On this page we first introduce a short overview of our travel plan. Second we introduce the three city's we will definitely visit, below that we have placed a Google map with possible projects, universities, and cultural hot-spots we might visit.

We have booked all flights and hotels. Further, the study tour program is known. On this page we continue with details related to the travel plan.

International flight

We will head for Brazil on September 18th. We will fly from Schiphol Airport, have a short stop in Europe and continue to Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo. Participants can end their Brazilian experience up to three weeks after the official study tour. Although the return dates are different for each participant, return flights will all depart from Galeao Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport in Rio de Janeiro. The return flights will also have a short stop in Europe before landing on Dutch terrain again.

Domestic flights

The domestic flights are confirmed by the travel agency (flight times can be subject of change). The operating airline will be Gol, one of the biggest airlines of Brazil. On both airports, the baggage check in opens at 90 minutes before take off.

The flight details are as follows: 25/26 September from Sao Paulo to Manaus (23:05-2:05), flight JJ-3746 2 Oktober from Manaus to Rio de Janeiro (04:10-9.15), flight G3-1633

Hotels

The accommodations in which the study tour delegation will stay in are:

·         São Paulo, Hotel Mantovani:

http://www.residenzamantovani.com.br/flash.asp

·         Manaus, Hotel Monaco:

http://www.hotelmonacomanaus.com.br/

·         Rio de Janeiro, Rio Roiss:

http://www.rioroiss.com.br/

These hotel names are not quite unique, use the links for more information.

Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city of Brazil; its metropolitan area has about 14 million inhabitants. Rio de Janeiro is famous for its natural settings, its carnival celebrations, samba, Bossa Nova and hotel-lined tourist beaches, such as Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon. Some of the most famous landmarks in addition to the beaches include the giant statue of Christ, known as Christ the Redeemer ('Cristo Redentor') atop Corcovado mountain, named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; Sugarloaf mountain (Pão de Açúcar) and Maracanã stadium, one of the world's largest football stadiums. Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Summer Olympics, and will be the first South American city to host the event. The city also boasts the largest and second largest urban forests in the world: Tijuca Forest and the forest in Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca.

It is interesting to visit during the study tour because it is an enormous urban area with the corresponding problems. Problems with traffic, water supply (sanitation) and buildings (urban planning), but also social problems; there are huge problems concerning social and economical inequity. There are significant disparities between the rich and the poor in Rio de Janeiro. Although the city clearly ranks among the world's major metropolises, a large proportion of the city's inhabitants live in poverty. The poorest of the areas are the slums and shanty towns known as favelas. The slums are often crowded onto the hillsides, where sturdy houses are difficult to come by. The Brazilian Government are making vast investments in this areas, as a part of the PAC (PAC - Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento - Growing Acceleration Program) aimed in improve inhabitants life quality and decrease the violence level.

Rio de Janeiro is also one of the host cities for the FIFA World Cup 2014 and the host city for the Summer Olympics in 2016. These two things will give an enormous boost for developments in infrastructure and other projects. Examples: new public transport, new sport complexes and the clean-up of Guanabara Bay and Barra da Tijuca lagoons for the Olympic Games.

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and the world's 7th largest metropolitan area. Its metropolitan area has about 20 million inhabitants. The city is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous Brazilian state. It is also the richest city in Brazil. São Paolo is the economic and cultural centre of the country. It is the definitive example of urban sprawl, the thought of 20 million people in one metro area, with all the inherent congestion and traffic. São Paulo is also known for its unreliable weather, the size of its helicopter fleet, architecture, gastronomy, and multitude of skyscrapers.

São Paolo is interesting to visit because it is the heart of the Brazilian economy and industry. It is the biggest urban area in Brazil. This leads automatically to interesting civil and social problems and projects. It is also one of the host cities of the FIFA World Cup 2014 which will boost infrastructural and other building projects. Example projects are the high speed train Campinas – São Paolo - Rio, the new metro, traffic calming measures (rotating system for car access to the center).

Manaus is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Amazonas, it lies deep into the Amazon rainforest. It is situated at the confluence of the Rio Negro and Rio Solimões. It is the most populous city of Amazonas, its metropolitan area has about 2 million inhabitants, and is a popular ecotourist destination. It was known at the beginning of the century, as Heart of the Amazon and City of the Forest. Currently its main economic engine is the Industrial Pool of Manaus; a system of federal investments and tax incentives has turned the surrounding region into a major industrial center (the Free Economic Zone of Manaus). It is the second largest metropolitan area in the Northern Brazil and the twelfth in all of Brazil. Manaus alone represents about 11% of the population of the whole Northern Brazil and 50% of the population of the Amazon.

The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world. Wet tropical forests are the most species-rich biome, and tropical forests in the Americas are consistently more species rich than the wet forests in Africa and Asia. As the largest tract of tropical rainforest in the Americas, the Amazonian rainforests have unparalleled biodiversity. More than 1/3 of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest.

Manaus is interesting to visit because it is the heart of the Amazon. The problems and projects concerning the rainforest (deforestation etc.) are plenty. There is much controversy with projects like new infrastructure and hydrologic power plants. Also the effect of deforestation on the Amazon Rivers is interesting and of course the meeting of the rivers. For 6 km, The amazon and the Rio Negro run side by side, without mixing. Manaus is also one of the host cities of the Copa 2014, so here also boosts for infrastructure and building projects. But maybe even more interesting is that Manaus calls itself “The Green Host City of the Copa 2014”. So there will be plenty of projects that will be interesting to visit during the study tour.