First Time to Brazil
Brazil
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Jun 2 - Jun 17, 2025
Being that this was my first trip to Brazil, I wasn't sure what to expect. But while all the sights were most gorgeous and fascinating, the most overwhelmingly and welcome aspect was the organization and work Sara did in the organization of all the parts, of which there were many. She planned this trip and all its myriad details so that I didn't have to think of anything - except, of course, the time changes. The guides always arrived to pick me up for a tour way before the scheduled time. They were always where they needed to be. They were kind, polite, and respectful but most of all knew English! Probably the best moment ever was being just about 10 feet away from a jaguar in the Pantanal. He/she acted as if we weren't even there in the boat following him/her. To this lover of all things feline, it was a most spectacular moment. We saw four different jaguars that day along with capybaras, monkeys, caimans and many, many birds there and on the Rio Negro in the Amazon. While I would definitely advocate for someone who loves to watch wildlife take this tour, I would also advocate their visitation to places like Rio, Salvador and Iguassu Falls. Thank you, Sara and the entire KimKim team for these good memories of the beautiful Brazil country.
Hotel Reviews
Hotel was clean and comfortable with varying degrees of accommodation by hotel staff (mostly good).
Needs renovation; rather run down. The air conditioner was located right above the bed and the cold air blew on me all night long and made it hard to sleep. Food was pretty good and always enough to eat. The horses looked a little thin, but it might be because the "grass" doesn't seem to be anything but weeds and they need some more nutritious supplementation.
Middle of the road lodge. Food was good and adequate and staff very friendly and accommodating. However, there wasn't any hot water and no place to wash clothes. This became very problematic when I began to get numerous bug bites and I think the bugs infiltrated my luggage because I was getting bitten even on the plane returning home. I couldn't wash the clothes because there was no hot water and the humidity kept them wet. We were touring when a huge rainstorm completely soaked us and the clothes never dried. This one wasn't the greatest experience and next time I would upgrade to better accommodations.
This was the very best of the hotels for the trip. The staff was super friendly and helpful. The rooms were spotless and well-lit. Their bar offered the tastiest pina coladas! Located in the center of the action and at night (except for the holiday being celebrated at the time) it was very quiet and good for sleeping.
Activity Reviews
Somehow, I was being bitten up by bugs; 20-30 bites. They itched like crazy and there was nowhere to buy anything (finally got to a drugstore in Iguassu) I ran out of shampoo and was using soap in the cold shower. We didn't have any hot water which made it a problem because the bugs had somehow made a nest in my suitcase, infecting all the clothes. With no hot water and no way to wash the clothes free of whatever bugs they were and no way to dry the clothes even if I had had the means to wash them, I had to wait until I got home for some relief. While I wore long pants and long-sleeved shirt, they still got onto my skin.
Would have liked to spend a little more time there.
Lots of fun! We were able to try on some of the headpieces worn in the Carnaval and tried our legs at dancing the samba.
Tour guide was great!
Good morning dear Benita,
thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a beautiful review. It was an honor for me to organize your trip, and I truly appreciate your trust and preference. I’m very happy to know that you’ll be going home with wonderful memories of this vast and diverse country. I also want to thank you for all the notes and observations you shared about the places you visited.
Thanks again, and I hope to hear from you in the future if you decide to explore other areas of Brazil. Have a safe journey home!
Sara