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.
Day 5
Day free to enjoy Rio, or choose from one of our optional day tours.
Tonight, enjoy Rio by night! Besides being a scenic city, Rio de Janeiro is also a champion of bohemian life. This evening tour starts with a delicious dinner in a typical Brazilian restaurant. After dinner, we will enjoy a Brazilian music presentation at the famous Rio Plataforma. Rio Plataforma is one of the premier places to listen to the best of Brazilian music. The Rio Plataforma is not open on Sundays.
If you prefer a more mellow experience we recommend the show at the Rio Scenarium (avaialable at an additional cost, this tour does not include dinner). Located in the Lapa area, Rio Scenarium is one of the premier places to listen to the best of Brazilian music, and where the real carioca spirit of bohemian way of life can be felt. The venue is an antique shop during the day, and a live music bar during the night. The programming changes every month. Show ends around midnight.
Day 6
This 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 7
This morning, guided tour to the Argentina side of the waterfalls, you will be met 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 Devils Throat because it is located more than 4 km from the visitor center.
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 by 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 the Iguazu Falls. Be prepared to get wet under the falls! This afternoon, return to your hotel.
Note: this boat tour involves some light trekking and climbing of steep stairs. You need to be in reasonably good shape since it can become somewhat strenuous. Please ask your travel consultant about this.
Day 8
Early this morning, transfer to the airport to take the flight to Salvador de Bahia. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel.
This afternoon you will enjoy a historical Bahia city tour. Starting from hotels, we pass 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, São Pedro Church, Castro Alves Square (heart of Bahia carnival), Sé Square, Terreiro de Jesus (square with six churches including the golden one, São Francisco), Largo do Pelourinho (humanity patrimony and the greatest Brazilian architectonic/cultural complex) and Carmo Museum where a stop will be made for souvenir shopping.
Day 9
Cruise visit to Itapirica Island, the most famous of the islands in the bay of Todos os Santos. Itaparica is famous for its beautiful beaches, ecological reserve and historical monuments, among which is an old 17th-century church and the residence of the former royal family. Lunch included.
Day 10
Transfer to the airport to take the flight to Sao Paulo for your international flight home.