Hostels in Brazil

Brazil has been tantalising and luring travelers for centuries and it's easy to see why. Brazil literally has something for everyone, from its picture perfect old colonial towns, sun drenched beaches, dense and untamed jungles to its bustling cities. What's more, you can travel Brazil on almost any budget.

If you wish to travel around Brazil, you will find that you have many options. Brazil's major cities are well connected, so it's easy to take busses between, or even stop off, in smaller towns along the way. Brazil's bus system tends to be both safe and reliable, however it is more advisable to travel during the day where possible. As although the bus itself is safe, the bus station and its surroundings tend to be significantly less so and dodgy characters may be lurking after dark. In general, each major city tends to be serviced by only one company. So if you are traveling large distances, it is possible that you will be required to change both busses and companies when you arrive in a connecting city. This is easy to do, however it is wise not to book your connections too closely together in case of delays. Brazil also has budget airlines that fly to all major tourist destinations, including some islands. In some cases it is actually cheaper to fly than to catch a bus, so always compare the two options.

Brazil also offers the traveler plenty of accommodation options, including mid range and budget options. The price and quality of hostels vary according to region and proximity to the city or town centre. It is possible to find very cheap hostels on the outskirts of cities, although these tend to be less secure than other more reputable hostels within the city. Almost every hostel in Brazil will offer a free breakfast, which is a great bonus for the hungry travelers.

No trip to Brazil is complete without visiting world famous Rio de Janerio. The mere mention of it conjures images of days lazing about on picturesque beaches, wild nights in downtown bars, and exploring the stark contrast of the city's most glitzy suburbs to its infamous favelas. Rio has it all and an abundance accommodation options for you to explore it all from.

Rio de Janeiro has a multitude of hostels, in almost every suburb of the city. The highest concentration of hostels are centred around two main locations. The first been just south of Centro, in the Santa Teresa and Gloria region. Hostels here are easy to reach from the main bus station and are generally safe and well located for nightlife. But they are a fair distance from the main attractions of Copacabana.

The area from Copacabana to Leblon is probably the safest in the city, the most touristic, most beautiful and the most expensive. There are plenty of hostel options within walking distance to the beach and some of the best sites in Rio. If you want to experience some favela life, it is possible to book hostels in some safe and very trendy favelas such as Vidigal or Tavares Bastos.

Venturing away from Rio de Janeiro, you will find for the most part hostels tend to be cheaper and equally well equipped. Hostels outside of the major tourist towns may be called posadas. These tend to be smaller family run outfits and do not offer a guest kitchen.

If you are planning to head north to Manaus for a jungle tour or cross into another country from Boa Vista, be aware that there are less hostels available in these towns and they tend to be of a lower quality. For this reason it pays to book ahead and keep in mind that in these towns paying more for your hostel does not necessarily mean quality. Instead, when booking a hostel in cities like Manaus or Boa Vista, choose based on the reviews and ratings.

Handwritten by local expert for Brazil hostels Chloe