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BRAZIL EXPLORER
TOUR ITINERARY - 23 DAYS
Day 1: Auckland – Santiago – Rio
Fly to Rio de Janeiro via Santiago with LAN Airlines. On arrival transfer to your hotel
Day 2: Rio (B,D)
Welcome to Rio de Janeiro – River of January – is a beautiful city full of vibrant people. Brazilians say “ God made the world in 6 days – the 7th day he devoted to Rio.
Enjoy the morning at leisure to explore.This afternoon introduction to the flora of Brazil at the Rio Botanical Garden, one of the largest in the world, with approximately 8200 species of plants. This evening a welcome to Brazil dinner at a local restaurant
Day 3: Rio (B,L)
Travel to Corcovado we take the cogwheel train straight up the mountainside to the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer and even more stunning views. After lunch
drive to Copacabana beach and Flamengo Park, a redeveloped area in the bay, designed by Burle Marx. Continue to one of Rio’s most famous attractions, Sugar Loaf Mountain including the cable car and through the lush rainforest vegetation
Day 4: Rio – Cuiaba (B)
Day at leisure . We suggest a visit to the markets at Ipanema held every Sunday or relax at the beach and observe the “cariocas “ ( people who live in Rio) at play.
Later this afternoon transfer to the airport for our evening flight to Cuiaba in the Mato Grosso.
Stay overnight in Cuiaba
Day 5: Cuiaba –Amazonia Lodge (B,L,D)
Depart later this morning and travel to the Jardim da Amazonia Lodge for a 2 night stay. The journey to the lodge will take around 4 ½ hours. After check-in, travel along the orchid trail spotting numerous hummingbirds, painted parakeet, blue-headed parrot and masked trogon.
Day 6: Amazon Rain Forest (B,L,D)
Morning trek deep into the forest, followed by a boat trip on the Claro River, exploring the Anaconda Lake and stopping for a swim at Palmeira beach. BBQ lunch then a canoe ride down the Claro River.
Day 7: Amazon Rainforest /Serra Azul / Savana Tablelands (B,L,D)
Morning departure to Serra Azul in Nobres, hike to caves, grottos and blue lakes and enjoy a snorkel amid colourful fish. Continue to Chapada dos Guimarães to the charming Park Eco Lodge for a 2 night stay.
Day 8: Chapada Dos Guimares National Park (B,L,D)
Full day hike to through the beautiful national park. The area is renowned for its intriguing san stone sculpted shapes, its bird’s songs and crystal clear water falls. Finish the hike at the 86m high Véu de Noiva water fall.
Day 9: Chapada Dos Guimares National Park / Pantanal Lowlands (B,L,D)
Drive to the historical town of Chapada and visit the first church of the State of Mato Grosso. Continue driving through the charming gold mine town of Pocone to the lowlands of the Pantanal, before arriving at the Araras Ecolodge for a 3 night stay. Night excursion.
Day 10: Pantanal Lowlands (B, L,D)
Morning canoe trip on Corichão River enjoying the scenery and serenity. Afternoon drive spotting wildlife.
Day 11: antanal Lowlands (B,L,D)
Sunrise walk to enjoy the amazing symphony produced by the different birds and monkeys, followed by a horse back ride through the plain, the woods and forest. Afternoon walk to the howler monkeys tower, a 25m high wooden tower build amid dense forest. Night drive to look for nocturnal wildlife.
Day 12: Pantanal – Manaus (B)
Transfer back to Cuiaba Airport for your flight via Brasilia to Manaus . On arrival transfer our hotel located on the Rio Negro just before its confluence with the Amazon.
Day 13: Manaus (B)
This morning a city tour, visit the rubber-boom era Opera House, Indian Museum, floating docks and busy local market.
This afternoon we will do an excursion to the meeting of the waters. The confluence of the Rio Negro and the Solimões is called the Encontro das Águas (Meeting of the Waters). The two rivers run side by side for about 8 km without their waters mingling. The Solimões, which carries the melted snow and rich sediment of the Andes, is considered the white river, although its colour is light brown. The Rio Negro, which drains the flat and ancient Brazilian soils, is the black river. All of the major rivers and many of the tributaries overflow their banks annually owing to high precipitation here and in the Andes. Near Manaus the river level can rise 14 metres during the flood season. On the smaller tributaries the river level changes less. On a typical regional vessel, the visitor will visit this famous confluence. A local guide explains everything about the natural phenomenon.
Day 14: Manaus – Belem (B)
Morning departure by air down the Amazon to Belem one of the gateways to the Amazon. Flying over vast expanses of lush rainforest gives you an aerial perspective of the immensity of Brazil and Amazônia! On arrival in Belém you head directly to your. hotel to recover from the journey and adjust to the heat and humidity.
This afternoon we will do a half day city tour to the markets and historical centre. The city of Belem grew on the site where the Portuguese founded a wooded fort in 1616 to become the capital of Pará state. In the afternoon it is worth to visit the Emilio Goeldi Museum to see its collection of Indian artifacts from all over the Amazon region (optional).
Take a evening stroll down to the docks for your first view of the Amazon from close to. Here there’s a riverside boulevard with restaurants and bars, and it may be possible to do a sunset boat trip (optional - roughly 90 minutes) to see the city from the river.
Day 15: Belem - Ilha de Marajo (B,L,D)
Soon after daybreak you head to the nearby jetty in time for the local passenger boat to Camará, close to the mouth of the Amazon on the island of Marajó - a journey of around three hours. On arrival a private vehicle will drive you to a small river where motorboats will be waiting to take you upstream (roughly 40 minutes) to the Fazenda do Carmo, a traditional farm that raises water buffalo. Here the wooden farmhouse that’s over a hundred years old is your base for various excursions.
Day 16: Ilha de Marajo (B,L,D)
Marajó Island is a vast island of some 50.000 square kilometres. Created by the accretion of silt and sand over millions of years, it’s a wet and marshy area. Today you have a full day to observe and learn about this unique eco-system. Taking to the water, you can travel by motorized canoe or hand-paddled dugout canoes and on land by horse or even buffalo. The wet, grassy clearings between narrow strips of rainforest offer one of the best possibilities to observe Amazon wildlife – much better than in the dense tropical rainforest. Here you’re likely to see alligator, capybara, monkeys, snakes and birds.
Day 17: Marajo - Belem (B)
Further exploration this morning before we return by ferry to Belem and transfer to our hotel
Day 18: Belem – Salvador de Bahia (B,D)
Morning flight to Salvador Bahia .
This afternoon you will tour the largest and best preserved complex of colonial architecture in the Americas – the famous Pelourinho district. Walk throught the narrow cobbled streets lined with fine colonial houses painted in pastel shades, and visit several churches including the spectacularly ornate church of Sao Francisco, the finest example of Baroque churches in Brazil.
This evening you’ll visit the 18th century Oceanside colonial mansion Solar do Unhao, where in the former slaves quarters, you’ll dine on Bahian cuisine, and then see the fabulous show of Capoeira, a deadly acrobatic martial art originating from the Bantus of Angola.
Day 19: Salvador - Iguacu (B)
Morning flight to Iguacu . On arrival you will explore the magnificent Brazilian side of
the falls.
Day 20: Iguacu (B)
Visit to ‘Bird Park Iguazu’. There are over 500 birds, both indigenous and from other continents and visitors can be in contact with them without restriction of netting and cages. An important breeding program is in progress for some of the endangered species. Located at the Cataratas Highway, across from the Iguassu National Park Visitors’ Center, and only two kilometers from the Foz do Iguaçu International Airport. The Bird Park has 17 hectares of second-growth vegetation, of which only 4 hectares are destined for the installations with the rest having been singled out for preservation.
This afternoon you will cross over the Argentina border to get a look at the amazing falls from the Argentine side as well.
Day 21: Iguacu – Sao Paulo – Auckland (B)
This morning transfer to the airport for you flight home via Sao Paulo & Santiago
Day 22: In Flight
Day 23:
Arrive in Auckland
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