Day 1
Overnight flight to Rio de Janeiro.
Day 2
Upon arrival in Rio, transfer to your hotel. Afternoon at leisure.
Note: check-in is normally after 2 pm. Early check-in may be granted subject to availability (not confirmed).
Day 3
Full-day Sugar Loaf, Corcovado Mountain and Tijuca rainforest
Drive along Rio’s famous beaches to the Praia Vermelha cable car station, where you will be taken to the Urca Mountain (mid-way station) with its gardens and lookout points. Then, the second part of the ride will take you to the peak of Sugar Loaf Mountain, 1,300 feet above sea level. Continue to the Cosme Velho train station. The cogwheel train will climb up through the Tijuca rainforest and will bring you to the steps of the Christ statue. At 2,300 feet above sea level, it is a breathtaking view of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara Bay, Sugar Loaf Mountain, the nine-mile Rio-Niterói Bridge, the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. Lunch included.
Note: This is a group tour and may involve wait times picking up other passengers at different hotels. We recommend that this tour be done privately in order to avoid this, at an additional cost of $170 per person, based on two people ($425 based on one person).
Day 4
Day free to enjoy Rio, or choose from one of our optional day tours
Tonight, enjoy Rio by night! The night tour includes dinner at a barbecue restaurant followed by a Brazilian music presentation at Rio Scenarium. Rio Scenarium is one of the premier places to listen to the best of Brazilian music. Located in Lapa, where the real carioca spirit of bohemian way of life can be felt. This venue is an antique shop during the day and a live music bar during the night. The programming changes every month. The clients are sophisticated listeners who really enjoy good music. After the show, around midnight, return to the hotel stuffed with tunes.
Note: Transfers are done via bus and may involve wait times picking up other passengers at different hotels. We can offer private transfers at an additional cost of $76 per person, based on two people ($152 based on one person).
Day 5
Morning, transfer to the airport to take the flight to Iguazu
Upon arrival at Foz do Iguazu, transfer to your hotel on the Brazil side of the falls. In the afternoon you will have a guided tour to the Brazil side of the falls. The thunderous crash of tons of rushing water against basaltic rocks amidst the jungle of birds, butterflies and orchids will take your breath away!
Day 6
Morning, guided tour to the Argentina side of the waterfalls. Pick-up at your hotel and transfer to visitor center inside Iguazu National Park. To get from the visitor center to the beginning of upper path, lower path and Devil’s Throat, you will board a little train that runs from the visitor center to the paths and between each one of them. You may also walk from the visitor center to upper and lower paths, but cannot walk to Devil’s Throat because it is located more than 4 kilometers from the visitor center.
Afternoon, Great Adventure: This tour combines a jungle trip with a boat trip to the falls. Trip starts in the jungle of the national park in 4 x 4 trucks without roof for best visibility of the trees and to take good photos. Then we take a zodiac boat to the lower Iguazu River upstream to discover the falls little by little with a panoramic view of Iguazu Falls. Be prepared to get wet! Afternoon, return to your hotel.
Day 7
Morning transfer to the airport to take the flight to Manaus
Reception at the Manaus airport and transfer to your hotel.
This afternoon, we depart from our hotel and drive 18 km (10 miles) on Ponta Negra road. Our first stop is the Opera House (Teatro Amazonas) that opened in 1896, one of the more popular attractions of Manaus. Wandering through the Opera House we will enjoy the grandiose of the building, and its rich décor and art work. Leaving the Opera House, we pause in front of Palacio Rio Negro, a beautiful example of the architecture prevalent during the golden period when rubber created many riches for the area (1809 to 1910). We continue on to visit the Indian Museum where we will explore the traditions, customs, and habits of the indigenous populations of the high Negro River. Before returning to our hotel, we will visit the Municipal Market Adolpho Lisboa.
Day 8
In the morning, we will pick you up from the hotel and depart for the lodge in a van for a three-hour drive into the jungle. Upon arrival, you will have a welcome cocktail followed by a tour of the lodge. Lunch at the lodge. Afternoon, departure through the Anavilhanas islands in regional watercraft. We explore the numerous canals (paranás), lakes and islands of the largest river archipelago in the world. Visitors disembark on one of the islands to examine its unique ecosystem, observing regional plant- and wildlife. Dinner at the lodge. After dinner, alligator sightseeing. The unique sensation of living and feeling the forest at night is experienced in canoes during the exploration of riverbanks in search of caimans.
Day 9
Early morning breakfast, followed by forest hike. Led by experienced local guides, you will explore the forest, where it is possible to observe some of the greatest Amazonian mysteries. You will also receive information on trees, wild fruit, herbs and jungle survival. The trail can be done entirely on foot, but you can also return to the lodge by a delightful canoe ride. Lunch. Afternoon, visit the Amazonian dolphins and go piranha fishing. This is a fun fishing expedition in wooden canoes through regional riverbanks, where you will be able to catch some piranhas as well as other fish while admiring the sights, sounds and smells of the forest. Dinner followed by a lecture on the Amazon region and Anavilhanas.
Day 10
Sunrise contemplation and bird watching. Leaving before dusk, you will be led to a lake in Anavilhanas where you can observe birds and other animals in transit and savor the colors and nuances of Amazonian skies. Breakfast. Visit to handicraft studios and naval shipyard in Novo Airăo. You will visit two regional craft centers, where you can see the work of local craftsmen in their workplace and later visit a shipyard of regional wooden watercraft. After lunch, depart to Manaus and transfer to airport to take the flight to Salvador. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel.
Day 11
Historical Bahia City Tour. Starting from hotels passing by Porto da Barra (historical point of the foundation of the city), Ladeira da Barra, N. S. da Vitória Church, Costa Pinto Museum, Dois de Julho Square, Castro Alves Theater, Săo Pedro Church, Castro Alves Square (heart of Bahia Carnival), Sé Square, Terreiro de Jesus (square with six churches including the golden one, Sao Francisco), Largo do Pelourinho (designated as a patrimony of humanity by UNESCO and recognized as the greatest Brazilian architectural/cultural complex) and Carmo Museum where a stop will be made for souvenir shopping.
Day 12
Cruise visit to Itapirica Island. Transfer from hotel to pier to board a schooner for a cruise in All Saints Bay, where you can have an unforgettable view of the city of Salvador, the old part of the city, docks and Bonfim Church. Then proceed to Frade Island where a stop will be made for swimming and sunbathing. Next stop will be at Itaparica Island for lunch and to visit the Săo Lourenço Fortress and Fonte da Bica (mineral water fountain). Return to Salvador and transfer to the hotel. Lunch included.
Day 13
Day of leisure to enjoy Salvador.
Day 14
Morning of leisure. Afternoon, transfer to the airport to take the flight to Sao Paulo and connect with international flight back home.
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
Salvador
Iguazu Falls
