As we don't have a country topic for Brazil yet I thought I would start one after I just stumbled across this website imagineRio with maps showing the development of Rio Through time.

Particularly interesting when tracking the rather limited areas of the urban environment that are included in the WHS core zone, which is mostly limited to Urca, tucked up under Sugar Loaf Mountain and the sweep of the Guanabara waterfront. The opening up of access to Copacabana and Ipenema with the construction of Ladeira da leme in 1871, it is very interesting seeing how infrastructure leads to development especially in such a unique physical environment such as Rio.

One thing I found really interesting is seeing Valongo Wharf in its original waterfront context (from 1810 onwards), the embedded images (Cones of Vision) also show this areas main function as a slave trading quarter.

It is also good to see the appearances of various T-list sites through time:
São Bento in 1590

São João Fortress (Part of the Brazilian Fortress Ensemble) a rudimentary structure appearing as early as 1565, expanded in 1618 and redeveloped and expanded in 1872
On this does anyone know why Copacabana Fort has been excluded from the proposal? it would seem logical to include it as the proposal relates to the development of coastal defence over a four hundred year period.

Palace of Culture: formerly Ministry of Education Health which turns up here in 1937

Sítio Roberto Burle Marx, from 1949 onwards

And not a t-list site (yet) this place is a pretty important addition in 1949.

Looking at Brazil's planned world heritage nominations. Based on the 2 articles below, this seems the order we can expect, no?

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (2020)
Sítio Roberto Burle Marx (2021)
Brazilian Fortresses Ensemble (2022)

https://catracalivre.com.br/viagem-livre/parque-dos-lencois-maranhenses-e-candidato-a -patrimonio-mundial/

https://oglobo.globo.com/sociedade/brasil-integra-comite-da-unesco-que-analisa-patrim onios-mundiais-22800287

Is there supposed to be a link from the Brazil page to here? It says "create one" so I guess that feature doesn't work yet.

@Michael Novins, I saw your pics for Fernando de Noronha. Is there something you can tell me about the limitations to go there or as long as I have a flight ticket that is my "permit"? Is 2 days enough? The beaches look empty on your pics.

I assume you didn't visit the Rocas Atoll? It's also listed on the tentative for some reason, perhaps different criteria.

fixed!

Zoe
The question was not directed to me, but I will try to add some info about this unique Brazilian WHS: There are strict controls about the number of visitors that can go to Fernando de Noronha and a progressive daily-tax to hinder longer stays. Having said that, I think 2 days is just too little time to really absorb the beauty and quietness of those islands. I stayed there for 5 days, which I think was just perfect. The beaches are normally empty or only with a handful of sunbathers, crowds are unheard of. Rocas Atoll, on the other hand, is off-limits to the casual visitor, you would need a special permit from the Brazilian Navy and have your own vessel to get to that uninhabited atoll.

I've just returned from Brasil, one of few countries that are almost completely open for tourist visits, i.e. no quarantine, no test and even no travel insurance covering COVID is required. The only exception is Fernando de Noronha (Brazilian Atlantic Islands WHS) that require a negative test. Land borders are still closed for foreigners, but airports are open.

Although the country is open for visits, some restrictions within the country are imposed. All museums are closed, though at least some of them should reopen soon. In most states churches are closed too, except for masses, which means they can be visited early morning and in the evening. There are a few exceptions and inconsequences, e.g. in Rio cathedral and Candelaria church were open but Sao Bentos closed, in Brasilia cathedral closed but Dom Bosco open. In Wearing masks inside is mandatory, vast majority of Brazilians wears them outside, some even on beaches! Overall people are concerned and disciplined. We had temperature checks two times transiting a town and several times in hotels and national parks.

But apart from that everything is open, including all WHS (fortunately all of them are open-air). Almost all national parks are open, I noticed only one exception - magnificent NP Cavernas do Peruacu (TWHS) is closed indefinitely.

During my 18-day trip (I came with my wife and children) we was able to cover 14 WHS - Rio, Valongo Wharf, Paraty, Congonhas, Ouro Preto, Pampulha, Diamantina, Goias, Brasilia, Cerrado, Serra da Capivara, Sao Francisco Square, Salvador and Discovery Coast. Detailed route is in this link:

https://www.travellerspoint.com/map/#/trip/1295979

As you may have noticed, this trip required a rental car, which is in my opinion the most effective and cheapest way of transport, especially for the family of 4. WHS in Brazil are spread all over the country, so completing them all would require a lot of flying anyway. I rented a bigger automatic SUV, which cost me around 500 EUR for the whole 18 days from the biggest car rental company in Brasil (Localiza Hertz), with no mileage limit. SUV was a wise choice since sometimes I had to go off-road (in total at least 200 km), but always for non-WHS destinations. It can be avoided if you focus on WHS and main roads. Automatic transmission is also recommended as there are lots of road bumps (but not that many as in Mexico or Iran). Quality of roads varies, some have a lot of holes (especially the ones in Piaui, to and from Serra da Capivara), but overall it is decent. But they are narrow and full of trucks, which makes overtaking difficult, especially on curvy/hilly roads of Brazilian Highlands. Average speed is quite low, usually less than 70kmph, and maximum speed is frequently enforced by speed cameras. But if you leave main roads, you won't meet speed cameras or road police at all. Overall, driving was harder than in Argentina but easier than e.g. in Iran.

Brazilian real is at historical lows, which makes this country really cheap. Full tank of gas costs around 40 EUR, ethanol is around 30% cheaper. But fuel prices vary from 2.75 reals (Goias) to even 4.6 (downtown Rio) for 1 litre of ethanol. Accomodation is super cheap, you can easily find a quadruple room for 30-40 EUR. Food is relatively more expensive, but you can eat very cheap lunch on the road for even 10 EUR per family, while dinner on the beach/downtown can easily cost even four times more.

Language barreer is an issue, after you leave Rio nobody speaks English or any other language except Portuguese. Buying brazilian SIM card is recommended. You have to go to telecom sales points and buy and register SIM card there. Card is 10 reals, minimum charge additional 10 reals.

Although Brazil has bad reputation in terms of security, after leaving big cities (in our case Rio and Salvador) we felt completely safe. We had a wonderful trip, a big break from the European restrictions.

I will share details of going to particular WHS in the reviews, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Wow, I'm impressed by your itinerary, thanks for sharing it. I'm looking forward for your reviews.
I have some questions about Paraty as I may go there next year. Did you visit some of the natural components of the WHS? I was wondering if there's any restrictions, I read somewhere that some beaches around the city are closed. I also didn't quite understand how to visit Serra da Bocaina NP, did you visit it? I'm not sure what's the best way to check this NP, if it's ok to go by your own, or if you need a guide... I would like to do birdwatching there, I thought Serra da Bocaina would be the best part of this WHS to do it, but if you have a different perception, please tell me about it :) With birds or not, I'm in doubt if it's worthy to check the natural components of Paraty.

Hi @Zoe, just seeing your post and question (I'm not sure the @ symbol does anything outside Outlook). I visited Fernando de Noronha in November 2013, so my information is dated. From what I recall, I didn't need a permit to board the flight from Recife. I just had to pay for a permit on arrival in Fernando de Noronha (I think the amount was based on length of stay). I think I stayed three days/two nights, but would have liked another day, but couldn't fit in to my schedule.

I didn't think I posted many pics from Fernando, but this is the link to the photos I took

https://michaelnovins.smugmug.com/Fernando-de-Noronha/Fernando-de-Noronha/

It's a beautiful places, so the more days the better.

Hi Michael, thanks for your reply and same to aender.

@Rafabram

I am not aware of any restrictions regarding Paraty and during my trip I didn't see any beach that was closed. Paraty was the busiest town of my whole trip and many visitors come there for beaches.

I just crossed Serra da Bocaina on the road to Cunha, without visiting the park itself (I knew I would visit one of rainforests of Discovery Coast, so it wouldn't have added too much of experience) so I am not aware if it was open but I suppose it is. I checked many national parks and, as I mentioned previously, only one was closed. For any doubts, check very informative www.icmbio.gov.br site (today it is not working properly, at least for Serra da Bocaina page). If guide is needed, it will be mentioned there.

I am wondering what the status is of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (LMNP). That park must be in the queue somewhere between 2022 and 2024.

LMNP was postponed in 2020/2021 because Brazil had put forward 2 sites simultaneously, of which Sitio Roberto Burle Marx was brought forward first (and got inscribed in 2021). However, the LMNP documentation was Complete as well, so there would be no hurdle to submit it for 2023 or 2024.
The Brazilian Fortresses nomination was incomplete in 2020/2021, but news reports suggest it was completed later (2022 presumably). We have that one now for 2023. Where would LMNP fit in?

A few questions for my upcoming trip to Northern Brazil:

1. What to see in a day in Manaus?
Will go to the TWHS Theatre of course, and will do the Central Amazon WHS from a different location. But what about the "museums", any to recommend: Museu da Amazonia (same as Jardim Botanico?), INPA (Bosque da Ciência), Museu Amazônico (indigenous archeology), Museu do Homem do Norte (open air anthropology)?

2. Visiting Ver-o-Peso market (Belem)
Any recommendations for a (food) guide? I know I can visit on my own, but think I will get more out of it with someone who knows what's what.

In addition to the tips presented in today's blog post, I have some more detailed info to share about my recent trip to 12 of Brazil's WHS and 4 TWHS. All of the (T)WHS in the north I have described in reviews, a few still have to be published in the coming 2 weeks.

Itinerary
My itinerary, including some hotels I'd like to recommend (often the pricier ones...):
D1: Flight Amsterdam - Sao Paulo. Taxi to switch airports. Overnight airport hotel in Campinas.
D2: Flight to Manaus (3.5h). See Amazon theater TWHS 1/2. Overnight Manaus.
D3: Walk through historic center of Manaus. Uber to Museu do Homem do Norte. Overnight Manaus.
D4: Flight Manaus – Tefe. Picked up by boat for transfer to floating Uakari Lodge (1.5h). Overnight Mamiraua.
D5-D6: Fixed 4D3N program at the lodge, together with a Brazilian woman. Hike trails and boat tours. Also presentation about Mamirauá Reserve and visit to a Ribeirinho village. Central Amazon WHS. Overnight Mamiraua.
D7: Boat and flight back to Manaus. Overnight Manaus.
D8: Flight Manaus – Belem. Visit Amazon Theater TWHS 2/2. Overnight Belem.
D9: Early morning TWHS Ver-o-Peso. Afternoon flight Belem-Sao Luis, shared van from airport directly to Barreirinhas. Overnight Barreirinhas.
D10: Day tour to TWHS Lencois Maranhenses. Overnight Barreirinhas.
D11: Morning bus to Sao Luis with Cisne Branco. See Sao Luis center for WHS. Overnight Sao Luis.
D12: More exploring of Sao Luis in the morning. Afternoon flight to Recife. Overnight Recife.
D13: Flight Recife – Fernando de Noronha early morning. Hike north of island. Overnight Remedios.
D14-D15: Explore WHS Brazil Atlantic Islands: boat tour and hiking. Overnight Remedios.
D16: Afternoon flight to Recife. Uber from airport to Olinda. Overnight Olinda in Hotel 7 Colinas (excellent choice for a break: lush gardens, nice pool, onsite restaurant).
D17-D18: Visit Olinda WHS and Recife for Brazil Fortifications TWHS. Overnight Olinda.
D19: Flight Recife – Petrolina. Pick-up rental car, drive 4.5h to Serra da Capivara area. Overnight Coronel Jose Diaz.
D20: Explore Serra da Capivara WHS with local guide. Overnight Coronel Jose Diaz.
D21: Morning tour in Serra da Capivara. Drive back to Petrolina airport. Flight to Recife in evening. Nightbus to Aracaju. Overnight in sleeper bus.
D22: WHS Sao Cristovao directly from Aracaju bus station by Uber. Overnight Aracaju.
D23: Bus to Salvador (5h). Overnight Salvador de Bahia.
D24-D25: WHS Salvador and TWHS Brazilian forts in Salvador. Overnight Salvador de Bahia at Pousada Solar dos Deuses.
D26: Flight to Belo Horizonte. Uber (40km) to Pampulha. Overnight Pampulha (Pampulha Design Hotel).
D27: Pampulha WHS. Night bus to Sao Paulo (8h). Overnight sleeper bus.
D28: Bus to Peruibe (2.5h) from SP's Jabaquara Bus Station (reachable by metro). Overnight Guarau.
D29: Tour into Atlantic Forest WHS. Overnight Guarau.
D30: Bus back to Sao Paulo, afternoon bus to Rio (6h). Overnight Rio de Janeiro.
D31: Visit WHS Roberto Burlio Marx by metro and Uber. Overnight Rio de Janeiro.
D32: Flight to Porto Seguro, pick up rental car for Discovery Coast WHS. Evening return flight. Overnight Rio de Janeiro.
D33: Visit Valongo Wharf WHS and Mosteiro de Sao Bento TWHS. Afternoon flight back home to NL. Overnight on the plane.

Costs
I spent 167 EUR per day, excluding international flights. This is costly, while Brazil itself is fairly inexpensive regarding accommodation, food and entrance fees. It's all the moving around that makes the transport costs high. The 534 EUR per WHS including intercontinental flights is still reasonable within my year budget (remember: a WHS visit should cost max 650 EUR!) – while you are there you should try to make the most of it. In hindsight I regretted that I didn't push on to the final 2 WHS to 'complete' Brazil, it would only have taken 4 days or so but I was bumping into the Christmas/New Year holiday season.

Online booking of transport and accommodation
Brazil's tourism industry is mostly focused on domestic tourists. When trying to book things beforehand online, you'll often encounter typical Brazilian methods such as PIX and the inescapable CPF. The CPF is the Brazilian personal id number, and apparently you need it for everything. When booking a ticket, usually a passport number can be given instead. But further in the process they often ask for the CPF only. I used a random CPF generator that I found online to get a valid number and just added that (without further consequences).
People transfer money by PIX all the time ("You don't have PIX?" Every beggar in Brazil has PIX...). When I was asked to transfer money beforehand (2 or 3 times) I always used Wise instead. Wise does not allow you to send money to Brazilian businesses, but the pousada owners gave me their private account numbers instead.

Language
As the north isn't visited much by foreign tourists (except for the beaches in the northeast), you need a basic understanding of Brazilian-Portuguese to facilitate day-to-day activities. I did 10 lessons at Duolingo in the 2 weeks before that trip and I found that it really helped. Also, knowing Spanish does help as well – especially in understanding.

It is really impressive how Els was able to cover a vast territory in North/Northeastern Brazil harvesting 10 WHS in just 5 weeks.
Which are the remaining Brazilian WHS that you mentioned as non visited?
I have visited 23 WHS, only missing Burle Marx's in Rio, and I will ve visiting it in the following months, "completing" WHS in Brazil.

Goias and Cerrado. Was there a reason you didn't add them to the trip?