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Itinerary:
Day 1 : Arrive in Rio
de Janeiro
Meet and greet, then transfer to your hotel for
checkin.
Rest of the day at your own leisure.
Overnight in Rio de
Janeiro
Day 2 : Rio de Janeiro
The Corcovado mountain has been Rio's top attraction,
in a way its symbol, and needless to say it's been
hailed by many famous Brazilian composers and
artists of all kinds. Your tour will
leave the hotel taking you along the Rio's famous
beaches to the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas (lagoon) via
the 2.6 km long Rebouças tunnel that
links the southern and northern parts of the city
separated
by the Tijuca ridge that makes Rio the only city in
the world to have a National Park only five minutes from
its
downtown. Reaching the Cosme Velho district, you will take a
Swiss-made cogwheel train
that climbs the mountain from its base at 15 meters
above sea level to
almost the very summit of Corcovado at 670
meters. The very top of Corcovado below the statue
of the Christ is
reached
by ascending a flight of steps or by taking an
elevator. While the elevator makes the ascend easy
and fast, the steps offer numerous
vantage
points along the way, with the surrounding Tijuca National Forest
spreading below and a circle of mountains closing
the
horizon at the very back of the Guanabara Bay.
Following lunch
at a local restaurant, we will continue to Pão de Açúcar,
the Sugar Loaf. Known world over as Rio's postcard and a must to
visit site, the top of Sugar Loaf is reached on a two-stage cable
car ride. The cable car, capacity 80 persons per trip,
takes mere
2-minutes per each
stage. The first stage, Morro da Urca, barely 170
meters above sea level, has a restaurant, amphitheater, a helipoint for
scenic flights and a stunning view of the Yacht Club
and Botafogo Bay below. The second stage takes you up to
the very crown of
Sugar Loaf - thus named because of the loaves of
sugar that were commonly pressed by the Portuguese at
the
time of the founding of the city. The
all-encompassing panorama from this impressive 270-meter
high lookout is truly
unrivaled and the vistas of Rio in all directions
will remain in your memory, guaranteed.
Next proceed to visit
the downtown where Rio's major colonial buildings
are located, the true and original center of Rio
from which it grew.
We
will pass by the Marechal Floriano Square, also
known as Cinelandia. This square concentrates the
best of
late 18th century French style architecture in Rio
de Janeiro: the Municipal Theatre, a scaled-down
version of
the
Paris Opera; the Fine Arts Museum; the National
Library (reputed worldwide for the copies of
Gutemberg's
bible and other first editions dating back to 1500,
brought to Brazil by the Imperial Family of Portugal
when
they moved to Brazil fleeing Napoleon's threat in
the early 19th century).
Overnight in Rio de Janeiro (B, L)
Day 3 : Rio de Janeiro
Day at leisure to relax on the Copacabana or Ipanema beach, or you can take
one of the several optional tours available.
Overnight in
Rio de Janeiro (B)
Day 4 : Rio de Janeiro / Iguassu Falls
Fly this morning to the Brazil/Argentine border and
transfer to your hotel overlooking this unforgettable
natural site.
Overnight at
Iguassu (B)
Day 5 : Iguassu Falls
Take a walking tour on the Brazilian side to the strategic
viewpoints of the falls at a variety of levels. A trail winds
towards the falls
from the area in front of the hotel, populated by
contis, long-tailed racoon-like creatures. At the
trail's end, an
elevator provides speedier access to a viewing
platform at the foot of the falls.
Overnight at
Iguassu (B)
Day 6 : Iguassu Falls / Manaus / Amazon
You will be transferred to Iguassu airport for your
flight to Manaus. Upon arrival transfer to your lodge
in the
Amazon Jungle.
Amazon Jungle Palace : Transfer from the airport or
hotel to pier. Arrival and checkin. In
the evening proceed to alligator spotting - no
worries! Dinner and overnight
(B, D)
Amazon Eco Park : Transfer to the Amazon Ecopark
Jungle Lodge. Reception with local juice.
Following visit to the Monkey Jungle. Dinner and
evening tour by canoe with opportunity for sighting
of alligators. Overnight at the lodge. (B, D)
Amazon Village : Transfer to the lodge. Arrival and
checkin. Dinner and alligator
spotting. Departure around 8PM in a motorized canoe
with a guide in search of
"caimans".
Once the Caymans are paralyzed by the light of the
flashlight, their eyes turn red, enabling the guide to
easily locate
them. Enjoy the spectacle as your guide may try to catch one of them with
his bare hands and, depending on its size, bring it
aboard
the canoe for you to have a closer look. Afterwards,
the creature is safely returned to the water. (B, D)
Day 7 : Amazon
Amazon Jungle Palace : Breakfast. Jungle walking
tour. Lunch. Visit to a local community to learn
about the culture of the Indians. Ride along Igarape
of Cumaru river with Piranha fishing. Dinner and
overnight.
(B, L, D)
Amazon Eco Park : Breakfast followed by Nature Hike.
Lunch. After a short rest, visit to the
home of a local Amazonian with a try at fishing.
Dinner and overnight at the lodge. (B, L, D)
Amazon Village : Breakfast, then Jungle Trek -
Departure around 9AM walking or in a
motorized canoe with a guide until an appropriate area to
enter the jungle and start your walk. The guide will
lead you on a hike
through the rainforest, teaching you about the
local flora and fauna. Lunch. In the afternoon
exploratory tour in a motorized canoe
with a guide to visit some of the river area inlets and
swamp
forest. Dinner and overnight (B, L, D)
Day 8 : Amazon
Amazon Jungle Palace : Breakfast. Visit to the Meeting of the
Waters, the confluence of the Rio Negro and Rio
Solimões, located some 10km downstream from Manaus.
Visit to the Ecological Park,
where you will have the opportunity to seethe
amazing Vitória
Regia, the largest water lily in the world. Lunch. Jungle walking tour.
Dinner and
overnight.
(B, L, D)
Amazon Eco Park : Breakfast and full day tour to the
Meeting of the Waters with lunch.
Following optional canoe ride with an opportunity
of Piranha Fishing. Arrival at the lodge by 5:30PM.
Dinner
and overnight (B, L, D)
Amazon Village : Breakfast. Fishing trip and visit
to Caboclo's house, a dwelling of natives living in
an isolation of the forest. Departure in motorized
canoe with a guide; try to catch a local fish (tucunaré, tambaqui
and piranha), learn about the customs and way of
life of these indigenous people.
Lunch.
Free afternoon. Dinner and overnight (B, L, D)
Day 9 : Amazon / Manaus / Salvador
Amazon Jungle Palace : Breakfast, then depart back
to Manaus and transfer to Airport (B)
Amazon Eco Park : Breakfast. Free time to enjoy the
natural pools. Check-out at 11:30 and
transfer to Manaus (B)
Amazon Village : Return to Manaus arriving at approx.
11:30am.
Fly to Salvador, arrival and transfer to your hotel.
Overnight in Salvador (B)
Day 10 : Salvador / Historical Tour
A morning historical tour of Salvador. Leaving the
hotel, you will visit the Barra Lighthouse at the entrance
to the
All Saints Bay. Baia de Todos os Santos in
Portuguese, All
Saints' Bay is not only the biggest bay in Brazil but also one of
the biggest in
the world. Barra Lighthouse was build using the
foundations of the Santo Antonio Fort. From here
continue to the Santa Maria Fortress in Porto da
Barra where Tomé de Souza anchored and set foot
ashore in the 16th
century. Continue to
Ladeira da Barra, Vitória and its 19th century
mansions. Next it's on to Campo Grande and the monument of the
Liberation
of Bahia; Castro Alves Theater, Sete de Setembro
Avenue and its throbbing commercial life; São Bento
Monastery and last reach the main stage of the Bahian Carnival,
the Castro Alves Square.
From here you will continue
to
the upper entrance of the Lacerda Lift;
Terreiro de Jesus - a square with 5 churches, among
them the Basilica Cathedral, the Saint Francis of
Assisi
church, built in the 18th century and famous for
its lavish gold-inlaid interior. Finally reach the Pelourinho, declared in
1985 an
UNESCO World Monument, Latin America's biggest
colonial complex with buildings dating back to the
16th century, completely renovated in the last 15
years. From Pelourinho continue uphill to the Carmo church and monastery
and beyond, strolling through a pleasant Santo
Antonio neighborhood lined with cafes, bars,
restaurants and many fashionable boutique pousadas
with stunning viewes of the harbor and the All
Saints Bay.
Overnight in Salvador (B)
Day 11 : Salvador
At the appropriate time transfer to Salvador airport
for departure or extend
your stay in Bahia by continuing to one of the beach resorts near Salvador.
(B)
To
experience
Brazil in depth, 3 weeks-long
Colonial Brazil tour
itinerary is for you.
And
once you are in the region of Iguassu Falls, might
as well
extend your trip to visit Salta and Northwest
Argentina!
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