Brazil Vacations: Rio & Iguazu Falls

Day by day

The plan as the operator publishes it. Exact timings are confirmed with your booking.

1. Day 1 Rio de Janeiro

   Your Brazil Vacation starts. Arrive in Rio de Janeiro and transfer to your hotel. The capital of Rio de Janeiro state, and the seat of the whole country from 1763 until 1961, the city sits in the narrow gap between mountain and ocean.
2. Day 2 Rio de Janeiro (B, D)

   The day opens with an excursion to Corcovado. A scenic drive skirting the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon brings you to the foot of the mountain, where a comfortable cog train carries you up through the forest to the summit and the statue of Christ the Redeemer.
3. Day 3 Rio de Janeiro (B)

   The morning begins with a jeep excursion into the Tijuca Forest, the largest urban forest anywhere in the world. Its winding trails, cascading waterfalls, and dense greenery combine natural beauty with a good deal of history.
4. Day 4 Rio de Janeiro / Manaus (B)

   Transfer to Rio de Janeiro airport for your flight to Manaus. Manaus is the capital of Amazonas, Brazil's largest state — a modern city and among the country's fastest growing, and the natural gateway to the wider Amazon region.
5. Day 5 Manaus (B, L, D)

   Today the group transfers to the Amazon Eco Park Jungle Lodge for a two-night stay. Departing from the Manaus pier, the journey takes in the Meeting of the Waters before continuing on to the lodge. Lunch is included en route. Accommodation, dinner, and overnight at the Amazon Ecopark Lodge.
6. Day 6 Manaus (B, L, D)

   The day begins with a nature walk through the surrounding forest, followed by lunch at the lodge. In the afternoon, visit the homes of local Amazonian river dwellers, the caboclos, and share a meal with them in the evening. After dark, head out on an alligator-spotting excursion by torchlight.
7. Day 7 Manaus / Salvador (B)

   The morning is spent at Monkey Jungle before the group transfers to Manaus airport for the flight to Salvador. The capital of the state of Bahia, Salvador served as the capital of Brazil itself until 1763. The city falls naturally into two halves.
8. Day 8 Salvador (B, D)

   The day opens with a half-day historical tour of the city. Setting out from the modern district of Barra, the route leads toward Pelourinho, the old quarter, which holds the most extensive collection of preserved colonial architecture anywhere in the Americas.
9. Day 9 Salvador (B, L)

   Today brings a full-day schooner cruise with lunch included. Transfer to the pier and set sail among the thirty-six islands scattered across the bay, pausing along the way for time to lie in the sun or swim in the warm water.
10. Day 10 Salvador / Ouro Preto (B)

    This morning, transfer out of Salvador for the flight to Belo Horizonte. On arrival you are met at the airport and driven directly on to the town of Ouro Preto. Founded in the early years of the eighteenth century and raised on rocky terrain, Ouro Preto was declared a national monument in 1933.
11. Day 11 Ouro Preto (B, L)

    The morning begins with a walking tour of Ouro Preto, followed by lunch. Take in the town's remaining highlights and the surviving masterpieces of its colonial architecture — a walk through Ouro Preto is very much a step back in time.
12. Day 12 Ouro Preto / Iguassu Falls (B)

    The morning begins with the transfer back to Belo Horizonte Airport for the flight to Iguaçu Falls. The Iguaçu Falls rank among the natural wonders of the world, drawing thousands of Brazilian and international visitors to one of the country's foremost tourist destinations.
13. Day 13 Iguassu Falls (B)

    The morning opens with a tour of the Brazilian side of the falls, setting out directly from the hotel, which sits within the boundaries of the Iguaçu National Park. The 45-minute walk leads guests through the surrounding subtropical forest. In the afternoon, the Macuco Safari awaits.
14. Day 14 Iguassu Falls / São Paulo (B)

    The final day of your Brazil Vacation begins with a morning excursion to the Argentine side of the falls. Cross the border and continue to the Parque Nacional del Iguazú, some 40 km from the Brazilian frontier, where a walking tour brings you among the cascades from an entirely new perspective.