Salvador Carnival Guide is a reveler's introduction to the world of Carnival. Its purpose is to orient, its mission to guide, and its ambition to inspire: to let people know what to expect from Carnival, introduce them to the bands they’ll hear, find out where to go and when to be there, and in general guide people through the greatest street party in the world.

What we do:

• We offer Carnival apartment rentals through our web site, and make recommendations for and provide booking links to the hotels, pousadas (guest houses), and hostels that we've "hand picked" as best suited for Carnival.
• Consult with our customers and, based on preferences, group profiles, and personal tastes, recommend which blocos and camarotes to join.
• Purchase the Carnival Tickets/abadás (shirts) that one needs to join a Carnival bloco or enter a camarote and deliver them to you.

I’m Dan Blumenthal, from the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve been here in Salvador for most of the past 18 years. I first came to Brazil for Carnival in 1994, and I’ve been here ever since. After a short stint in the world’s “second oldest profession”, teaching English, I ended up in the vacation apartment rental business when a friend of mine started an online guide to the city and people began writing him inquiring about places to stay. I realized that visitors coming to Salvador for Carnival had no idea what to do, where to go, or what to expect, other than that they were going to the world’s greatest party. So I got a camera, bought a newspaper, and began the process of weeding through the flotsam and jetsam of apartments in search of suitable places --- places I would want to stay in if I were coming down.

Since I got started working the world of Carnival in 2003, I have "guided" thousands of Carnival revelers toward the time of their lives. What are my qualifications? I have a Brazilian real estate license (Cresci #:08864); I’ve written a Carnival pocket guide book (The Carnival Pocket Guide 2004); and perhaps most importantly, I’m a Carnival fanatic! I've drunk, danced, and stumbled my way through more than a dozen of these Carnival parties and I still can't get enough! If you have any questions or want to know more, please feel free to call or write.

Your Carnival Guide,

Daniel Blumenthal

Your Carnival Ticket Consultant

My name is Michele. I'm 22 years old and a university student. I study Foreign Languages, English and Latin, and I love it. Communication is something really important for me. I just love the idea of speaking with people from many parts of the world.

I like parties, movies, and martial arts. I play capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance and music.

I want to travel around the world someday on a backpack trip. I really would like to visit London. I love the culture and fashion of the place

I love carnival, I really do. It's amazing! You party really hard, get to know people, have a lot of fun, drink a lot, dance...Everything that a party girl like me loves. I like blocos with international djs and camarotes that have a lot of things to do. For Brazilian music, my favorite carnival artists are Tomate, Ivete Sangalo and Timbalada.

This is my second year doing this job, and I’m really excited about it. Last year things were awesome and I can't wait to see what's coming.  I met amazing people, had a great time, and partied a lot.  I hope you all come to Brazil and enjoy your stay, likewise our service. 

"If you're looking for the ultimate Carnaval experience but not sure where to start, look no further - Dan's your man. His large range of accommodations and timely service is second to none. The man knows every nook and cranny in Salvador! I've been to Bahia six times and Dan's been my go-to guy every time. His willingness to go above and beyond is the reason why. Believe me, you can't go wrong!" -

Ken, Brooklyn, NY, client since 2004

Camarote Salvador was amazing, we loved it. Really was a spectacular party, and a nice break from the madness of the blocos and the street parties. In terms of how the Camarote stacked up against the blocos, I think it's difficult to compare as they are very different parties. I would say the best party we attended was Mi Abraca, because it had a brilliant vibe and everybody was really up for a good time. Nana Banana was also great fun, and I would say that Camarote Salvador and Nana Banana were equal second behind Mi Abraca. Though we went to CS three times so maybe that means we liked it more....

All of the nights at Camarote Salvador were pretty identical - great fun, lots of beautiful women around and lots of nice cocktails.

David Guetta bloco was OK, nothing special. Very different vibe compared to the other parties.

We'll probably be back for more of the same next year!

Shabab, England

'I found you to be very helpful in providing the bloco and camarote tops, it saved us going all the way into the centre to get them ourselves, it was well worth the little bit extra we paid.'

Austyn, Australia.

'Camarote Salvador was unbelievable, worth every dollar! We got there at about 11 and it was very high class and everything we expected.. It wasn’t too crowded which was good, there was plenty of space both where you watched the carnival (double level) and in the nightclub.. There were plenty of bars and workers walking around with vodka, whisky, and mixers, the toilets were good and the lines were not too long. The DJs were amazing and all workers and security were very accommodating and always happy to help!'

Nick, Australia.

'Visiting the Salvador carnival has been one of the most exciting experiences of my life. Being part of hundreds of thousands of happy people partying in the streets to fabulous music was amazing. I thought your flexibility and ability to meet our last minute request for abadas was superb and greatly appreciated. The advice you gave on which blocos to join was excellent. Absolutely loved Timbalada bloco especially-great music, great people. Also thought Crocodilo/Daniela Mercury was great.'

Mark, England.

'Timbalada was an AMAZING bloco, it was friendly, exciting, energetic and the music was f*ing brilliant. If you can, do a bloco within the first 2-3 nights, whilst carnival fever is rising to it's peak, (+before people start getting too tired) I'd recommend going to a bloco with a more well known band, the atmosphere is electric, everybody knows the words to all the songs, the dances, the fit men (!) That said, I'm sure you'll have an amazing time whichever one you go to! Carnival is not for the faint hearted, it's rough and ready but it's energy and spirit are quite incredible. It's is a spine tingling, electrifiying experience, and if it rains, it makes it all the better, dancing in the (hot) torrential rain, with thousands and thousands of people all going crazy is something else, the energy is incredible, the passion the spirit the people...I could go on and on, but the memories stay with you forever, it's what life's all about.'

Shelley, UK.

'Carnival for me was primarily about seeing what the separation of slavery has meant for my brothers and sisters of Salvador in its most celebrated form (Definitely gonna check Ile Iye next time!) The cultural similarities that have remained between them and my own Nigerian culture was amazing and a joy to witness; it is a trip I definitely recommend to anyone from any culture... Even now almost a year on, I still look back and reminisce about this totally unforgettable experience. If you really want a party, run with Araketu, Afropop and the woman of my life Margaret (Menezes)! She is amazing, and bloody cool with it! SCG done a great job of organizing the life of a total carnival novice! They makes you feel like there is always someone there to help you all the way to your blocos! Abadas are a bit pricey, but I also done a day in the popcorn (without an abada) and to be honest, I'd fork out for the abadas everytime.'

Dayo, England.

'My husband Paul and I loved the experience at Oceania. Viewing Carnival the Blocos from the 2nd floor balconies was great! And the party inside the Camarote was a lot of fun. The crowd was multi-generational, the drinks were flowing easily, the food a bargain and put out buffet style a number of times throughout the night. The disco inside and massage area added to the spectacle. It was way crowded on the balconies.. Camorote Oceania should make the people on the balconies rotate every hour or so ..That way everybody can get a chance to see the scene below. We also were in the Timbalada Bloco. Wow !! that was fun and a workout!!'

Maria, United States.

'I wanted to thank you for all your support! And I had a great time with you in the bloco eu vou!!!Ivete sangalo was amazing!!! We had a great time! Thank you!!! I went to Crocodilo with my friend and to our surprise it was a GAY concert- 90% of the people were gay and it was a bit strange...the music from Daniela was good though and we found a couple of people that were straight. Anyway thank you again!!! It was great meeting you and hopefully we could meet again!!'

Luisana, United States.