Got my flight reservations today, but I still do not know where I will go in Brazil or where I should try to go. I guess I will figure that out after I get there.

Hi Lars,

What a fantastic trip! Brazil is very large country and you didn't mention to which cities you would be going. Have you tried Trip Advisor? It is a great website for planning a vacation. Here is a link to a search for "gardens" in the country of Brazil. I think it will a good start for you.

Trip Advisor: gardens in Brazil

Looking forward to hearing about where you go and seeing some photos when you get back!

Carol in Jacksonville

Hi everyone.

Lars - How I envy you, as looking at brom’s and orchids
in their country of origin is something I've always wanted to do but
unfortunately the opportunity to do so has never presented itself.

I don’t have any personal experience of where you should
go while you are in Brazil, but with the help of good old “Google”, I’ve found
four sites which you should find of some help.

http://gardentravelhub.com/garden_guide/brazil/

http://www.cactos.com.br/us/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=744

http://www.impactplants.com.au/plant-of-the-month/bromeliads/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g303506-d4023010-i108919392-Rio_Alternative_Tour-Rio_de_Janeiro_State_of_Rio_de_Janeiro.html

As Brazil is known world-wide for its bromeliads, I’m,
sure there will be travel agents only too happy to arrange a day-trip or two for
you to see some of these gems either in gardens, nurseries or maybe even in
habitat.

Wherever you go, we look forward to seeing some pictures when
you return, so go and have a good time and enjoy it.

All the best, Nev.

Thanks for the help and the links - I didn't know where to look and so far, all I have is one guide book, which does not mention gardens that much.

We will be going to Rio de Janeiro primarily, plus Petropolis, and not venture all that far from there, although we may rent a car for part of the trip. There should be enough in the state of RJ for us to see, but we are not limited to that. BTW, the Calçadão de Copacabana makes me dizzy and a bit nauseous, as I have walked on a similar path at a shopping center in Waco.

It looks like Tripadvisor has some good suggestions, and I'll start making a list of which ones I want to see.

I think I want to visit Trilha Farol Do Cabo Frio to go to a beach outside the city. We will be changing planes in MIami, and this will be my first trip to Florida, but hopefully not my last. My brother has a friend in Tampa who wants us to visit her.

I had not researched Brazil because it was not on my list of places to go, but since my friend invited me, I thought it would be a good opportunity and something different. Now I just have to learn a bit of Portuguese. I'm reasonably fluent in Italian and Spanish (very fluent in German), but I don't know how far that will get me. My friend speaks Portuguese, or else I would not even consider going.

From my own research, I mostly found warning about mosquitoes associated with bromeliads in Brazil, and I was unable to find specific locations to find wild bromeliads. I think Brazil is going to be very different from Costa Rica, as there appears to be less conservancy in Brazil. I think people may be afraid to go to bromeliad preserves in Brazil because of the mosquitoes. I did not find any mosquitoes in CR, but I will definitely take plenty of insect repellent plus Allegra for my allergies.

If necessary, you can speak in Spanish and for the most part people will understand you because the two languages are similar (just different pronounciation on the words endings). Another tip, if you haven't had yellow fever vaccine in the last 10 years, please get one, because recently there are outbreaks in several states, including Rio de Janeiro, especially in rural areas. The disease spreads by mosquito bites. I've been to Rio and the mosquitos were horrible. You could just randomly swing a mosquito racket and guaranteed it will hit some.

Thanks for the info about yellow fever - I'll have to make sure my brother has the vaccination also, as he is going with me. Mosquitoes generally love me, but not my brother, but the repellent normally works well. I'm hoping that there will be fewer mosquitoes in June, as it is drier and also the beginning of winter, such as it is.

People in Italy understood me when I accidentally threw in a Spanish word when speaking Italian, and so maybe Brazilians will understand some of my Spanish. I think I can read a fair amount of Portuguese but still study the grammar before I go.

Have you contacted the brom society? Maybe there is a plant hunting trip you could join?

Just read Jerry Raack article about a trip he made a few yrs ago.

jo

Hi Jo and everyone,

In what year or even better, month and year was that article published? And in what publication? Was it in the Bromeliad Society International Journal (BSI Journal)?

Here's a link to the BSI online Journal archive:

http://journal.bsi.org/index07.html

Thanks!

Carol in Jacksonville

Have to look it up.

have a tendency to find/read then forget where I read it.

get back to you asap.

Raack, Jerry. In search of Tillandsia raacki (again)

journal of bromeliad society

48(3):121- 124,129

hope this helps..

Jo

Thanks, Jo! And here it is. The article starts on page 13 of 25 (right-hand side of page):

http://journal.bsi.org/PDF/V48/BSI_V48(3).pdf

Carol

Glad to find it. He's not a young guy, I could not tramp around in the wilds the way he is doing. He's my age.

i looked at the garden list from trip advisor to check if Burle Marx garden/home was on it and it is: Sitio Roberto Burle Marx. It's near Rio. I highly recommend that you visit it.

He is a very famous artist / landscaping designer that did many city plantings in Rio and Brasilia. He loved broms and constructed special wall niches to plant them in a most natural way around his garden.

article about him

Hi from Brazil! I hope you enjoy your stay here!

I am from Rio but I've moved a long time ago. It's an amazing city.

You have to check the Jardim Botânico (botanical garden). It was founded in 1808 by the prince regent Don João. It's a very peaceful place to relax and enjoy a walk. I haven't been there in ages but there were so many beautiful plants there from what I remember and a great coffee shop. Anyway, the entrance fee helps the program to preserve endangered species, so just by visiting you are helping our local flora!

Don't forget to check the beautiful and decadent Parque Lage nearby!

There's also the Parque da Tijuca, you'll definitely find bromeliads and a lot more there :)

Also, there's the Pedra Branca Park where there's a place dedicated to bromeliads, it's located in the state of Rio de Janeiro but it's a bit far from Rio, about 1h30min by car, so Idk... But it's the biggest urban forest reserve in the world I think... So it's worth the trip if you like plants.

Since your coming in the winter you don't have to worry about mosquitos, but you still should wear some repellent lotion if you're visiting the parks and reserves. Also, even if it's winter don't forget to bring a bathing suit, you never know... You have to visit the Santa Teresa neighborhood and watch the sunset at Arpoador, it's amazing. Be careful with your belongings though, a lot of robbers like to target tourists because they are so distracted by the beautiful places. Don't take any taxis that don't have a cooperative sticker on the car, they are mostly scams. Maybe stick with uber. And I think you will be fine with just speaking english, it's not like everyone will speak english but brazilians always find a way :)

Not plant related, but next time you come to Brazil I recommend going to Bahia and other northeastern states, because the best beaches are there. Everyone should visit Fernando de Noronha island, it's heaven. Also Jericoacoara and Porto de Galinhas, but there are many other beautiful places....

Hope you have a good trip!

So Lars, that trip is coming right up! Have a good and safe visit. Please post some pictures and stories when you come back!

Carol

L.B., unfortunately I missed your post before I left :(. I would definitely have gone to Pedra Branca Park if I had known, but we went to the national park near Teresopolis instead (Serra dos Órgãos). I will be posting photos next. We did go to the Jardim Botânico in Rio, which is a fantastic park, but the bromeliads there were a bit disappointing - compared to the other park. I have to imagine that Pedra Branca would be fantastic, but we did go to Ilha Grande, for the beaches - not for the bromeliads. However, this tree on Ilha Grande had quite a few Tillandsia: