Tropical forests are home to millions of biting and stinging insects and other creatures. Most are harmless and many are rarely seen. Mosquitoes can carry malaria and dengue, so it's important to protect yourself. Escaping the Amazon without a few bites is nearly impossible—some anti-itch ointment will help you sleep at night.

Mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, biting flies and other insects can distract travelers from the enjoyment of their trip. Taking a few precautions and using common sense will serve the traveler well, such as:

If you're allergic to stings, carry an adrenaline kit.

Use screens on windows and doors, and sleep in rooms with air-conditioning, if possible.

Apply strong repellents containing picaridin or DEET (diethyl toluamide) when hiking in rural or forested areas.

A mosquiteiro (netting for hammock or bed) helps tremendously at night—to be effective it must reach the floor and not touch your skin.

Taxes on Goods and Services — ICMS — Impostos Sobre Circulação de Mercadorias e Prestação de Serviços
While there is no sales tax per se in Brazil, every manufacturer, distributor, retailer or provider of almost every type of merchandise or service pays the state ICMS and passes the cost along to the consumer. While there are some exemptions (mainly pertaining to goods bound for exportation, raw minerals and interstate transmission of electricity and fuels), the only exemption that really impacts consumers is an exemption on newspapers, magazines and books.

Because this tax is largely a "hidden" tax—in that it is not noted on any receipt nor directly on the price of the goods—most consumers have no idea how much the ICMS is actually costing them, but you can be sure that 18-80% of the costs of goods and services are attributed to the ICMS tax.

While tap water will be o.k for cooking, it is certainly not be suitable for drinking or for washing food such as fresh fruit and vegetables. Although in some areas, restaurants etc., might well have a safe drinking water supply, err on the side of caution and only drink bottled mineral water, which is inexpensive and widely available

Staying Connected in Brazil

Telephone:
Rio's airport provides 24-hour telecommunication services. Public telephones accept telephone cards (cartões telefônicos), which can be obtained from newspaper kiosks. International calls from Brazil are expensive.

Mobile phone:
Mobile coverage is generally very good. Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies, but travellers should check with their service providers as typical roaming fees are very expensive. An unlocked GSM tri- or quad-band cell phone works in Brazil, with SIM cards widely available. Minutes can be added via cartões pre-pago (prepaid cards), available at newspaper kiosks.

A tourist can stay in Brazil for a maximum of six months in any twelve-month period. He must first have obtained a visa for 90 days. Once in Brazil, he may apply for a single extension of up to 90 additional days. At the end of the extended stay, the tourist must leave the country, and may only return to Brazil as a tourist after another six months have elapsed.