tour package (see below)**
**Does NOT include special tour package (available for surcharge)**

Please see our Rio rates following this description of Salvador:

EXPERIENCE The incredible thrill of Carnival in Salvador, Brazil.

This is the REAL CARNIVAL (Mardi Gras) celebration. Many Brazilians from all over the country flock to Salvador da Bahia to experience the most authentic and exciting street festival in the world. In RIO you LOOK at the Carnaval going by, in Salvador, you become a PART OF THE PARADE!

Huge 50 foot floats with moving bandstands on top and their own sound systems transport all the most famous bands in the country as they weave through the entire city while playing live Brazilian Sambas and Bossanovas. The town is alive with music.

Fabulous foods and sumptuous drinks made of fresh cocoa, cashew nuts, and native liquors will leave you spellbound.

The street festival is unparalleled in terms of excitement as there is no more exciting carnival than that of Salvador da Bahia. The streets are filled with colorful dancers and happy people celebrating life.

For 2 different nights we will enjoy Carnival from the Camarote VIP parties. One featuring Bahia’s Afro Blocos and the other featuring Bahia’s famous AXE! party music.

* Tour the beautiful lslands off Salvador's coastline.

We leave the city harbour on a safe and comfortable schooner with a professional pilot, bartenders and servers. Travelers may have a tropical drink (price not included) while they bathe in the wonderful Bahian sun. Our first stop will be Ilha do Frades Island, a stunning tropical paradise where one can swim, snorkel, sun bathe, stroll along the sandy beaches, or purchase shells, coral, or other handicrafts made by local merchants.

After two hours at Ilha do Frades, we re-board our schooner, set sail for Itaparica Island, and enjoy a delicious lunch of salads, beans & rice, fish, meats, deserts and coffee. Following lunch, our guests may take a short tour featuring a stop at the original "Fountain of Youth", or simply relax on the beach.

* Bahia by Night Afro-Brazilian Cultural show and Dinner

Witness a true Afro-Bahian cultural experience. This magical evening starts off with dinner, an International Buffet which also features local Bahian Delicacies. After dinner, the guests will experience a true Afro-Bahian cultural perfomance. The exciting music and dance, performed by Native Afro-Bahians, will transport the traveler to another place in time.

The folkloric dances and songs are presented in a spectacular manner, featuring pulsating rhythms, sensual movements and beautiful costumes. The variety of songs and dances, such as the Nigerian Yoruba Religious style (Candombley), the Fisherman's Rituals, and the Samba Dance, will prepare the audience for the climax at the show.

The show reaches its zenith during the "Capoeira", a Brazil's form of martial arts. Our guests will be memorized when the dancers display their awesome physical talent, performing flips and amazing twists and turns.

As the show comes to a close, everyone who witnessed this unforgettable evening, will gain a greater awareness and love for Afro-Bahian food, song and dance.

* Panoramic City Tour and Mercado Modelo

We journey along Centenery Avenue where we will stop for a photo opportunity of the beautiful Statues of the Orishas. These distinctive statues, representing the deities of the Candombley Religion, stand triumphantly in the middle of a peaceful lake.

Our next stop will be at The Good End Church, known by the locals as "Oxala's Church". This 18th century church is the center for the connection between african religions and Catholicism. Next, we will stop at the largest Handicraft Market in northern Brazil, The Mercado Modelo. The traveler may want to purchase hand-made objects of leather, ceramics, shells and wood.

*North Coast / Praia do Forte Tour - The Brazilian version of Paradise!

The State of Bahia has the longest coastline in Brazil - approximately 700 miles of sandy beaches, outlined by magnificent tropical vegetation. Our journey will take us past coconut trees, fruit trees, and other tropical vegetation, until we reach a "hippie village", started in the 1960's. This fantastic masterpiece, constructed entirely of local natural materials, has no running water, electricity or other amenities found in urban areas. This village, preserved in its original state, contains gifts artists and craftsmen who create wonderful art objects, live in self made houses from palm leaves, wash clothes in the lake, and continue with the life style of the hippies of the 1960's.

A twenty minute trip from the "hippie village" will bring us to the Praia do Forte TAMAR Project, a national project for the conservation of the Sea Turtle, an endangered species. Following a brief education on man's efforts to stop the slaughter of the endangered sea turtle, we will visit Praia do Guarajuba. A secluded paradise where we can swim or enjoy some of the best seafood in Brazil, such as delicious lobster, red snapper, oysters, and fish cakes are prepared in the true Bahian tradition by local fisherman.

In Salvador YOU are a part of the festival, the energy and rhythm are infectious and you will be caught up in it.

It is said that few things start early in Bahia. Carnival is one of them. Carnival officially starts on Thursday night at 8:00PM when the keys of the city are given to the Carnaval King "Rei Momo". The unofficial opening though is on Wednesday with the Lavagem do Porto da Barra, with throngs of people dancing on the beach. Later on in the evening is the Baile dos Atrizes, which starts at around 11:00 and goes until dawn, very bohemian, good fun.

Huge 50 foot floats with moving bandstands and their own sound systems transport all the most famous bands in the country while playing live Brazilian Sambas and Bossanovas. The town is alive with music.

The "micro festivals" within the borders of the event make each area of a STREET SCENE unique and fun. The effect is a theme park of sights, aromas, tastes and sounds. It is this creativity and attention to detail that has earned Salvador da Bahia de Brazil its distinction as the premiere Carnival location in the country.

CARNAVAL PACKAGES TO RIO de JANEIRO - 2009

	HOTEL ATLANTIS 3 STARS	PLAZA COPACABANA 4 STARS	HOTEL MERIDIEN 5 STARS	ROUND TRIP AIRFARE FROM RIO TO MIAMI
Single	$1,499.00	$1,998.00	$3,709.00	$749.00 - approx.
Double	$ 799.00	$1,059.00	$1,905.00
Triple	$ 730.00	$ 880.00	$1,525.00

Prices above are per person and include breakfast and all taxes and ground transportation. Please call for more information about your city.
All prices subject to change prior to confirmation.

Reservations may be made through our US office, by your local travel agent or by calling Jeff Klein
(866) 299-1779 Email: info@brazilvacations.net

English, Spanish, and Portuguese spoken here.