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Trip Inspiration

14 Days Exploring Brazil’s Ecosystems

Nature & Wildlife Explorations

Over the course of fourteen days, you will immerse into Brazil's incredibly diverse ecosystems: the Amazon, Pousada Trijunção, and the Pantanal. Each landscape offer visitors incredible wildlife, stunning scenery, a plethora of activities, and the opportunity to learn about the conservation efforts in place to preserve them. You'll hike through lush rainforest, canoe down rivers, and jump on horseback, all while looking for unique animals such as jaguar, macaws, monkeys, otters, maned wolves, and sloths. You'll return with not only incredible memories but a deep love and appreciation for Brazil.

Trip Highlights

Locations

  • 1 night at the Rosewood in the bustling city of Sao Paulo
  • 3 nights in the savannah at Pousada Trijuncao
  • 3 nights in the southern Pantanal at Caiman Ecological Refuge
  • 3 nights at the Hotel Pantanal Norte in Porto Jofre
  • 3 nights at the Cristalino Jungle Lodge in the Brazilian Amazon

Activities

  • City tour in Sao Paulo
  • Birdwatching
  • River cruises and safaris
  • Maned wolf spotting
  • Learning about conservation initiatives
  • Canopy tours & observation deck visits
  • Walking, biking, and horseback riding
  • Kayaking and canoeing
  • Jaguar tracking and monitoring
  • Nocturnal wildlife excursions
Our travel consultants create a custom itinerary for each client,

offering recommendations for places and experiences that best fit your style. We are sharing this itinerary to inspire and provide an example of what a trip to South Brazil might look like. When you are ready to design a trip just for you, please let us know.

Day 1

Arrive Sao Paulo, Brazil

Welcome to Brazil! Upon arrival in Sao Paulo, you will be met for your private transfer to the Rosewood Sao Paulo. Accommodations will be reserved for one night, including breakfast daily.

Later this afternoon, you will be met by your local private guide for an afternoon city tour, which can be organized according to your interest. You might begin with a visit to Ibirapuera Park, the main green area of the city, where you’ll see the Obelisk of São Paulo, the Monumento às Bandeiras (Monument to the Flags) and several pieces of art made by Oscar Niemeyer in the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC) and the Oca.

Or you may choose to walk through the fancy streets of the Jardins neighborhood, a destination that highlights the architectural design of the Unique Hotel and the Church of Nossa Senhora do Brasil. Continue to the famous Paulista Avenue and see the imposing Copan and Italia buildings, the Anhangabaú Valley, the Teatro Municipal (Municipal Theatre), the Pateo do Collegio (place where the city was founded), the São Bento Monastery and the magnificent Metropolitan Cathedral located at Praça da Sé (Sé Square). Or, explore the bohemian neighborhood of Vila Madalena neighborhood, where you will find cute shops and cafes, and the unusual and colorful Batman Alley, with its graffiti-covered murals. Other stops can include the Pinacoteca Museum, Luz Station, Holy Art Museum or the famous Municipal Market of São Paulo (Food market).

Following the tour, you will return to your hotel. Enjoy the remainder of your evening at leisure.

Rosewood Sao Paulo Meals: N/A

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Day 2

Sao Paulo to Pousada Trijunção

This morning after breakfast, you will be transferred to the Sao Paulo Airport for your commercial flight to Brasilia, where you will be met by a private driver for your road transfer to Pousada Trijunção.

Your home for the next three nights, including all meals, Pousada Trijunção has a privileged and unique location on the border between the states of Goiás, Bahia, and Minas Gerais. This uniqueness can be seen and felt in everything they offer; from a gastronomy program that contains elements typical of all three regions to décor made by local artists, Pousada Trijunção is a true reflection of Brazil.

Currently just 50% of the original Cerrado, or savannah, remains in Brazil, and it is estimated that 150 species of animals are at risk of extinction including jaguars, ocelots, armadillos, anteaters, the maned wolf and the gray eagle. But within Fazenda Trijunção’s 33,000 hectares of preserved Cerrado, these creatures can live freely. During your stay, you have the opportunity to explore this incredibly diverse ecosystem, by both land and water, and hear about the ways in which the lodge and surrounding communities are working to conserve it. What’s more, The Pousada’s seven suites combine the raw beauty and rusticity of the Cerrado with contemporary design, allowing you to appreciate this landscape without sacrificing comfort.

Pousada Trijunção Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

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Days 3&4

Pousada Trijunção

These two days are yours to explore the savannah and the possibilities are endless. Activities may be shared with other guests. The schedule will be provided on site and decided locally according to your preferences and weather conditions.

Maned Wolf: The maned wolf is one of the most fantastic animals in the Cerrado, and one of the greatest examples of its diversity. While threatened with extinction, some individuals inhabit the limits of Fazenda Trijunção and are an unforgettable animal sighting. In partnership with the Onçafari nonprofit, Trijunção maintains a research project dedicated to the preservation of this species. Guests can visit the project, and with luck witness these creatures in their natural habitat.

Rio Formoso: A kayak or motorboat ride through the lagoon, from which the Formoso River springs, offers a unique opportunity to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the Cerrado and its resident life. You may be welcomed by bands of local macaws flying overhead.

Guided bicycle tours (3km-5km-10km): The Cerrado’s flat terrain is perfect for bike rides. With equipment perfectly suited for the landscape, guests can explore the Cerrado on an ever-expanding system of tracks.

Birding: Join an expert guide to explore Fazenda Trijunção, where more than 210 species of birds can be found including many unique species known for their rarity, beauty, or particular behaviors.

Grande Sertão Veredas Park: To walk around the Grande Sertão Veredas National Park is to be reconnected with the exuberant simplicity of nature. This is the same place that inspired the famous Brazilian novelist, Guimarães Rosa.

Conservationist Breeding Ground: Most of the initiatives of Pousada Trijunção are related to their conservationist breeding grounds. Guests can visit and understand the project of conservation of the emus, peccary, and other wild animals.

Tortoise Nursery: Guests can visit the tortoise nursery to see these animals in various stages of growth.

Stargazing: Located in a more isolated stretch of Brazil and away from city lights, the pousada is a magical place to observe stars, constellations, planets, and other celestial elements. Enjoy being dazzled by the immensity of the night sky.

Alligator Night Spotting: After a beautiful sunset in the Cerrado, paddle kayaks through Lagoa das Araras and observe the lagoon’s diverse and mysterious fauna, including the smallest species of alligator in the world, the dwarf alligator.

Eco-Safari at Night: Finding protection and greater thermal comfort in the dark, many animals are most active late afternoon and early evening. So, guests are encouraged to enjoy a night safari or two. Accompanied by specialized guides, guests board specially adapted safari vehicles and explore Fazenda Trijunção’s roads. Under the mantle of night, powerful lanterns make the animals’ eyes shine, increasing the chance of locating them in the darkness. In addition to different species of nocturnal birds like urutau, bacuraus and owls, mammals such as the maned wolf, field fox, skunks, armadillos, anteaters, tapir, and possibly even the elusive jaguar, may be found.

Whether you choose to watch a spectacular savannah sunset or follow the elusive maned wolf, Pousada Trijunção provides daily and shared guided experiences that immerse you in the beauty and vastness of the Cerrado.

Pousada Trijunção Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 5

Pousada Trijunção to The Pantanal

This morning, you will be transferred to a local airstrip for your chartered flight to the Brasilia Airport. From here, you will check in to your commercial flight to Campo Grande. Upon arrival, you will be met by your local guide for your road transfer to Caiman Ecological Refuge (approximately 3 hours and 50 minutes), where you will stay for three nights.

Caiman Ecological Refuge is located inside a 53,000 hectare cattle ranch (Estancia Caiman) in the southern Pantanal in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Along with ecotourism, Caiman is involved with environmental research and conservation projects, all done through partnerships with researchers and universities. Caiman has also created a Private Reserve of Natural Patrimony (RPPN), which spans almost 5,600 hectares and includes a representative sample of the Pantanal’s natural characteristics. Moreover, Caiman has an Environmental Interpretation Center, which is a cultural space aimed at showing a complete panorama of the Pantanal’s ecosystem and a secular vision of Brazil’s history.

The Pantanal of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul States is the largest continuous wetland in the world. It has an area of 140,000 square kilometers of floodplain in Brazil and also spreads through Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina. It was formed between 2-5 million years ago as a large sedimentary basin and now it is an isolated flatland surrounded by several mountainous areas. It is considered a World Heritage Site. The Pantanal has a diverse aquatic animal life and its hundreds of different fish guarantee a rich bird population (more than 600 species live in the area). There is also a huge population of reptiles and mammals such as caimans, capybaras, monkeys, jaguars, armadillos, coatis and anteaters.

Caiman Ecological Refuge Meals: Breakfast / Dinner

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Days 6&7

The Pantanal

Enjoy two days at leisure or partaking in some of the property’s activities, all of which are led by guides who are experts on the biome’s flora, fauna, and culture. All meals will be served at the lodge or with your activity. Activities will be shared with other guests. You will receive your schedule at check-in. Activities will be offered according to weather and lodge availability.

Jaguar Onçafari (full-day): On one of the days during your stay, you will participate in a full day Oncafari Experience. This initiative promotes the conservation of the Pantanal through a different kind of photographic safari, in which the animals do not lose their wild nature, but stop seeing the safari vehicles as a threat. You will spend the day with the Jaguar Habituation Team, following along with their routine activities, such as searching for tracks and other clues that may lead to the spotting of these magnificent big cats. You will also check previously set camera traps and download satellite date to monitor the jaguars’ previous locations. Using a special receiver, known as a VHF, you will search for particular jaguars and observe their behavior in the wild.

This responsible ecotourism initiative provides a source of income to the region’s inhabitants and owners, uniting sustainable practices with social progress. The fascination provoked by the jaguars and the experience of the safaris are used as tools to change the opinion about these animals and raise awareness to the visitors and the Pantanal inhabitants that preservation is a synonym of development.

Hyacinth Macaw Project (half-day): Founded in 1990 and coordinated by Dr. Neiva Guedes, this initiative monitors Hyacinth Macaw nests to obtain data about the species. It has helped to recuperate the population of the species throughout the Pantanal and remove it from the list of endangered species, turning the bird into a symbol of resistance in the region.

Walking trails in the woods: Take in your incredible surrounding on one of the region’s many trails. Walking in the forests allows guests to observe the ecosystem’s small animals and the local vegetation. It is the activity that provides the greatest contact with the environment. Reinforcing the ecological focus of its activity, the Caiman Ecological Refuge alternates the trails, minimizing the impacts upon the environment.

Caiman Tour: This walk takes visitors through the property, including  the ranch, corral, research centers, school, and Environmental Interpretation Center. The final destination is the Paizinho’s bridge, one of the most traditional places of the Caiman Ecological Refuge, and an ideal spot to observe the Spectacled Caimans. Enjoy a magical moment in which you get up close to the caimans and gain greater insight into one of the animals that has come to represent the Pantanal.

Canadian canoe trip: Explore the refuge’s many bays in a three-seat Canadian canoe, contemplating the nearby vegetation and water birds. It is also a good opportunity to not only take in a fantastic Pantanal sunset but listen to nature’s many sounds.

Nocturnal Spotlighting: Provides the opportunity to observe nocturnal animals. One of the highlights is when the caimans are spotted.

Jeep Safari: This tour is done in a 4×4 adapted vehicle. It provides the guests the chance to get closer to the wildlife and also have access to different areas in Pantanal.

Alongside your “Caimaner,” you might also enjoy horseback riding, biking, and so much more. No matter which excursions you choose, you will walk away with a deeper understanding of and appreciation for this unique ecosystem.

Caiman Ecological Refuge Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 8

The Pantanal to Porto Jofre

This morning, you will board your small aircraft charter flight from Caiman to Hotel Pantanal Norte, where you will stay for three nights.

The Hotel Pantanal Norte, also known as Porto Jofre Lodge, offers visitors their best chance of seeing the mighty jaguar, the largest cat in the Americas. Built in 1984, the property sits at the end of the famous Transpantaneira Park Road and directly on the Cuiaba River. The lodge affords a comfortable night of rest after daily departures searching for wildlife in the river.

Hotel Pantanal Norte Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

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Days 9&10

Porto Jofre

Enjoy two days of private river safaris on Cuiaba river in search of jaguars. The region has the highest density of jaguar population in the entire Pantanal; while wildlife cannot be guaranteed, you have high chances to spot the big cat, especially from mid-June through October. According to weather conditions, lunch will be done at the lodge or during the safari.

Hotel Pantanal Norte Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 11

Porto Jofre to the Amazon

This morning, you will board a charter flight to Cuiaba Rondon International Airport, where you then take a commercial flight to Alta Floresta. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to a port along the Amazon River, a drive that takes approximately an hour and a half. Here, you will board a boat for a thirty minute ride to reach Cristalino Jungle Lodge, your home for the next three nights.

Located within the Brazilian Amazon, Cristalino Jungle Lodge is the perfect base to explore the world’s most biodiverse ecosystem. In fact, the property owns and manages a private reserve of more than 44 square miles, ready and waiting for adventure. Whether you set off on a trail or relax with a yoga class, there is not a moment where aren’t surrounded by nature. And the lodge’s focus on sustainability ensure your stay not only educates you on the topic of conservation but also has a minimal impact on the environment.

This evening, you will meet with your guide to discuss activities for the following day.

Cristalino Jungle Lodge Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

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Days 12&13

The Amazon

Enjoy two days of Amazon explorations and lodge activities. All meals will be served on property or while out adventuring.

Canoeing: Since canoeing is a quiet, peaceful activity, it frequently provides excellent opportunities to observe birds and monkeys along the river banks. Heading down river, in the direction the current is flowing, you will pass through different types of scenery. The tranquil waters of the River Cristalino are perfect for this activity and comfortable equipment is provided by the lodge.

Trail: Nature tours along the 19-mile trail system offer an in-depth understanding of the tropical ecosystem. The trails within Cristalino Reserve are of easy-to-moderate difficulty and can be enjoyed by people of all ages. They are not long, usually between 1-3 miles. The idea is to enjoy nature and learn about the forest, as the guides point out the birds, plants, monkeys and other features.

Canopy Towers: For a truly unique experience in the Amazon rainforest, a visit to the Canopy Towers cannot be missed. Soaring to 164 feet, with waystations at various heights, climbers can enjoy panoramic views of the reserve, with the vast forest canopy a blanket of green at your feet.

Flora & Fauna Observation: Several flagship species of Brazilian fauna and flora can be found in this region, including: harpy eagle, Brazilian tapir, giant otter, white-whiskered spider monkey, otter, white collared peccary, white-nosed-saki monkey, red-handed howler monkey, dusky-titi monkey, cryptic falcon, crimson-bellied parakeet, black-girdled barbet, paradise tanager, crested owl, spangled cotinga, pavonine quetzal, purple honeycreeper, curl-crested aracari, great potoo, attalea maripa, brazil-nut tree and mahogany. This area has been highlighted by the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment as vital for conservation.

Boat Trips: Many of the trails are only accessible by boat, and on the journey you will have the opportunity to observe wildlife along the rivers. One of the trips includes a sunset visit to the River Teles Pires. Here, the meeting of Teles Pires River with the waters of the River Cristalino creates a fascinating intermingling of respective light and dark shades.

Cristalino Jungle Lodge Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 14

Depart Brazil

This morning, you will board a boat and return to the port, where you will be met for your private transfer to the Alta Florestra Airport. Upon arrival, you will check in for your commercial flights home.

N/A Meals: Breakfast

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