At Voss + Votava there is only one trip that includes all three preliminary round matches.

Unlike in Germany, Ash Wednesday in Rio is far from over: On Saturday, the six best-placed samba schools will once again march through the Sambódromo. Until then, the street carnival will continue in many parts of the city.

Tight costumes, hot rhythms: there was no stopping the carnival in Rio de Janeiro. In the legendary Sambódromo, more than 70,000 spectators followed the traditional parade of the samba schools, whose dancers with colorful costumes told imaginative stories and whose samba queens showed a lot of bare skin.

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The Sambódromo was downright shaken by the samba rhythms

The school Imperatríz Leopoldinense paid homage to the Brazilian football legend Zico. The Sao Clemente group interwoven elements from Afroreggae and funk with samba and showed the history of the slums of Rio, the so-called favelas. The last of the six samba schools left what is probably the most famous carnival boulevard in the world on Rose Monday at 5.42 a.m.

The Sambódromo, built by star architect Oscar Niemeyer, was downright shaken by the samba rhythms. "When I got here the ground shook" said the king of the Rio Carnival of the AFP news agency. "The pure energy was impressive. This is a very happy night" added King Momo.

The audience was presented with a Hollywood-style choreography

On Tuesday night, six more samba schools moved through the grandstand stadium. Graduated "Unidos da Tijuca" reminiscent of the legendary Brazilian Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna, who died in an accident in Italy 20 years ago. Senna’s sister Viviane and his nephew and racing driver Bruno Senna parade along the 750 meter long route. The dreaded curve was made on a cart "Eau rouge" depicted on the Spa circuit in Belgium.

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In months of manual labor, the samba schools had built huge motif wagons and rehearsed the dances to the specially composed samba song at countless rehearsals. All costumes are handmade – from the plume to the footwear. But even on Ash Wednesday, the carnival in Brazil is not over despite the start of Lent. In Rio, the jury will decide in a highly anticipated live TV broadcast who will receive the Carnival crown on Sugar Loaf this year. And then it goes on lively, because on Saturday the six best samba schools will once again be pulling through the Sambódromo.

The fear of the Zika virus does not spoil the Brazilians’ carnival either. Tens of thousands celebrated the highlight of the festival in Rio de Janeiro: the move of the samba schools to the sambadrome. See pictures of the first part of the spectacle in our photo show.

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Around 70,000 people danced and cheered beautiful asian brides in the Brazilian metropolis on the stands of the sambadrome when the Estácio de Sá, the first of the twelve samba schools, opened the competition in the dance stadium on Sunday evening. A huge torch was carried in for the opening ceremony as a reference to the Summer Olympics in six months.

Moves continue on Monday evening

The competition of the samba schools, which runs all night on Sunday and Monday, is the highlight of the carnival. It is estimated that five million people take part, including one million tourists. The parade of the elaborately costumed samba schools, a selection from around a hundred ensembles of amateur dancers from the Brazilian metropolis, is preceded by two weeks of street parades.

Samba Queen – This is Brazil’s most famous butt

Samba queen

This is Brazil’s most famous butt

Her four-inch bum made her famous. And so she dances through the Carnival in Rio Video

Dark shadows: Zika virus and recession

However, the Zika virus is clouding the party mood this year. Brazil is particularly hard hit by the yellow fever mosquito-borne virus that is currently rife in South and Central America. 

Photo Show: Rio Carnival 2016 Impressive Parade: Rio Carnival – 6 Facts About Ramba Samba Photo show: Rio Carnival 2015 Photo Show: Rio Carnival 2014 Photo Show: Rio Carnival 2013

The carnival is also overshadowed by the ongoing recession, the dispute over the huge corruption scandal at the petroleum company Petrobras and the conflict over the impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff. Because of the economic crisis, the funding for the lavish samba performances has dropped significantly, and the carnival was even canceled entirely in 48 cities.

In the run-up to the soccer World Cup 2104 in Brazil, potential visitors were worried by news of fully booked hotels or overpriced flight and accommodation prices. Travel packages that various tour operators have put together especially for fans can provide more planning security. However, fans have to get the tickets themselves. The packages can be booked immediately.

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Dertour live, for example, has six arrangements on offer for the various preliminary round matches played by the Germans. The packages include hotel accommodation including meals, transfers and tour guides. They can be booked with or without a flight. Flight partner is TAP Portugal. According to a spokeswoman, the hotels are in or near the venues. The first three packages lead to the three preliminary round games, package 4 contains the first and second, package 5 the second and third, package 6 all three games. The prices start at 1358 euros per person without a flight, with a flight it is 2858 euros. From the round of 16, trips will be organized on request.

Offers from Voss + Votava and Vietentours

At Voss + Votava there is only one trip that includes all three preliminary round matches. The price of 6000 euros includes flights, transfers and hotels. According to managing director Helmut Voss, the organizer is organizing other trips, for example to the finals "as needed and possible". Room availability could be a problem, and the prices for all travel components are high.

At Vietentours, on the other hand, packages for the entire World Cup can be booked. Football fans have to put 13,990 euros on the table if they want to see all the games from the German preliminary round to the final. However, individual games can also be booked.

Foray through Brazil: the host country of the 2014 World Cup is so beautiful Photo show: The World Cup country Brazil is so beautiful World Cup 2014: news, videos & Results of the World Cup in Brazil

Tickets should still be available

With all organizers, however, football fans have to take care of tickets themselves. They are only available on the FIFA homepage. According to Vietentours, however, travelers do not have to worry. Due to the large capacity, there should be enough tickets available for the relatively small group of fans traveling to Brazil.

Even if you have a coveted ticket for one of the German team’s games for 2014, you could face a problem: Many hotels in the venues of the soccer World Cup in Brazil 2014 are already fully booked on the German team’s game days. This is the result of an evaluation by the hotel portal Trivago.

In Rio de Janeiro, only seven percent of the hotel rooms recorded are currently available for the final on July 13th. The average price is 446 euros. There is even less free capacity in the three cities in which the German national team plays: On June 16, two percent of the rooms considered in the analysis are still available in Salvador, hotel guests pay an average of 331 euros per night. On June 21 in Fortaleza three percent are free for an average of 178 euros, on June 26 in Recife two percent are free for 228 euros.

The following table provides a brief overview of the evaluation

Photo show: The World Cup country Brazil is so beautiful Foray through Brazil: the host country of the 2014 World Cup is so beautiful World Cup 2014: news, videos & Results of the World Cup in Brazil

date	city	game	Available rooms	Average price
June 16, 2014	Salvador	Germany – Portugal	2 percent	331 euros
June 21, 2014	Fortaleza	Germany – Ghana	3 percent	178 euros
6/26/2014	Recife	USA – Germany	2 percent	228 euros
July 13, 2014	Rio de Janeiro	final	7 percent	446 euros

The longest bus route in the world runs right through South America: 6200 kilometers, from Rio de Janeiro to Lima, the capital of Peru. The first bus has now left Rio, but there were starting problems.

The bus driver Daniel Mancilla Palacios doesn’t really fit in here. Without further ado, he stopped the two-story bus at Copacabana in Rio. "I’ve been driving for 34 years now, but I’ve never been here." In a white shirt and black tie he stands sweating next to women in bikini on the beach, behind him the sea and the Sugar Loaf.

It goes up to an altitude of 4600 meters

Mancilla Palacios has already traveled all over South America by bus, but this is the first time he is here in Rio de Janeiro. It is the premiere of the bus route from Rio to Lima on the Pacific Ocean. The beach goers are amazed when they hear that it goes all the way to Lima, they take selfies with the bus driver. Then the police come and use three cars to escort the bus back on its regular route to São Paulo.

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The Ormeño bus company has long wanted to operate the new route, but the Transocéanica has only existed for a few years – a continuously paved route through the soy regions of Brazil, the Amazon region and high above the Andes. "The highest point of the route is in Peru at 4630 meters."

Machu Picchu is on the line

The São Paulo – Lima line already existed before, but after many negotiations it has now been extended to Rio. But the start is pretty bumpy. Since the green light came on at short notice, Ormeño was not yet able to open his own office at the terminal in Rio – so the bus initially drives empty, only a German camera team is there, it shoots a five-part documentary about the trip for the Arte broadcaster. Later in São Paulo the first 20 passengers board.

The journey takes around 102 hours and costs around 185 euros. "We connect two wonders of the world" says Oscar Vásquez, local representative of the bus company. "The Cristo in Rio and the Inca site Machu Picchu near Cusco." Twice a week, on Saturdays and Wednesdays, the route is served from Rio and from Lima on Thursdays and Sundays.

Hope for carnival tourists

After São Paulo the stations are Campo Grande, Cuiaba, Porto Velho, after the border follow Puerto Maldonado, Cusco, Nasca.