There is plenty of adventure in the great outdoors of Brazil. The adventure tourism industry has grown a lot and, since 2005, Brazil is investing heavily in improving the quality and safety of its adventure tourism product. Here are some ideas of what you can do and where you can do it in Brazil. For those who like their shot of adrenaline in wild and beautiful natural areas, Brazil offers many interesting technical climbs. Hiking and trekking are popular all over Brazil and there are endless possibilities. Brazil has 29 peaks over 2.300 meters, and many of them are located in National Parks.

The present day mammal fauna of Brazil is a mixture of the descendants of ancient inhabitants of Gondwanaland and newcomers that descended from North America with the closing of the Panama land bridge about 3 million years ago. Some animals managed to reach South America after it was isolated, but before the sea became an unsurpassable barrier. These include the new world primates and the caviomorph rodents. But many of South America mammals are descendants from more recent arrivals and probably out competed species now extinct.

The mythical Amazon can only be described in superlatives. It covers an area of 5 million square kilometers of which 80% is on Brazilian territory. It is the largest and most intact rainforest region in the world. Through it flows an extensive drainage system of more than a thousand rivers and in the skies over the rainforest, you have the flying rivers that flow in the opposite direction from the ocean to the Andes. It is estimated that water is recycled as vapour and rain 5 times on this journey.

Visitors to Brazil usually list the stunning nature of Brazil as the number one attraction, but the friendly nature of Brazilians themselves comes a close second. As anyone who has visited Brazil can attest, Brazilians are fun loving and very welcoming. You will encounter this warm hospitality everywhere you go, whether it is in a small remote community or the big city. This month’s ecoDestinations online auction features a wide range of eco-vacation experiences in Brasil – from a rainforest hike tour to a wildlife adventure, to an organic farm stay.

“If you want to see the Amazon first hand, if you want to support local communities in their efforts to preserve the rainforest and all of its treasures and you want to keep your footprint barely visible then look no further than the Cristalino Jungle Lodge. For over 16 years, Vitoria Da Riva Carvalho and her crew have managed to make an almost entirely self-sustainable resort that is single-handedly responsible for preserving over 200,000 hectares (and counting) of rainforest.”