Driving to Brazil next year. Have a question on plane ticket home.

Joe,

First of all, exactly how do you plan to get to South America by car anyway? There is a little thing called the Panama Canal that you have to figure out how to deal with even if you manage to get that far south.

Second of all, what if your plan for the car once you're here. You will have an enormous problem bringing it into the country and an incredible tax headache if you're not planning to take it back out with you. Importing vehicles into Brazil is strictly regulated and the taxes make it prohibitive for anything but collector items.

Go for the round-trip airfare and save yourself the disappointment of finding out like Don Quixote that you've been chasing windmills. Even people coming to reside in Brazil from other South American countries go through hell to get their cars here.

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward, Brazil & Canada Expert - Expat-blog Team

I just googled it. The drive is NOT possible. It would involve multiple ferries - the tax is enormous in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil. By the time you finish you will be two years older and about 15,000USD poorer. The drive is extremely dangerous - especially for an American. Kidnappings, etc. Don't become a statistic - Take a plane, thank us later!





Matt V. - Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil
Visit my Personal Blog - brazilbs.blogspot.com

Hello,
You definitely need a return ticket in order to get accepted here as a tourist. Unless you hold a resident visa.

Cassia

So, you can drive, or take a bus to Brazil. Other people have done it. As with the others, you will want to consider flying as it is much cheaper.

You can take a bus to Brazil.
Bus to (Antartica) South America just like the Nat Geo guy did!
You can also drive to Brazil.
This group has driven throughout South America.
The same group also has information on shipping around the Darien Gap, however, as mentioned above the prices are fairly expensive compared to a plane ticket.

Also, I am no expert on the Brazilian laws regarding driving or selling your car within Brazil, but from what I have read online on the forums about shipping my car here it is apparently very expensive and prohibitive.

You should be able to drive in and out of Brazil on a tourist VISA fairly easily, but you have to take your car back out with you. I believe the only two countries you can sell your car with ease would be Chile and Columbia. You might be able to get around this by a car donation in Brazil too.

Thank you for sharing Tiger. It is very true it is possible. You can drive from the Arctic to the Antarctic. However, the Darien Gap combined with safety and road conditions would keep me from taking that route. However, someday and I hope soon it will be safer AND when I have the time (retired) to take the route I will do it, no questions asked.

I have bookmarked these links as they are awesome resources.





Matt V. - Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil
Visit my Personal Blog - brazilbs.blogspot.com