Brazil is a wonderful country where one is greeted with much joy and smiles. Much of the population lives in poverty and education is still developing, but you can see a general joy of living in the people here.

​

Brazil is 7000 km of beaches, and is 17 times that of France, about 200 million people - and yet 70% of the country is virgin territory. The population is mainly concentrated in the cities.

In Parajuru you will find lots of tranquility, far from the image of Brazil often shown in the media.

In the Northeast of Brazil, it is mainly small open houses on small plots called "lote". These houses are made of red brick and tile-lined roofs with open verandas. Many do not possess glass windows but wooden blinds

In their gardens, you will often find a charcoal stove for cooking and hens that provide eggs and meat. Households will often have at least one dog, but few cats. Electricity arrived only in the 2000s in the small villages of the Northeast.

Like all the countries of South America, Brazil is a country where people love to party. Music is an essential part of their lives, especially for young people. You will often see cars which have converted the boot into a giant speaker. Sharing music is part of local custom.

Brazilians enjoy a lot of days off where everyone uses it as an excuse to party. Living conditions can often be harsh, so they take any opportunity to celebrate the joy of living. The carnival is not only a folklore, it is the spirit of life.

There are two seasons in Brazil: Summer and Winter. Summer is the rainy season and Winter the dry season. These seasons are offset from one another according to where you are in Brazil.

In the Northeast, Summer starts the month of February, after the carnival (generally) to the end of June or mid-July. This varies a lot due to climate change in recent years, so it is only a broad estimate. The temperature generally varies from 26 ° to 32 °.

During the rainy season, the temperature feels hotter because of the humidity. It rains mostly at night and not as much during the day. Mosquitoes are common at this time, so be prepared. All rooms at Castelo Vendom are provided with mosquito nets.

Brazilian cuisine often consists of red beans, rice, pasta and barbequed meat called "churrasco". In the Northeast however, seafood is more frequently on offer  at the many beach barracas.

For sports holidays, we recommend that you check with your insurance provider that your sport is covered - specifically for kitesurfing and horseriding. For horseriding, we will ask for proof of insurance.

Brazil is not known for the quality of its hospitals, so we recommend that you take repatriation insurance for peace of mind.

The currency of Brazil is the Brazilian Real - shown as BR or R$. It is often advantageous for tourists because it is low compared to the Euro and the Dollar. Exchange rates are generally between 3 and 4.5 to 1, but check current rates closer to your travels. At Castelo Vendom, our prices are in Reals so that you can benefit from the favorable exchange rate.

Credit cards are not accepted in many shops in the Northeast, so we recommend that you withdraw money in Fortaleza airport at an ATM. You can generally withdraw up to 3 times, 1000 R$ per time, by credit card.

The closest banks in Parajuru are 10km away, where you can only withdraw a maximum of 1300 R$ per day per card.

Please check visa requirements for your country of nationality. Many nationalities do not require a visa for tourist purposes for stays of less than 3 months in Brazil.

You must have a passport with validity of at least 6 months after the return date of your trip, and that has at least two blank pages available. If you have children who have different last names than you, take further documentation with you just in case.

If you travel to South America, there are some essentials you should not leave home without: Sunscreen, sunglasses UV400, sun hats or caps, insect repellant, earplugs, camera, charging adaptors and plugs, a GPS application on your smartphone and several credit cards.