Brazil

Travel Brazil on your gap year. Ideas for gap year travel to Brazil.

Brazil gap year - Gap year programmes in Brazil

If you are thinking about visiting South America on your gap year then Brazil is a fantastic country to head to. Indeed, given Brazil's size, it's difficult to ignore this part of South America. Brazil's area is nearly half that of the entire continent of South America. Brazil is also the world's fifth largest country and has the world's sixth largest population. Unlike the rest of South America, where Spanish is spoken, you'll need to speak Portuguese in Brazil. While the Spanish colonised the rest of South America during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Portuguese voyager Pedro Alvares Cabral landed in Brazil in 1500 and Brazil became a Portugeuse colony until it eventually regained its independence in 1822. To name just some of its highlights - Brazil is home to the fabulous city of Rio de Janeiro, some fabulous beaches, the Amazon rainforest, the amazing Iguacu Falls and the odd half-decent footballer too.

Most people flying in to Brazil choose the city of Rio de Janeiro. The people of Brazil have a saying that God made the world in six days, and on the seventh day he made Rio. It's certainly true to say that Rio's setting is magnificent. The city is sandwiched between the sea and mountains, along a 24 kilometre stretch within a beautiful curved bay. The best known of the mountains dominating the skyline is Sugar Loaf Mountain, from the top of which are superb views over the city. One of Brazil's most iconic sights, the forty metre high statue of Christ standing with his arms out-stretched, is on Corcovado Mountain. The main beaches to head for in Rio are Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon (the latter two are less built-up than Copacabana and tend to be cleaner). Fans and admirers of the Brazil football team can pay homage at Rio's Maracana Stadium. Even if you've no real interest in football, Brazilian or otherwise, watching a match at this 200,000-seater stadium with the accompanying samba bands is a real experience.

If you're in Brazil you should try and visit Rio during carnival time, which is spectacular. Each year on the Friday before Shrove Tuesday the Mayor of Rio hands the keys of the city to Momo, the Lord of Misrule. This symbolic act basically signals the start of Brazil's biggest party, lasting five days. The main roads are draped in colour, revellers wear fancy dress and there is dancing and singing everywhere. There is also a parade of amazing decorative floats, the spectacle of which is unrivalled anywhere else in the world. The carnival is not created as a Brazil tourist attraction, but as the result of many months of preparation by schools and community groups. Throughout the carnival the samba music of Brazil never stops.

Learn Portuguese - learning some of the language will definitely add to your overall experience and is important if you're doing some volunteer work. If you fancy learning Portuguese whilst travelling Brazil then Real Gap's ‘Cultural and Language Experience Brazil' is ideal. As with all of Real Gap's language programmes participants have the option of learning Portuguese and then adding a volunteer placement in Brazil of their choice should they so desire. If you want to get involved with a volunteer programme when you're in Brazil then a particularly rewarding option is Real Gap's ‘Youth Outreach Volunteer' project. The programme is an excellent opportunity to do some volunteer work in Brazil with children from Rio's favelas. The Community Education Centre at the heart of the programme relies on overseas volunteers in order to help it provide schooling and day care to approximately 400 underprivileged Brazilian children.

Brazil is a huge country where it would be easy to spend an entire gap year. Away from the tourist sights there are some fantastic opportunities in Brazil to get stuck in to some really worthwhile volunteer projects.

Brazil gap year - Gap year programmes in Brazil


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