A Big Trip to Brazil

Fly overnight to Rio de Janeiro.

Arrive in Rio de Janeiro this morning, on your private transfer through the city you’ll get a feel of this active city, past bays and beaches and busy streets, you might see some beach volleyball going on or street football and immediately know you are in Brazil’s party city.

Stay at the PortoBay Rio de Janeiro hotel on Copacabana Beach, check-in and check out the cool views from your room of the famous beach. Stretch your legs and get the air with a walk along the beach, there’s a wide promenade all along the beach with stalls you can grab a fresh coconut or a few beers and watch the city at play.

This afternoon your guide will take you to Sugar Loaf Mountain. Taking the cable car some may recognise from a Bond movie, from the top take in the amazing views of the city and the iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer on the Corcovado to the rear. Our suggestion, go just before sunset and watch the sun sink into the sea as the skies light up ahead and the city’s lights prepare you for the evening ahead. A definite photo opportunity!

Head out early this morning to see the Christ the Redeemer statue, aiming to get there before the crowds, if you are an early riser today it will be worth it. Take the funicular rail out of the backstreets, up steep forest slopes of Corcovado hill, with glimpses of the city far below.

There’s a podium to walk around by the feet of the statue, it’s an impressive sight and declared one of the wonders of the new world. As well as being close to Christ the Redeemer, the main reason to come here is to go crazy with photos, the views of Rio are fantastic and you can see how it has been built around a series of bays and stretches between mountains and below the Atlantic rainforest.

Head back down to the city centre, and wander with your guide through Santa Teresa. This part of town is one of the oldest in the city, where large mansions were built by coffee plantation owners and shipping magnates. It’s now got an artistic vibe and its steep winding streets are lined with studios and cafes. Pass by the city centre and the impressive Metropolitan Cathedral on the way down to the waterfront.

Get ready for a lunch feast at Assador Rio down on Flamengo Bay. It’s a Brazil institution, the deliciously tender barbecue meats keep coming, served alongside sumptuous salads and cold cuts, take you time and dive into this tradition of Brazil. You certainly won’t need anything for dinner.

What may be left of the afternoon is free to relax after a packed morning. We suggest a wander up to Ipanema beach and grabbing a few drinks around the fashionable district at sunset.

Today you’ll be taken to the part of the city which was redeveloped during the 2016 Olympic Games, the waterfront area now known as Olympic Boulevard. They redeveloped an area which was a motorway flyover and the three-kilometre long walkway down to the waterfront links some of Rio’s oldest neighbourhoods including the old Cathedral.

End up at the Museum of Tomorrow, which is an amazing piece of modern architecture and a fascinating original idea. It’s heralded as a museum of ideas and includes everything from sustainability projects to space travel.

It’s a free afternoon, as it’s well worth leaving a bit of time to hang out in the city or by the beach.

Fly down to the far south of Brazil, just by the border with Argentina. The Iguazu Falls have got to be the best waterfalls in the world. They stretch over two countries, falling over a huge crack in the earth’s crust forming hundreds of separate cascades of the Iguazu River.

Watch out for the big plume of spray as you enter the national park and arrive at your hotel. We love to book our guests in at the Belmond Hotel Das Cataratas for two nights at least. It’s well worth it not only for the style and luxury of the Belmond group hotel but mainly because of the location, right next to Iguazu Falls.

Your hotel’s location just a few minutes walk from Iguazu Falls means that this afternoon you can walk yourself for a thrilling experience. Here on the Brazil side, you see the falls from in front and below. The trails lead into the centre of the canyon, surrounded by giant waterfalls it’s an amazing location and you will get wet! The amazing thing about staying at Belmond Hotel Das Cataratas is that you’ll be able to witness the falls after the day-trippers have left and have the place almost to yourself.

Your guide will take you into Argentina for the day. Iguazu Falls from the Argentina side is well worth seeing as it’s viewing the falls from above and up close. Walkways lead through the jungle and to just feet away from lots of the separate cascades. The showpiece is the sound and fury of Devil’s Throat and it’s as scary as it sounds. There’s a platform to see the massive centre of Iguazu Falls, you can’t hear a thing as millions of gallons of water a second fall into the abyss!

After a bit of time to calm down back at the hotel, perhaps with a refreshing caipirinha on the terrace, you’ll be taken out for a memorable dinner.

Dine at Casa Do Chef where chef Fabio del Antonio welcomes diners into his home for an introduction to some of Brazil’s wonderfully varied traditional dishes. The evening goes with the flow, with a bit of storytelling and musical interludes and a 6-course menu paired with South American wines.

There may be a bit more time to wander down to the falls this morning. We suggest a magical start to the day wandering into the falls before breakfast….it’s amazingly eerie when there’s not a soul around, just you and the power of nature all around.

Fly to Manaus, way up north you’ll appreciate the huge scale of Brazil. Manaus is the city on the Amazon River and the gateway to the Amazon Rainforest.

Stay at the boutique Juma Opera hotel in one of Manaus’ historic buildings. It’s worth staying a couple of nights here as you might arrive quite late and we don’t suggest taking an early morning to get into the jungle.

Spend a lazy morning. Manaus is a steamy tropical city so well worth a dip in the pool.

In the afternoon, venture out with a private local guide on a city tour. Visit the impressive Manaus Opera House, which was built over a hundred years ago at a time when Manaus was a small city and took days and days to reach. Building an opera house out here seemed a crazy idea. You might be able to catch a performance in the evening if the schedule matches, and we can find out for you. See the city market, selling products from the jungle including fruit and river fish, and head out to the docks built for the rubber plantations.

Travel a little out of the city to the Museum of the Amazon, with some interesting displays of what you might see in the days to come and a 42-metre high observation tower where you can look over the jungle canopy not far out of the city.

The Amazon Rainforest awaits on a three-night jungle adventure and as Guns N Roses sang, welcome to the jungle we’ve got fun and games. You’ll be picked up by the team from Anavilhanas for the boat journey upriver, up the river Rio Negro tributary of the Amazon River, at this part still a huge, wide river, for a two and a half hour journey to the Anavilhanas National Park.

The Anavilhanas National Park comprises over 400 islands scattered along the Rio Negro waters and over of 350,000 hectares of Amazon rainforest. It’s a key part of the Amazon Rainforest protection programme and the Anavilhanas Lodges is one of the best in Brazil.

Stay in a Bungalow room, which has comfortable living with a hot shower and air conditioning, but also floor to ceiling windows all around and a balcony with hammocks so you can get the Amazon Rainforest experience. We can’t guarantee you won’t get some 6 or 8 legged visitors in the room!

Activities are all included here and depend on the season. The first afternoon is usually a guided hike in the rainforest looking out for beautifully coloured birds, listening for howler monkeys and exotic insects which all contribute to the intense ecosystem. You can even go out piranha fishing, just watch your fingers!

A special experience in the Amazon Rainforest is to head out before dawn to see the sunrise. It’s an emotional experience to witness the sights and sounds of the animals of the rainforest come to life.

After a bit of time to chill out, you can join a guide for a visit to a local village and or have a go at shooting a traditional Amazonian bow and arrow.

Another day in the jungle. All around the lodge, there are little waterways which lead out into the Amazon river. You can kayak through the jungle around tiny islands. It’s also possible to head out on a trip to spot the rare pink dolphins that live in the Amazon waters.

A special experience here is to go out on a guided night time walk. It’s after dark that the jungle seems even more alive, and you can see the eyes of alligators shining through the dark. It’s also amazing to see the patchwork of stars in clear nights close to the equator.

You’ll be taken back down the river this morning to Manaus and fly out to the coast to the city of Salvador.

Salvador is known for its exotic mixture of Brazilian and African influences, and it has one of the wildest carnivals in the world. There’s a colourful historic centre of Salvador called the Pelourinho district and we like to stay there as it offers a true taste of the city. Stay for two nights in the Fera Palace hotel in a converted art deco building with a cool rooftop bar overlooking the port.

When in Salvador we recommend experiencing some of the African heritage, it’s such a deep part of the culture here and a part of the history of Brazil. On a guided city tour including African heritage, you’ll visit the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary which was set up by African immigrants and the House of Benin, with its collection of original African art. Walk around the Unesco World Heritage Pelourinho old town and also learn about the Candomble religion and the history of slavery in the region.

Salvador comes alive at night and it’s best to explore with a guide to show you where to go. The Rio Vermelho area is the bohemian part of town where you can tuck into street food, hop into botecos which are tapas style bars and the area is always full of live music, from samba to jazz and the raw Brazilian beat.

There are a few beach spots in driving distance from Salvador city, but they tend to be a bit overdeveloped. So we suggest a short flight south to Porto Seguro and the idyllic coastline of Trancoso.

Stay at Uxua Casa for 3 nights. We love this hotel as it has a true Brazilian character and is a really unique place to stay. It’s what Brazil’s all about, a mix of cultures, influences and styles to come together to produce something very different and uniquely Brazilian.

Each of the Casas is different and have been restored from 500-year-old original buildings by designer Wilbert Das, using reclaimed materials they are 5-star works of art.

You’ll no doubt already be into the slow pace of life here. And the beach will be calling. Each Casa gets its own sofa reserved on the beach. They’re all around the funky bar made out of an old boat. The bar was voted in the top ten beach bars in the world by CNN. Who’s to argue?

For those who can’t lie still all day, you can sea kayak, surf and even join a capoeira lesson, a distinctly Brazilian martial art. The beaches are also amazing for football and volleyball if you dare take on the Brazilians.

The resort is based in the car-free Unesco World Heritage town of Quadrado, which is a cool, languid little town square to wander to in the evening.

If you want to explore a little further afield, the Trancoso coast has eight famed beaches along a 24-kilometre coastline. Many are secluded without a soul on them, others like Nativos are where to head for beach bars and several have mangroves to explore where the rivers flow to the sea and fresh tidal pools inviting you in for a dip. They will no doubt all invite you to stay longer.

Transfer to the airport for your flight home. Looking down on Brazil’s extraordinary coastline as you fly over.

Land back at the end of a big trip with all of Brazil to remember.