Touring South America--Suggestions?

[muffinman44]

Greetings,
My girlfriend and I are planning on taking an extended trip to South America this winter. We want to visit as many naturist beaches and resorts as possible while there. In my research it seems like Brazil by far has the most places. Does anybody have suggestions on literature, info, websites, etc. to help with the logistics of putting this all together? Looking for info on accommodations, resorts, networking with locals, whatever. Thanks in advance for any ideas.

[atalanta]

Brazil is a big place! Try Chihuahua beach in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Lots of space, and it's a fantastic resort as well.

[nudnurs]

there is also a place near Buenos Aires, I can find its name if you're interested Kevin

[Caipora]

Brazil's major difficulty from your perspective, likely to continue in the summer (which you may call "winter", December through March) is that the air traffic system is ... well, to avoid problems with the board's automatic censor, it's making a trip by handbasket. Also, the exchange rate is less favorable, the real down from three-to-the dollar a few years back, to under two-to-the-dollar now. And you'll need visas, which are pricey: tit-for-tat for the absurdly expensive U.S. visas for Brazilians.

That's the downside. On the upside, beautiful country, friendly people. Although air chaos reigns, in Brazil long-distance buses are middle-class transportation, and I've ridden on some that are more comfortable than some U.S. planes I've flown.

There are several well-known naturist beaches in the south, not all that far from Uruguay. Torres is one. Some beaches have policies to keep out single men; traveling with a girlfriend you may find that provides a better ambiance. In the Northeast, the best-known beach is Tambaba. That's not a bus trip from the South, but you may want to schedule something like a flight to Uruguay, buses hopping up the southern coast, then a plane to the Northeast, and slow ground travel northward.

Keep in mind that a lot of the coast is relatively wild, and places like waterfalls have loose rules. Paraty is an old colonial port, to where slave caravans carried the gold from Vila Rica, when it was the richest city in the western hemisphere. For a very reasonable sum you can rent a boat with a boatman and ask him to take you to a deserted island to swim.

Not too many years ago my wife and I, up in the Northeast, went for a walk one morning. We left at 4AM, walked along twenty-five miles of white tropical beach beside azure sea for seven hours, and we passed six people along the way. We didn't pass any "clothing optional" signs, of course.

In general, avoid large cities. Don't visit Rio. Don't rent a car. Small towns are good. Be friendly, you'll find people are. Generally adolescents are great tour guides, they know where the waterfalls are, who has good food at the next town up, etc., and it doesn't take much cash to make them happy. We had a great time in a mountain town with two kids who knew the waterfalls, and had a horse and buggy for transportation.

It depends on what else you want to see, just when you'll be here - school summer vacation can mean higher prices and more crowding, but also available tour guides and, if you're college age, more amusing people about.

If you're going places where everyone speaks English, you're doing it wrong.

Your other interests besides naturist beaches will influence the best itinerary.

Cheers,
Caipora