Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires: 2 Week Itinerary
Beginning in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and departing from Buenos Aires, Argentina is a common route tread by travelers, and it’s a fairly manageable itinerary if you have 14-16 days. Personally, I wish I’d had an extra week (at least) to explore Uruguay a little more, but if two weeks is all you can get, it’s better to take it than not…and I did! Rio de Janeiro: 4 days Four days in Rio will give you just enough time to take in the sights, and get a little bit of a feel for the city. You can check out Sugar Loaf Mountain, Ipanema Beach, Copacabana, Lapa (for nightlife), and, you must must eat Brazilian barbecue. (Carretão is a good, relatively inexpensive Brazilian barbecue chain). And then, of course, there’s the Cristo Redentor. Rio de Janeiro Tourist Tip: If you’re going to see Christ the Redeemer up close, especially in high tourist season, go as early as you can – which is 8AM. There are two reasons for doing this: 1. The line to take the train up to the Redeemer is a LOT shorter, if nonexistent. Since the statue is at the very top of Corcovado mountain, tourist access is only achieved by sending trolley cars up the mountain – a journey that takes about 20 minutes, and seating on these trains is limited. When you buy a ticket, you’re given a ticket for the train’s next departure time, which can be backed up for 2 hours or longer if you wait to go later in the day. 2. Jesus’ head is shrouded in clouds and smog by noon. If you wait too long, you won’t be able to get a good picture of/with Jesus, since his head will likely disappear into the afternoon clouds that roll through on a daily basis (in summertime, at least). Where We Stayed: We rented a flat two blocks off Copacabana Beach, which was a perfect central location to several of Rio’s neighborhoods and the perfect spot for New Year’s Eve. Try airbnb to find similar flats. Getting From Rio de Janeiro to Iguazu Falls: 1 day Flying directly from Rio de Janeiro to Puerto Iguazú, Argentina isn’t a cheap flight, as it’s an international flight. It’s less expensive to either take a bus or fly domestically from Rio to Foz do Iguaçu, and then crossing the land border into Puerto Iguazú, Argentina. A note about buying domestic flights in Brazil: Without a CPF ID number (Brazilian ID number), you’ll have a heck of a time trying to book a fairly priced domestic flight within Brazil. I ended up having to get my Brazilian friend to buy the ticket, and then pay her back – but internet research tells me...
Adventures in Uruguay
With 6 full days in Buenos Aires, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to dart across the Riviere de la Plata and spend a day exploring Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. Uruguay is, in all honestly, a country I knew nothing about, nor did I ever imagine I’d visit. After wandering around the town for a few hours and with only an hour before our ferry was scheduled to depart, we decided we wanted to venture to an area just outside of town, to see the Plaza de Torros, a now abandoned bullring built in the early 1900’s. We could’ve flagged a taxi, or rented a scooter, as so many other daytrippers had done and were buzzing all over town. But I’m always bent on the cheapest way of doing things, as is Trista. And so, with only an hour left in Uruguay, we opted to wait for the public bus, which we didn’t expect should take very long. After ten minutes with no bus, I started looking agitatedly at my watch – our minutes left in Uruguay were ticking by. I never ride public transportation in Nashville- ever– so in my mind, buses should magically appear every 5 minutes. When that didn’t happen, my anxiety grew. As a lover of foreign architecture, I really wanted to see the Plaza de Torros – but I didn’t want to get stuck in Uruguay with nothing but my passport. I saw a bus appear over the horizon. I lept from the bench excitedly, completely ignoring the bus number. I wanted to get on it simply because at least it was going somewhere, but the old Uruguayan woman also waiting at our stop wagged her finger at me. I took a deep breath and sat back down. Finally, the old public bus bearing the correct number came bumbling up the hill, creaking to a slow stop in front of us. We ambled to the back of the bus, where we were met by stares from locals. Tourists must use the scooters, evidently. As the bus sputtered down the road, taking us further and further out of town, I looked at the neighborhoods, dingy with Latin American spirit from years of dirt kicking up off the dusty road. Traffic lights were nonexistent, street signs were rusty from years of rain and wind, making it impossible for us to follow along on our map. It was the real Uruguay, not polished for tourist eyes. After a good 15 minute ride, the bus stopped at the Plaza del Torros, and we took in the bizarre sight of a Coliseum set in the middle of a quiet neighborhood. Much to our dismay,...
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I'm Laryssa, and when I'm not working in film or television, I'm attempting to travel -- or I'm here, providing resources for working in film or travel. Read more Elsewhere on the internets
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