Discover Beautiful Brazil
Get to know Brazil in this fascinating trip of discovery. Explore the sophisticated and iconic city of Rio de Janeiro, and dive into Brazil's rich history in Paraty. Behold the wonders of Brazilian nature as you survey the mighty Iguaçu Falls and the floodplains of the Pantanal.
At Travel Beyond, we believe your trip should be designed just for you, not for the masses. Our travel consultants create a custom itinerary for each client, offering recommendations for places and experiences that best fit your style. The itinerary below was planned for a past client, but we’re sharing it for travel inspiration and as an example of what a trip to Brazil might look like. Let us know when we can design a trip just for you!
Welcome to Brazil! Upon arrival in Rio, you will be met for your private transfer to the Copacabana Palace where you will spend two nights in a Deluxe Ocean View room, including breakfast daily.
Over its nearly 500 years of history, Rio de Janeiro has been the spring board for Brazil’s principal cultural exports, and the port of entry for everything from major art exhibitions to contemporary music events. Rio’s architecture embraces churches and buildings dating from the 16th through 19th centuries, while seamlessly blending with world renowned designs of the 20th.
Later today, you will be met by your guide for your half-day Brazilian Cooking Class. Chef Simone Almeida has been offering Brazil’s premier cooking class for ten years. Her job is not just to teach her delicious traditional recipes, but to explain Brazilian culture through food. You will learn a few Brazilian drinks, such as caipirinha and batida de coco, and a few appetizers, such as cassava sticks and flambéed sausage, before you start on the main dish.
After your class, you will be returned to your hotel. Enjoy the remainder of your evening at leisure.
Belmond Copacabana Palace Meals: Breakfast / Dinner
This morning after breakfast, you will be met for your full-day tour of Christ the Redeemer and the Morrinho Project.
Begin at Corcovado Mountain, where you will see the Christ the Redeemer monument. With a height of 125ft, this is the most important and iconic symbol of Rio de Janeiro, and has been named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Enjoy lunch at Aprazivel restaurant in the charming Santa Teresa neighborhood, with views over the city and the bay beyond. Next, visit the Morrinho Project, a social and cultural project based outside the Pereira da Silva favela in the Southern Zone of the city. At more than 4,800 square feet, the Morrinho Project is a miniature replica of different favelas across Brazil. The art installation is made of brick and other recycled materials and its aim is to educate visitors about the realities of life in the favela. Based on their work here in Rio, these talented young artists have been invited to create exhibitions around the world.
After your tour, you will be returned to your hotel. Enjoy the remainder of your day at leisure.
Belmond Copacabana Palace Meals: Breakfast / Lunch
This morning after breakfast, you will be met for your private transfer to Paraty and the Pousada Literária Hotel. Enjoy three nights in Paraty, including breakfast daily.
This afternoon, you will be met for your Paraty Walking Tour. Immerse yourself in the beautiful colonial architecture, street design ahead of its time, exiled Portuguese royalty, and the dark past of the slave trade. In the eighteenth century, Paraty was an important port in the transportation of the gold and precious stones that were to be shipped to Portugal. Unfortunately, pirates took refuge in Paraty’s beaches, and their assaults ultimately changed the gold route and left the city in economic isolation. Today, it is a beautiful colonial city, considered a World Heritage Site, that has preserved its natural and architectural charm. After your tour, you will return to your hotel. Enjoy the remainder of your day at leisure.
Pousada Literária Meals: Breakfast
Today after breakfast you will be met by a Travel Beyond private guide for your half-day Paraty Boat Tour.
Paraty is surrounded by lush rain forest vegetation and crystalline water, perfect for swimming and snorkeling. A terrific way to explore the region is by boat, allowing you to visit the beautiful secluded beaches nearby. Your guide will explain local lore and history along the way. Upon completion of your tour, you will be returned to your hotel. Enjoy the remainder of your day at leisure.
Pousada Literária Meals: Breakfast
Today after breakfast you will be met for your private kayak and jeep tour.
It’s a fun filled day taking in both sides of Paraty – the bay, with its tropical islands and deserted sandy beaches, and the mountainside rain forest, with its freshwater pools and waterfalls. In the morning you will paddle the bay visiting islands, beaches and mangroves before heading up into the hills by jeep. There will be time for a swim in the Tarzan pool, the thrilling toboggan rock slide and a visit to a cachaça distillery where the rum is still made the traditional way.
Pousada Literária Meals: Breakfast
This morning after breakfast, you will be met by a Travel Beyond representative for your private transfer to the Sao Paolo airport for your commercial flight to Iguaçu.
Upon arrival, you will be met for your private transfer to Belmond Das Cataratas Hotel, the only hotel within Brazil’s Iguaçu National Park. Enjoy two nights in a Deluxe Falls View Room, including breakfast daily. Enjoy the remainder of your day at leisure.
From its source located here in Brazil, the Iguaçu River grows into a winding course of more than 300 miles before emptying into the Paraná River and culminating in the spectacular Iguaçu Falls, a 1.5-mile-wide spectacle with more than 200 drops. The largest drop is dauntingly known locally as the “Devil’s Throat,” where the water plummets more than 2,230 feet, exploding onto the rocks below in a haze of fine mist.
Belmond Das Cataratas Meals: Breakfast
This morning after breakfast you will be for your full-day tour of the both the Brazilian and Argentinean side of the Falls.
You will begin on the Brazilian side of Iguaçu Falls. Your one-hour walking tour takes you along a catwalk to admire the falls from several different viewpoints. At the end of the walk, you will find a fantastic close-up encounter with the Devil’s Throat.
Shortly after completing the border crossing into Argentina, you will arrive at the Falls. Begin your tour at the Visitors’ Center, which offers an excellent insight into the rich biodiversity of the area. Next, explore the massive system of waterfalls along a series of catwalks.
After, take a boat ride to the face of the iconic Devil’s Throat for an exciting up close and personal experience. Be prepared to get wet!
After your tour, you will be returned to your hotel. Enjoy the remainder of your evening at leisure.
Belmond Das Cataratas Meals: Breakfast
This morning you will be met for your private transfer to the Iguaçu Airport for your flight to Campo Grande.
On arrival, you will be met for your private transfer to Caiman Ecological Refuge in the Pantanal. Enjoy three nights in a Cordilhiera room, including all meals and shared activities.
Caiman Ecological Refuge is a pioneering ecotourism enterprise, located on a 131,000-acre private reserve. In addition to ecotourism, Caiman is involved with cattle production, as well as environmental research and conservation projects, including the Hyacinth Macaw Project and Blue-Fronted Parrot Project, all done through partnerships with researchers and universities. Caiman’s Environmental Interpretation Center is a cultural experience, designed to show a complete panorama of the ecosystem and Brazil’s history.
This evening, you will be met for your first activity, followed by dinner.
Caiman Ecological Refuge Meals: Breakfast / Dinner
The Pantanal is the largest continuous wetland in the world, covering an area of more than 54,000 square miles in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina. This World Heritage Site has diverse aquatic animal life; hundreds of different fish guarantee a rich bird population (more than 600 species live in the area). There is also a large population of reptiles and mammals, such as caimans, capybaras, monkeys, jaguars, armadillos, coatis and anteaters.
Enjoy your days at leisure to explore the area and the activities on offer at the refuge. Activities are intended to promote direct contact with local fauna, flora, geography and culture. All tours and activities undertaken at Caiman Lodge are accompanied by expert naturalist guides and local field guides with a deep knowledge and understanding of the area. Available activities include walking trails in the woods, refuge tours, photographic safaris, canoe trips, nocturnal spotlighting, astronomy, and the Jaguar Project. All meals will be served at the lodge.
Caiman Ecological Refuge Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
This morning after breakfast, you will be met for your private transfer to the Campo Grande Airport for your onward flights home.
N/A Meals: Breakfast
