Brazil - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 319

ESCAPING THE CITY
There are parks and gardens on the outskirts of the city that can be reached on foot or by local
bus. Wilder natural attractions and tourist towns a little further out require renting a car, hiring
a taxi or taking a long-distance bus.
CITY PARKS AND GARDENS
Sarah Kubitschek National Park
T 61 3325 1092. If you sicken of all the city
concrete, visit this park sprawling west of
the TV Tower, which has ponds and walking
trails for a quick and easy escape. Daily
5am-midnight; free.
Olhos d'Água Park Asa Norte, entrance
by Bloco 414 T 61 3233 8099. Trails and
playgrounds at this park within the
residential wing. Take one of the buses
running along Eixo Rodoviária Norte to
Bloco 213 and walk one block to the park.
Daily 6am-8pm; free.
Jardim Zoológico de Brasília Av das
Nações, South Exit, Via L4 Sul T 61 3445 7000,
W www.zoo.df.gov.br. The zoo has more than
250 species of birds, reptiles and mammals.
Take one of the buses running along Av das
Nações. Tues-Sun 9am-5pm; R$2.

Parque Nacional de Brasília EPIA
Highway, North Exit T 61 3465 2016. Trails
and two swimming pools with running
mineral water, about 6km northwest of
the city centre. Take bus #128 from the
rodoviária . Daily 8am-4pm; R$13.
Botanical Garden Setor de Mansões Dom
Bosco, Module 12 (entrance by QI-23 of
South Lake) T 61 3366 3007. Gardens with
more than 100 species of native herbs,
a 9km taxi-ride (R$30) southwest of the city
centre. Tues-Sun 8.30am-5.30pm; free.
Pontão Lago Sul The beautiful people
come to this lakeside area to eat, drink and
be seen. They've got the right idea. Walk
along the lake and check out the JK Bridge,
a series of spectacular modernist arcs.
There's no bus so take a taxi (20min; R$40);
a line of waiting cabs is there for your return.

3

FURTHER AFIELD
Chapada Imperial T 61 9984 4437,
W chapadaimperial.com.br. Locals rave
about spending weekends camping at
this park, which has walking trails and
more than thirty natural waterfalls. It's
about 50km northwest of the city so renting
a car is your best bet.
Pirenópolis In the Serra dos Pireneus
mountains, a five-hour drive from Brasília
(regular buses ply the route). This attractive
market town is a popular weekend retreat

with cobbled streets, pousadas, river
swimming, and numerous arts, crafts
and hippy/alternative-lifestyle stores.
Goiás Velho One of the prettiest colonial
towns in Brazil, entirely unhurried and
almost completely surrounded by steep
hillsides. Two buses per day operate the
six-hour route from the rodoviária . Stay
a night or two in a pousada to take in the
cobbled streets and museums of this
UNESCO World Heritage Site.

By bus Long-distance buses arrive at the rodoferroviária
(although there's no longer a train station here), at the
tail of the Eixo Monumental. From here bus #131 runs
down the Eixo to the city-centre rodoviária .
Destinations Belém (daily; 36hr); Belo Horizonte (3 daily;
13hr); Recife (daily; 48hr); Rio (daily; 20hr); Salvador
(daily; 26hr); São Paulo (daily; 16hr).

helpful than that on the arrivals floor, and has free maps.
Pick up the daily Correio Brasiliense newspaper, with its
daily listings supplement on films, exhibitions and live
music.

GETTING AROUND
By bus City buses are based at the downtown rodoviária .
Useful services include the #131, which goes up Eixo
Monumental past the TV Tower and JK Memorial to the
rodoferroviária , and #108 and #104, which run frequently
past the Museu Nacional, cathedral, ministries, Praça dos
Três Poderes, Congresso Nacional, Palácio do Planalto and
the Supremo Tribunal Federal.
By car Lúcio Costa didn't seem to design the city's layout
with stoplights in mind; the incredible rush-hour tra c
and getting the hang of roundabouts and tunnels may

INFORMATION
Tourist information The o cial Federal District
Tourist O ce ( T 61 3214 2744, W www.setur.df.gov.br)
is located north of the TV Tower on the second floor of
the enormous Centro de Convenções Ulysses Guimarães
(entrance on northern side) - they're friendly and helpful,
and also have a booth at the Praça dos Três Poderes. At
the airport the first-floor o ce (at departures) is more