Brasil nature experience, tailor made

Sample itinery of a nature roundtrip through Brazil of 21 days.

We offer all possible tailor made travels through vibrant Brasil that can include Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Atlantic rainforest & beachholidays at colonial Paraty, Trindade & Ilha Grande, Iguazu waterfalls, the North or South Pantanal with many options of posadas - fazendas evt. combined with Bonito, the Amazon rainforest at the most interesting locations and lodges, Salvador de Bahia, walking in Chapada Diamantina to waterfalls and caves, Fernando de Noronha Marine National Park, visiting Chapada Guimaraes, Chapada Veadeiros, Serra dos Órgãos or Serra do Bocaina. Also feel free to contacts us for a carnaval & beach holiday in Rio de Janeiro, or at the second best carnaval of South America at Barranquilla at the Caribbean coast of Colombia.You can in one travel ski in the high Andes of Argentina at luxury ski resorts, dance tango in Buenos Aires and enjoy a tropical beachstay in the end at boutique Paraty, the beaches of Ilha Grande & Trindade with the samba rhyms and bossa nova of Rio de Janeiro.

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1 Arrival in Rio de Janeiro. Today you will arrive in Rio de Janeiro, the marvelous city! Upon arrival you will have a driver waiting at the airport who will take you to your hotel by private transfer. You will be staying in the artistic area of Santa Teresa in hotel Mama Ruisa (or at Ipanema - Copacabana beach, all according to your hotel choices).

Day 2 Rio de Janeiro – Foz do Iguaçu. Today you will be brought to the airport with a private transfer for your flight to Foz do Iguaçu. At the airport of Foz do Iguaçu there will be a transfer to go immediately to your hotel. (San Martin/Hotel das Cataratas). The Iguassu Falls are the most overwhelming and spectacular South American natural wonder. In the language of the local indians – ‘Tupi-Guarani’ - Iguassu means ‘Big waters’, and that describes exactly what it is. Huge and spectacular! The falls are over 3km (1.9 miles) wide and 80m (263 ft) high and their beauty is unsurpassed.

Days 3 and 4 Foz do Iguaçu. These next two day you have the time to observe the deafening spectacle of nature called Iguassu Falls. Accompanied by a private English speaking guide you will visit both the Argentinean and Brazilian sides of the falls. Both distant and close it´s an overwhelming experience and you will surely get wet. You can view the falls from 4 different angles: The Brazilian side (best total overview), the Argentinean side (with adventurous paths and bridges and the ability to swim at the Island of San Martin, know from the movie The Mission, from below by rubber speedboat up to the Devil´s Throat or from above by helicopter. You will also go on a guided walking tour through the jungle to do the Poço Preto (Black well) trail.

Day 5 Foz do Iguaçu – South Pantanal. Today a private transfer will take you back to the airport of Rio de Janeiro where you will board a flight to Campo Grande. You will drive from Campo Grande into the Pantanal by private transfer. It´s a long drive, not so much because of the distance, but because you will pass some dirt roads in between. On the road you will encounter some cowboys with herds of cattle passing by. After you pass the town of Aquidauana, the surroundings slowly turn into wetlands, nature becomes more lush and you definitely notice you are entering the Pantanal. You will spend the next few nights in a pousada surrounded by nature & ricefields where the chance for spotting jaguars, wild cats and pumas at a night safari is around 90% every night. The next few days you will go on various excursions with an experiences English speaking guide in the Pantanal.

Days 6 and 7 - South Pantanal. The Pantanal is a vast, flat area that is a remnant of a million-year-old inland sea. During the rainy season (October-March) the rivers flood many parts and create a giant wetlands (Pantano=wetland) and the higher plains turn into little islands.

During the dry season the water retreats and many small lakes and mudbanks remain. These yearly seasons have created a unique ecosystem. The landscape consists of a varied grass land and forests with a diverse wildlife. It has the highest concentration of wildlife in all of America! Some of the birds you will find here include Ibisses, parrots, herons, cormorants, kingfishers, jabirus (giant stolks), spoonbills and hawks. Beside alligators you will most likely see capibaras (biggest rodent in the world), anteaters, otters and monkeys. With a bit of luck you will also spot hogs, deer, armadillos, tapirs, anacondas and perhaps even a jaguar! In the water you will see voracious piranas.

Day 8 to 10 - South Pantanal. Today you will be brought further into the Pantanal where you will stay at boutique Pousada Xaraes. The surrounding area of the pousada is an ecological paradise, with among others alligators sunbathing on the riverbanks, capibaras bathing in the water and parrots up in the trees.

Day 11 Pantanal – Campo Grande. Today you will have a private transfer back to Campo Grande, where you will take a flight to Cuiabá. In Cuiabá you will be staying at an airport hotel. Here you will spend one night before your journey continues on towards the Amazon.

Day 12 Cuiabá – Alta Floresta. In Cuiaba you get on the plane to Alta Floresta. Alta Floresta is located in the extreme north of Mato Grosso, where the Amazon jungle starts. On arrival you will be picked up by the local driver of the jungle lodge. You will make a short stop in the town, where, at a comfortable hotel of the same owners as the jungle lodge, you can have something to drink, freshen up and fill out registration papers for the jungle lodge. From here it takes an hour to Pires where you’ll board a motorized canoe for a journey of half an hour upstream on a cola-colored river. Here you will find untouched rainforest! Around you, you will find nothing but wildlife and stunning tropical vegetation. Overnight in the Cristalino Jungle Lodge.

Day 13 and 14 Alta Floresta. The Cristalino jungle lodge is located in primary forest; forest in its purest form, which have never been logged. The next days you will explore the richness of the tropical rainforest with local guides. The plant and animal life here is very diverse. From neon tetras to pirañas and huge catfish, from hummingbird’s no bigger than a large bumblebee to parrots and monkeys and to jaguars and tapirs. Some years ago, biologists in the vicinity of the lodge discovered a ’new’ species of frogs. The jaguar is also regularly spotted. On a fifteen minute walk through the jungle you will find a 50 meter high tower from where you have stunning views over the surrounding rainforest. You will experience indescribable moments when you see colorful parrots fly by and monkeys swinging from branch to branch.

Day 15 Alta Floresta - Cuiabá. After breakfast you will be taken back to the airport by a representative of the jungle lodge and you will board a flight back to Cuiabá. One more night in Cuiabá airport hotel.

Day 16 Cuiabá – Rio de Janeiro. From Cuiabá you will fly to Rio de Janeiro for one more night in the Samba metropole of the world! Visit the Statue of Christ atop the Corcovado mountain for amazing views over the bay, islands and beaches. The Corcovado is part of the Tijuca Rainforest. Overnight in hotel Mama Ruisa.

Day 17 Rio de Janeiro – Parque Nacional Itatiaia. From Rio de Janeiro you will be taken to the first national park of Brazil: Itatiaia. Here, you will stay at Hotel do Ypê, a perfect base for birdwatching in the area. All meals and a daily excursion are included in your stay.

Day 18 to 20 Parque Nacional Itatiaia. The coming days you will go explore the national park with a local guide. You will be taken to the base of the mountain and climb Agulhas Negras, one of Brazil’s tallest mountain peaks, together with your local guide. Enjoy the majestic views of this beauty! Along with climbing the Agulhas Negras top, you will have another day of hiking in the area planned. This excursion will be defined in a later stage, in accordance with the hotel staff and local guide.

Day 21 Parque Nacional Itatiaia – Rio de Janeiro. Your last day in Brazil. After breakfast you will be taken back to Rio de Janeiro for your international flight back home.Rio

de Janeiro, Atlantic beaches, Amazon Rainforest, Pantanal, Chapadas & Salvador de Bahia