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EXPERT: Rio Carnaval 101

Q: I want to experience Carnaval in Rio, but I have never been to the city before and don’t even know where to begin figuring the whole thing out. I’d love to actually dance in a parades in costume – any ideas who to call?

A: Rio de Janeiro easily earns its nickname “The Marvelous City.” Any serious world traveler needs to visit Rio at least once in their life. Bronzed muscle men (aka “Barbies”) and ladies in thongs prance up and down the gorgeous beaches, with a dramatic backdrop of jutting verdant mountains looming in the background. The whole place oozes a casual vibe of sensuality, with a thumping samba beat as the soundtrack. The city’s infamous crime has been tempered by a tourist police force, and Rio now has a renovated airport, a fast new highway from the airport, and spruced-up parks and cleaned-up streets. And of course there are the world-renowned sites: the rocky peak of Pao de Açucar (Sugarloaf), the enormous 125-foot statue of Christ the Redeemer opening his arms high above the city, the Cármen Miranda museum featuring costumes of the Rio native, and the teeming Tijuca National Forest behind the city, said to be the largest urban forest in the world.

Rio is one of the friendliest places in South America, with most of the nightlife scene centered in the Ipanema and Copacaban areas, which also happen to be the tourist areas as well. But you are correct, for Rio’s Carnaval, it pays to have a guide. In 2012, the festivities occur from February 17th until February 21st. My recommendation is to go with a gay group tour. Chicago-based Zoom Vacations are specialists in gay Rio, and do a week-long trip from February 17 to 22, 2012. Not only do you have an on-hand group concierge traveling with you who can explain and translate the culture, you get a lot of fun activities like helicopter tours of Sugarloaf and Corcovado, private beach parties, advance tickets for the best dance events of the week, even complimentary daily use of a Nokia cell phone. Best of all, they can hook you up to dance in costume in the Carnaval parade – how many people can say they’ve done that? You can find them at www.zoomvacations.com.

Our resident travel expert, Matt Link, answers questions every week on NEWNOWNEXT.COM in conjunction with Orbitz.com.

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