A few tips
What to bring
More tips

Suggestions taken from www.welcomehome.org/rainbow

A good map of Brazil and a bit of good will help you arrive at the site

Do not expect a tropical jungle!!! Piatá is the highest town in the state of Bahia, and the Gerais is 1400 m high. It is more of a semi-arid plateau, with grassy flats, bushy spots around the river, surrounded by desertic mountains. Nights do get pretty chilly for Brazil! Take this advice and be prepared. The temperature at the gathering site should not go under 10 degrees celcius at night and over 35 during the day.

There are some mosquitos but this is probably one of the best places bug-wise, in this rich brazilian biodiversity. Please don't bring commercial soaps or insect repellents of any type.

Don't wash in the water!!! Take a bucket at least 50 yards from the open water to wash. (Soaps will pollute the water. Even bio- degradable soap can kill fish and micro-organisms.) Thiamine, B-complex vitamins, citronella and raw garlic (both eaten, and on your skin) can help keep biting critters away!

We are a tribe of volunteers and the work in making each gathering happen and cleaning up afterward is shared by all of us. If you pack it IN, pack it OUT!!! Avoid bringing anything unnecessary, like plastics, radios/tape players, fireworks and other pollutants.

If you can, leave your dog with a friend, because they get unruly in numbers and they shit everywhere. We must break the "shit>flys>food>you" chain! Responsible and happy campers don't get sick!

We give to our MAGIC HAT to cover costs.

We base our gathering on respect for one another's differences and similarities.

We've agreed over many councils that weapons and alcohol are unwelcome among us.

Please bring your heart-songs, knowledge and vision to share.

Shelter
tent*, backpack* with extra straps, sleeping bag*, pad/matress (for sleeping on), sheet/blanket, tarp, bunji cords, hammock
Clothing
hat*, portable jacket* with hood, good broken-in walking shoes/boots*, long pants/skirt*, bandana, socks and underwear, shorts, sweater, long and short sleeved shirts, raingear, a second pair of shoes/footware for swimming, towel, travelling back clothes (You need less clothing than in babylon. Bring clothes that protect against sun, insects, cold and rain but avoid overpacking.)
Utensils
large plastic bowl* with a hole in it for a string or clip, cup* with ear, fork and spoons* with holes, water container*, flashlight*, (Swiss army) knife, lighter/matches, plastic bags, string, extra batteries, camera (always ask before taking someone's picture), film
Information
Road and gathering maps, uniquely coloured messaging paper, method for identifying vehicle from a distance (ribbons), signs/flags (for marking campsite), ID/drivers license, timepiece and tickets if needed for travel
Medical/personal
toothbrush, organic soap/shampoo/toothpaste, sunblock, toilet paper (one roll with coffee canister to put it in), organic insect repellant, water purifying method, first aid kits, healing herbs, tinctures and salves, band-aids, ace and gauze bandages, tape, "0 0" capsules, sterile cotton and gloves, rubbing alcohol, peroxide, iodine, washcloths, towels, wash basins, extra bedding, homeopathic remedies, flower essences, rescue remedy, aloe, charcoal, prophylactics, any regular medications and other medical supplies, massage tables, cots, healing hands and calm centered energy.
Money
Brazilian currency. Exchange rate is variable but more or less US$1 = R$ 3.60. Credit cards also work (not in the tiny towns though).
Very important: change money in Salvador. There is no money change in Seabre, and in Piatã and Lençois the rates are awful. There´s an ATM in Lençois for VISA only, and it usually doesn't work. Internet in Lençois is very expensive, but very cheap in Seabra. (You won't need any money once you get to the gathering. This is an absolutely free and non-commercial event depending upon your participation and support. No money is exchanged except contributions given freely to the Magic Hat. )
Love
Lots of it! Bring Love, positive vibes, creative & magic energy, peacefulness, truth, and happiness
Extras
crystal, portable musical instruments, pen, paper, starfinder, things to give/trade
Snack/Sharing Food
(delicious and nutritious vegetarian meals are served) dried fruit, peanut butter, nuts/trail mix, favoured sauces (BBQ, peanut), spices (no oregano)
Music
Bring instruments and make home grown music

Useful Communal stuff:

For Dishwashing
bleach, 2-1/2 gal. spring water containers, heavy twine or light rope and 2x4's.
For the Latrines
heavy precut plywood, bags of lime, toilet paper and 2lb coffee cans to keep it dry, and clean metal buckets and spades for wood ash.
For the Kitchen
Bring large pots and pans, water containers, food-grade 5 gal. buckets, tarps and tents, and bulk food and organic produce for our communal Bring your best friends.
Tools
such as shovels, picks, buckets, rope, hatchets, axes, hoedads (great for digging latrines!), etc.
For Childcare
Bring your children and fun supplies, and prepare for shared, creative and magical CHILDCARE.
LARGE SHELTERS and tarps if you have them

Most of all, bring your SELF.

Knowledge
Feel free to share any of your skills, knowledge, wisdom, creativity and stories with us! Post times and places for craft, healing or art workshops, demonstrations and fun stuff like that! Watch for notices of ongoing councils.
Fire
The forest can be very dry and the fire danger is quite real. COMMUNITY FIRES ONLY!!! (minimum 20 folks per fire and a shovel and a 5 gal. bucket of water. No shovel, no water, NO FIRE!!!) Fires must be conscientiously attended to at all times. Use only dead and down wood. Due to sanitary reasons and the need to limit fires, we ask that anyone with kitchen equipment join an already established kitchen.
Water
Use it wisely. Purify drinking water by a 15 min rolling boil or with 10 drops of Tincture of Iodine and then cover and let stand for 20 mins. Don't pee-pee or ka-ka in or near the wa-wa. Use (very little) soap or shampoo, at least 100 feet away from streams, and well below springs. Don't camp above or near springs or lakes. Please help your kitchen with water runs!
Health
If you are sick or injured, please go to our CALM*MASH First Aid Station. Wash your hands after using a latrine and before eating. Use only your own cup, bowl and utensils, and clean them at a wash station. Don't rinse them in a stream, you could spread disease. If you find you've been bitten by a tick, come to CALM (Center for Alternative Living Medicine) for removal!
Kitchens
Wash your hands before entering any kitchen. Use 1 or 2 capfuls of bleach per bucketful of water for cleaning water. Wipe work surfaces with bleach water before and after use. Enclose kitchens with railings with hand washing stations at entrances. Don't work in a kitchen if you're sick or infectious. Keep animals (excepting humans) out of kitchens. Set up four stage (scrape, wash, bleach, rinse) dish washing stations both inside and outside of kitchens. Change water often if you use buckets.
Latrines & Compost Pits
Dig deep. Away from water sources and well below springs. Break the "Waste> Flys> Food> You" connection! Cover waste and toilet paper with wood-ash or lime, then recover the latrine. Cover latrines with plywood. Mark well and keep them safely lit at night. Fill latrines with dirt and ash when waste is within 18 inches of ground level. Set up, maintain and use wash stations at the latrines. Keep compost pits covered with black plastic or tarp and rope them off so people don't fall into them. Cover compost pits with dirt when contents are within 1 foot of ground level.
Animals & Plants
Don't bother, injure or kill wildlife or plants. Be aware. If you were unable to leave your pet at home, then clean up after them, don't leave them unattended, restrain them when necessary. Please feel free to tie up stray dogs in shade with water as they are a threat to our health and safety.
Peacekeeping (Shanti Sena)
We are all peacekeepers who share the responsibility of keeping this gathering safe and harmonious. Be involved! This is family!!! Be respectful to everybody. Be helpful! Camp with friends in neighborhoods and get to know those around you. Watch each other's stuff... There are those who prey, sorry to say... Peacekeeping includes keeping your own peace. Remember the Golden Rule... (Treat others as you'd like them to treat you!)
Magic Hat
This gathering is absolutely free and non-commercial. In addition to what we bring to share, let's provide for ourselves by contributing to the Magic Hat. It's our cooperative commonwealth, which provides food, medical supplies and other necessities. Decision making councils will be held daily; all who want may speak. We are a Participatory Democracy -- a tribe of volunteers. (If you want something done, do it!) All the work in creating and cleaning up this gathering is shared by every one of us.
Environment
Clean Up starts when you arrive at a gathering, not after you leave. If you aren't going to help pack out something you bring, don't carry it in. Better to have too little to use than too much refuse. Utilize and maintain our recycling centers and please carry out some trash before you pack out. Camp in the woods, not the meadow. Disappear all traces of your campsite.
Respect
Extend the peaceful respect of our Family to all those you meet on the way to and from the gathering. Take only photographs (ask first); leave only footprints (on established paths).