Florianópolis to Punta del Diablo

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Company: EGA
Type: Leito
Price: R$ 328 each
Duration: 15 hrs

Details: After a rather big night out in Florianópolis we we’re a little hung over on the day of travel, so very much grateful to try our first full Leito sleeper bus. The lower deck 12-seater cabin had amazing fully reclining seats, hot food served at intervals, regular drinks top-ups and english-speaking movies played on screens. It pretty much felt like business class seats on a plane! After we set off at 2pm, we got speaking to a local lady about where we were heading. Our tickets only took us as far as Chuy, the boarder town between Brazil and Uruguay, and a good hours drive away from our destination. Normally you can’t get a bus directly from Florianópolis to Punta del Diablo, but after speaking with the lady and discussing with the bus hostess (with some diagrams and shaky translation) it seems they had arranged an unofficial drop-off point that they we’re willing to make for us just outside Punta del Diablo. This happened to be at 4.30am, and the drop-off was literally on the side of the road, about an hours walk from the town. So in the early hours of the morning the bus doors opened, we were handed our stamped passports, and we made our way on foot down the 5km dimly lit road towards Punta del Diablo. Joined by a friendly pack of dogs, we passed through the picturesque town dotted with small quirky houses. We watched the sun come up on the empty beach for a few hours in the early morning light and napped on the rocks as we waited to check in to our hostel. We couldn’t have asked for a more magical arrival into a country!

Side note: Getting bus tickets from Florianópolis to Uruguay was a little harder than we thought as buses only ran 3 times a week, meaning we had to stay a few more nights. Previously we’d try to buy tickets online and had a bit of a nightmare, so we decided to go to the station to book them in person (which took 2-3 hour out of our day). Not ideal but after speaking to locals this seemed to be the only way. The only tickets left we’re premium Leito seats, which we were happy to try!

São Paulo to Florianópolis

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Company: Caterinese
Type: Semi-leito
Price: $R161 each
Duration: 12 hrs

Details: We we’re due to get our 12 hour bus from São Paulo at 11.30pm, so we had some time to visit a restaurant before our long journey. Once again we we’re met with rain - but not just any rain - buckets of water fell from the sky, leaving us totally soaked despite getting taxis door to door. Fortunately our hostel let us shower and change before we left to the station saving us from a very long and damp bus ride. After that the evening went to plan and our comfy semi-leito seats allowed us a few disjointed hours of sleep. However, after passing our half way point of Curibita at around 6am, the bus driver decided it was time for everyone to wake up - not with a gentle fade of lights - but to full volume Brazilian power ballads! After bewildered looks and an angry call down to the driver by a passenger 4 songs later he finally turned it off. The remaining journey went very smoothly, and with the exception of Stef mistaking the toilet flush button with the emergency stop button (a not-so-happy the driver) we settled back to a few hours sleep. After an eventful 12 hours with monsoons, Brazilian power ballads and technical mishaps we finally arrived in Florianópolis, a little sleepy but ready for some sunshine.

Paraty to São Paulo

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Company: Reunidas
Type: Semi-leito
Price: $R57 each
Duration: 6 hours

Details: Our first long distance (6 hour) coach ride departed from the colonial town of Paraty. As we settled into our pre-booked semi-leito seats we were immediately impressed by the premium feel and decent amount of leg room we had compared with British coaches. As it was a beautifully clear and hot day we had boarded the bus in our flip flops and shorts, but as we looked around we noticed that everyone else had extra layers and blankets - we’d totally overlooked how cold the air con gets on the coaches! Our warmer clothes were stowed deep in the belly of the bus, but thankfully with a bit of huddling and quick sunbathing during rest stops we managed to avoid frost bite! The journey along the Rio—Santos highway, with picturesque views of the coast to our left and lush mountains on our right made for a lovely few hours travel. As we approached São Paulo we were met with torrential tropical rain, something we came to realise was not uncommon in the monstrous city. Despite the weather the bus arrived safely on time at Tietê, the largest terminal in South America, before jumping on the metro to our hostel.

Ilha grande to Paraty

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Company: Costa Verde
Type: Local Bus
Price: $R12 each
Duration: 2.5 hrs

Details: On our return from Ilha Grande we took the fast boat (30 mins) from Abraão back to the town of Angra dos Reis before jumping on the local bus to Paraty. The bus was very basic, bumpy and not particularly comfortable, and getting our backpacks past the turnstile must have made entertaining viewing. Thankfully it wasn’t a long journey, and we were excited to experience a more rustic bus ride. However, an hour or so after arriving we realised that when grabbing our bags to get off the bus one of Joe’s (carefully selected) hiking shoes had been left on the bus! Not the thing you want to happen so early on in an 8-month trip. Luckily Havianas did the trick until we were able to pick up some trainers.

Rio de Janeiro to Ilha grande

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Company: Green Toad Bus
Type: Mini Van + Boat Transfer
Price: US$ 35 each plus US$ 6.30 booking fee
Duration: 3 hours + 30 minute boat

Details: As this was our first bus trip (and we’d just finished a rather crazy carnival!) we decided to take the easier yet more expensive option of a mini van door to door. Unfortunately due to the busy season the Easy Transfer was ‘fully booked’ so we had to book through the even more expensive Green Toad. Annoyingly this happened to be the same mini van, just a more expensive booking process! Having said that the journey was very easy, and after arriving at a port not far from Angra dos Reis we got put on a boat directly to the popular holiday town of Abraão in Ilha Grande. The whole thing was pretty seamless, which was needed after a wild and party-filled carnival, although we’d probably organise it ourselves next time.