Before I left on my world trip I had heard the best two places for Carnaval were located in New Orleans, Louisiana and on the world famous Bourbon street, and the 
other being the biggest party in the world in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. I heard that Rio had a party that lasts all day and all night for about 5 straight days. What I learned on my trip is that Rio De Janeiro is a place where tourist go to "watch" the Carnival parade. About 9 out of 10 Brazilians will tell you that the best Carnaval is located in Salvador de Bahia! If you only have one shot at going to carnaval make sure that you go to the better party!
The big reason that the Carnaval in Salvador is better than the Carnaval of Rio is that you actually get to participate in the parades if you want to. In Rio, you have to be in seats and you watch the parade go by. In Salvador, you actually get to participate in the parade and dance and walk with all the locals! In order to be in the parade you have to buy a T-shirt for each day. These T-shirts are like 
your pass, or your wristband into a party. The T-shirts change colors each day and are different for every "block" party. These T-shirts costs over $100 US Dollars depending on which "block" you buy them for. When you get in the "block" then that is when the party starts. It is an all day and night dancing, drinking and laughing party that doesn't stop! You do not have to buy a T-shirt to have fun, but you will be on the outside looking in at the party if you don't! I can't describe in words this party. You have to imagine city blocks full of thousands of thousands of people partying for hours on end for 5 straight days! I had a good friend named Reed Whiting go to the Carnaval in Salvador. Read his blog which is linkied if you click his name.
Don't be fooled by just thinking that Carnaval is all fun and games! People will rob and beat you up if you are not careful. It does not matter if you are big, small, tall, fat, strong, etc. While walking down the streets if you are "outside" or "inside" the blocks you will have groups of teenagers reach into your pockets, bags, pants or whatever they can get their hands on. Even when you walk out of the parade 
when it ends you could be "jumped" by a group of people just for a dollar to two! I would suggest for you not even to bring a camera. If you decide to bring your camera, bring a disposable camera so that if you lose it, you have only lost a couple of dollars. I have heard too many stories of people getting robed or things stolen from them during Carnaval that were very valuable. You should only carry a couple of dollars that is stuffed inside the lining of your clothes or underwear! If somebody takes something from you, don't chase them because they usually work in groups. Worst case, if you get robed, it is part of the experience and a funny story later on in life! Also, the cops are no joke in Brazil! Make sure you stay out of trouble, because I can assure you that you do not want to end up in a Brazilian jail!
It is easy to get up to Salvador if you are already in Brazil or outside of Brazil. If you are planning on flying to Carnaval the budget airline in Brazil is Gol. They have a lot of flights that are cheap to and from Salvador. If you are outside of Brazil you will have a connection in Sao Paulo, and then
make a connecting flight into Salvador. If you are already traveling through Brazil, then you can take the bus to Salvador from almost any location. It is about a 15-20 hour bus ride from Rio. It sounds long, but when you start traveling, it is not that long of a trip!
As always, you can stay in hostles during Carnaval. You will not be able to show up and get accomadations though. Travelers book there hostel up to 8 months in advance of carnaval! The best option is to rent a flat/apartment for the full 5 days. This is by far the cheapest and most accomadating thing to do! If you have a couple of friends that want to meet up then you just have to do is look online. Bahia-Online Is a good place to start looking for a place to stay for next year's Carnaval! The best thing would be to meet local Brazilians before you leave that are from Salvador! They might invite you to stay with them!
When I was traveling the world I was supposed to to meet up with Reed, and some locals girls that we met from Salvador that we'd met in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I had a flight from Buenos Aires, 
Argentina to Sao Paulo. I was stopped in customs at Sao Paulo! I was in Brazil in November, and left to travel other parts of South America. I then decided to return and go to Carnaval. I was told my visa was good for 5 years through the Brazilian Embassy in the States. So when I returned for Carnaval I was told my visa had expired by 4 days (it was a 90 day visa)! I could not believe it! I was so depressed! Even though I was stuck in customs it was better then working in the office! So as of right now my only Carnaval experience is in New Orleans, Louisiana. If you are in South America in the end of January and early February don't miss the chance to go to experience Carnaval like nowhere else around the world!
