Current as of: April 1, 2026 - 05:36

Discover Brazil

Discover Brazil Trip Notes

  • Ways to Travel: Guided Group
  • Destination: Brazil
  • Programmes: Culture
  • Activity Level:

    2 out of 7 - Easy & Moderate

  • 11 Days: Land Only
  • Ages: 16+
  • Trip Code: ABR
  • Carbon Footprint: 129.6kg CO2e

Trip Overview

From Rio to the Amazon, get to know the soul of the country on this highlights-packed adventure

Fall in love with Brazil on this culture-packed adventure, which takes us from the rhythms of Rio to the atmospheric Amazon. Guided by our expert tour leader, we get to the soul of the country, climbing to the Christ the Redeemer statue, marvelling at the majestic Iguaçu Falls (from both Brazil and Argentina), and exploring the jungle-backed colonial town of Paraty. It ends in the Amazon with an immersive stay in a local community – a special opportunity to experience authentic indigenous culture and learn from the people about their lives in the rainforest.

Discover Brazil

Is This Trip for You?

This trip is rated Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings, visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please contact us.

Suitability: This trip is ideal for anyone with reasonable fitness levels. The hikes in Tijuca National Park and Iguaçu Falls involve a fair amount of walking in the heat. Please come prepared.

Journeys: There are some long days of travelling, particularly on the two days with internal flights.

Deposit: Upon booking, we will ask you for our standard deposit of 25% plus an extra 15% of the trip cost to secure your domestic flights. Please note, £475 (or the equivalent in your local currency) of the deposit is non-refundable/non-transferable; however, if for any reason we have to cancel the trip, you will receive a full refund. Depending on flight availability when you book your trip, an additional deposit supplement may also apply. If applicable, this will be communicated to you at the time of booking.

Visiting Argentina: We cross into Argentina on Day 7 of this adventure. While many travellers can enter Argentina visa-free, requirements can change, so it is essential you check before you travel.

Water safety: This trip includes time by a lake, river or sea, where there may be opportunities to swim. You should always seek local advice before deciding whether to swim. Open-water or wild swim spots should be treated with extreme caution. Information on how to keep yourself safe while swimming is shown here.

Adult min age: 16

Min group size: 4

Max group size: 16

Itinerary

Discover Brazil

Land Only

  • Start City: Rio de Janeiro
  • End City: Manaus

Land Only Itinerary

Day 1
Start the adventure in Rio de Janeiro

Begin your adventure in Rio, an electric city of gold-sand beaches, samba music and lush mountains, all watched over by the iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer.

Around 6pm, say oi to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead.

Your tour leader ensures a big welcome over a group dinner tonight.

Want more time in Rio? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

Accommodation: Hotel Windsor Palace (or similar)

Meals included: Dinner

Day 2
Cable car up Sugarloaf Mountain • Visit Christ the Redeemer
Discover Brazil

Our day begins with a scenic ride to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. We take two cable cars – one up to the first viewpoint, then the second to the top of Sugarloaf – though each ride doesn’t take more than a few minutes. Along the way, we enjoy panoramic views of Copacabana beach, the Tijuca and Corcovado mountains, downtown Rio, and more. At the top, we take time to admire the incredible views with time to visit the shops and cafes.

After lunch back in Rio, take the historic electric tram through Atlantic forest to an icon of Rio: the Christ the Redeemer statue. Standing at the feet of this New World Wonder, you can enjoy glorious views over the city, Sugarloaf Mountain, and Copacabana beach. A truly unforgettable experience.

Accommodation: Hotel Windsor Palace (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 3
Hike through Tijuca National Park • To Paraty
Discover Brazil

Begin our morning in Tijuca National Park on the outskirts of the city – bring snacks, water, sunscreen, and insect repellent in a small backpack.

We embark on a 2hr 30min hike through the forest to discover key sites, including the Taunay Waterfall, Job de Alcântara Bridge and Mayrink Chapel.

We take trails once used by coffee farmers, walk alongside rivers, and reach the Cascatinha summit (1,720ft/525m) for views of the valley, mountain range and Pico da Tijuca. Along the way, learn about Rio’s history, rainforest and wildlife; after, cool down with a splash in the downstream of the waterfall.

From here, we bid farewell to Rio and take a private transfer (4hr 30min-5hr 30min) to the colonial town of Paraty. The setting is magnificent with jungle-cloaked mountains behind and a beautiful bay in front.

Accommodation: Pousada da Marquesa (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 4
Discover the history of Paraty on a boat tour
Discover Brazil

Starting at Paraty Pier, we hop on a boat to cruise the turquoise coast. Not only is it a scenic way to see this UNESCO-listed town, it also uncovers its fascinating history as a one-time gold port and reveals its well-preserved colonial architecture.

We stop for a swim in the warm waters before heading to our lunch spot, a waterfront restaurant owned by local fishermen.

After, we explore the 18th-century architecture and history of Paraty on a guided walk through the historic centre. If we’re lucky, we may see the intentional flooding of the cobbled streets, when sea water is allowed to enter and naturally wash the roads.

Additionally, if you wish, your tour leader can take you to a cachaça merchant to try Brazil’s national spirit, which is made from sugarcane – seek out the Gabriela brand, which is made with an infusion of cloves and cinnamon.

Accommodation: Pousada da Marquesa (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5
Free morning to enjoy Paraty • To São Paulo
Discover Brazil

Enjoy a free morning to explore. Take time to walk the streets, admire the colonial architecture, and try treats sold by local people. Paraty is also one of the most relaxing opportunities for shopping on the trip.

In the early afternoon, we transfer (four to five hours) to São Paulo to prepare for our morning flight tomorrow.

Accommodation: eSuites Transamerica (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 6
Fly to Foz do Iguaçu • Marvel at the Iguaçu Falls (Brazilian side)
Discover Brazil

This morning, we head to São Paulo Airport for our 1hr 45min flight to the city of Foz do Iguaçu.

Upon arrival, we head directly to one of the world’s great natural wonders, the Iguaçu Falls, where we have three hours to explore.

Dividing Brazil and Argentina, it is twice as wide as Niagara Falls and comprises between 150 and 300 different cascades, depending on the season. Whenever you go, however, it’s spectacular.

Guided by our tour leader, we pass through the largest remaining stretch of Atlantic forest in southern Brazil to visit some of the most beautiful viewpoints in the park, including a dramatic panorama at the base of the Devil’s Throat, the most powerful waterfall within the falls system. Marvel at the waterfalls and expect to get sprayed!

Accommodation: JL Hotel by Bourbon (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 7
See Iguaçu Falls from the Argentina side

We hop over to Argentina today (remember your passports!) to see Iguaçu Falls from a completely different angle. Upon arrival, we ride the scenic Rainforest Ecological Train through Iguazú National Park up to the top of the falls.

After viewing the Devil’s Throat from the top of the falls, we walk the upper circuit (11,155ft/3,400m), which offers panoramic views of the water system. We may see various wildlife, including the South American coati, which populate the park.

If you’re craving a more adrenaline-fuelled viewing of the falls, you can opt to join La Gran Aventura: a two-hour exploration of the wild, taking adapted trucks and a powerboat to explore jungle trails and going directly into the waterfalls. Prepare to get wet!

Accommodation: JL Hotel by Bourbon (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 8
Fly to Manaus, the capital of the Amazonas

Early this morning, transfer to Foz do Iguaçu Airport for our flight to Manaus, where our Amazon adventure begins. The journey usually involves a change of plane en route, typically in Sao Paulo. We take a very early morning flight, and the journey should take around eight hours, including the change in plane, though this can vary depending on flight schedules.

We enjoy a late lunch in Manaus, the capital of the Amazonas state, before settling into our accommodation. Tonight, the group is taken to one of our guide’s favourite local restaurants.

Accommodation: Casa Perpétua (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 9
Adventure into the Amazon
Discover Brazil

Today we embark along the Rio Negro to our Amazonian village stay. First, we travel by boat for around one hour to see where the Rio Negro meets the Amazon River. Then, we visit the Indigenous village of Tatuyo, where we learn about their history and traditions on a 45 to 60-minute cultural experience of music and discussion.

Then, we continue our journey along the Rio Negro for one hour, arriving at our community stay for our welcome lunch.

Once settled into our lodgings, we take an introductory walk around the village, getting to see the local way of living.

After dinner, we have the opportunity to join a night boat tour, which takes around one hour. We sail along the dark waters of the Rio Negro listening to nature and trying to spot nocturnal creatures.

Accommodation: Poranduba Lodge (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10
Amazon Exploration: tractor, speedboat and night hike

Wake before light for a short boat ride to watch the sunrise over the Rio Negro. Back at the lodge we enjoy breakfast.

Later this morning, we take a short boat ride to join our community-led tractor ride, travelling in comfortable sofa-style seating along a scenic trail for around 20 minutes each way, learning about the nature that lives here, stopping whenever our guides notice any animals, insects, or birds of interest.

Once further into the jungle, we take a walk (around 0.6mi/1km) through the vegetation to a small spring where, if you wish, you can cool off. After, we return to our tractor to head back to our boat for further river exploration.

Lunch is held at one of the river-community restaurants, where you can try local fish and fruits.

We spend the afternoon exploring the Anavilhanas National Park by speedboat, with the chance to spot various wildlife, including river dolphins, toucans, herons, and caimans. Enjoy the sunset over the river before heading back for dinner.

After dinner, we can join a night trail taking around one-hour. With our expert local guides, we listen as the forest comes to light after dark.

Accommodation: Poranduba Lodge (or similar)

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11
Adventure ends in Manaus

Bid farewell to the Amazon after breakfast. Leaving at 9am, we have a 1hr 40min speedboat ride to Mirante Lucia Almeida in Manaus before transferring (25 minutes) to Manaus Airport.

If you’d like more time to explore Brazil, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay in Manaus.

Meals included: Breakfast

Accommodation

Hotels

We aim to secure locally owned accommodation that is well located, offers good value for money, and plenty of comfort. To help you find your ideal adventure, each trip is given a Comfort Level rating, which indicates the overall standard of accommodation. For more on our ratings, see our Comfort Level guidelines.

Named accommodation: The itinerary indicates the typical accommodation used on each day; however, these may need to be changed for alternative accommodation of a similar standard.

Tailor your trip: Extend your adventure by securing extra hotel nights before or after the main itinerary. Speak to your sales representative to book.

Private rooms: Like most tour operators, we room solo passengers together. If you’d prefer to have a private room, it’s normally possible to do this for a supplement. Speak to your sales representative to book.

Single supplement from 1 236 €

Food & Drink

Food is likely to be a mix of dishes using a lot of local produce. The local fruit is normally very good. Meat and fish are staples of the Brazilian diet, but vegetarians can be catered for throughout the trip. Please advise us at the time of booking if you have any special dietary requirements.

Transport

On this trip we use a mixture of private minibus, internal flights, train and boat.

Weather & Seasonality

The regions of southern Brazil that we visit (Rio, Paraty and Iguaçu Falls) have a subtropical climate with hot summers (November to March) and cooler winters (April to October). It can get very hot in summer (more than 40C/104F) with rain most afternoons. Winter has little rain with highs of around 24C (75F) and lows of around 15C (59F) – layers will be useful at this time.

The Amazon has two distinct seasons: wet and dry. In the wet season (January to May), average temperatures are around 22C-31C (72F-88F). During the dry season (June to December), temperatures are 24C-31C (75F-88F) on average, although it can get much hotter.

Joining Instructions

Key information

Start hotel: Hotel Windsor Palace, R. Domingos Ferreira, 6 – Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, 22050-010
Phone: +55 21 2195-6600
Recommended arrival time: You can arrive at any time today. There will be a welcome briefing around 6pm in the evening.
Airport: Rio de Janeiro Airport (GIG)

Getting to the start hotel

The start hotel is approximately a one-hour drive from the airport. We provide one group arrival transfer from the airport, which is timed to coincide with the arrival of a chosen flight. You may join this transfer at no extra cost, provided you can be at the airport before the transfer leaves. Speak to your sales representative for the group arrival transfer times or to arrange a private transfer.

If you would like further information on joining this trip, please speak to your sales representative.

Catching your return flight

The final day includes the departure transfer to the airport for the group. If you are planning a post-stay in Manaus, please inform your sales representative and the local team can help organise a drop off to your hotel.

Full joining instructions including local emergency numbers will be sent to you as part of our Final Joining Instructions. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier please contact our office or your travel agent.

Location start: Rio de Janeiro
Location end: Manaus

What To Take

Essential Equipment

  • Lightweight, long-sleeved T-shirt and long bottoms for the Amazon
  • Sunglasses
  • Sunscreen (high SPF)
  • Sunhat
  • Strong-soled shoes or boots for walking
  • Water bottle
  • Strong insect repellent
  • Swimwear
  • Waterproof jacket
  • Small backpack for daily essentials

Internal flights in the destination country are subject to a weight limit of 50lb (23kg).

Optional Equipment

  • Walking poles – only if required for the national park and Amazon walks
  • Torch (flashlight) for Amazon night walk
  • Umbrella for sunlight shade
  • Binoculars
  • Camera with zoom lens for wildlife photography

Practical Information

Visa

Brazil

Travellers from the UK and EU do not normally need a visa to enter Brazil.

From 10 April 2025, US, Canadian and Australian passport holders require an e-visa. It is recommended to apply for your e-visa two months before travel to Brazil. Information on visas can be found here: https://www.gov.br/mre/pt-br/consulado-miami/information-about-visas-in-english. The e-visa application site is here: https://brazil.vfsevisa.com/.

Vaccinations and Health

A yellow fever vaccination and anti-malaria medication are generally recommended for the Amazon, but this may not be required, always check with a doctor. You may also want to consider vaccinations for hepatitis A, tetanus, typhoid, rabies and tuberculosis. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Additionally, zika and dengue fevers, which are both spread by mosquitoes, are known risks in places visited. There are currently no vaccines or prophylaxes available; therefore, we strongly recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Local Time

Brazil's time zone: America/Sao_Paulo (UTC -03:00)

Electricity

Brazil’s electricity: Plug type N (three round pins) is primarily used across the country, with some Plug type C (two round pins) – 127V/220V, 60Hz. Brazil is one of the few countries that uses two types of voltage. It is therefore important to find out the local voltage before plugging in your appliance (the wrong voltage can damage your appliance).

Discover Brazil

Money

Brazil's currency: Brazilian real (BRL)

ATM Availability

We recommend taking your spending money for this trip in either US dollars or Brazilian reais, with exchange rates tending to be better and easier to change into reais than other currencies.

It is possible to obtain Brazilian reais before starting your trip, at the airport, or via an ATM in Rio and Paraty. Most restaurants and shops only accept local currency. Please check with your bank before departure to ensure your cards are accepted by Brazilian banks.

Credit cards are accepted at most restaurants and shops, but please ensure you have reais before the Manaus section of the trip, as the location of the community stay does not have ATMs, and you may wish to purchase small items during your stay, such as local crafts.

Extra Expenses & Spending Money

Budget US$10-US$15 for each lunch not included in the itinerary or US$12‐US$25 for each dinner, excluding drinks, although it is easy to spend less than this depending on the standard of restaurant. Beer and local spirits are generally slightly cheaper than in Western Europe and North America, and soft drinks about the same.

Optional excursions

  • Gold Trail and Waterfalls tour: From US$100.
  • La Gran Aventura: From US$160. Experience the wild side of Iguaçu National Park, exploring the jungle on specialised trucks before boarding a powerboat to ride rapids – you will get wet!

Tipping

Although tips are not compulsory, they are very much part of life throughout Latin America, and Brazil is no exception.

If you feel your tour leader has performed well over the course of your trip, you may want to show your appreciation of their services. We recommend each person budgets US$5-US$10 per day for the tour leader.

A tipping kitty can be created entirely separate from any contribution to the tour leader, which can be used to tip local guides, hotel porters, and drivers. We recommend a collection of US$55 per person at the start of the trip, which the tour leader can use to tip local workers on the group’s behalf.

Generally, a service fee of around 10% is added to restaurant bills, but this is also optional and can be removed at your request.

Sustainability and Impact

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

Important Information

Your Safe Participation
When booking this trip, you should be confident in your ability to participate in all activities described in these Trip Notes. If you have any doubt about your suitability, please call us and ask to speak to one of the experts on this itinerary. 

Although our leaders are well trained to deal with different capabilities, if they have any concerns about someone’s ability to safely take part in an activity, or their impact on other people’s enjoyment, we authorise them to take necessary action which, in some circumstances, may involve asking someone to miss that activity. 

By booking this trip you agree to our Booking Conditions which clearly state that our leaders have the authority to do this. In these rare instances we will ensure anyone sitting out is safely provided for and offered alternative options where possible. Refunds will not be provided for activities missed and customers may be liable for additional costs incurred. 

Seatbelts
All vehicles used by us should be equipped with working seatbelts, except where approved by us based on the vehicle type or journey. Wherever seatbelts are available, we require our customers to use them for their own safety, even where it may not be a legal requirement.

Travel Safety
For additional information please have a look at the travel safety advice page on our website.

How to Book

Speak to our friendly team of experts to plan your adventure:

  1. Check availability: our website shows real-time availability of our guided group tours, or contact our team by phone, email or live chat.
  2. Hold a space: You can provisionally hold a space on any guided group tour to give you time to finalise your travel plans.
  3. Confirm your booking: Payment of a deposit will complete your booking and secure your place on the trip.

After booking
You will receive a confirmation document and invoice, which includes extra information and guidance about your travel arrangements. Our dedicated Customer Operations team will help you with any pre-travel questions or arrangements and can easily add extensions or extra accommodation to your booking. Final Joining Instructions will usually be sent out two to three weeks prior to departure.

Adding transfers to your booking
If you have arranged your own flights and would like to add transfers to your booking, please provide your arrival and departure details to our Customer Operations team around four to six weeks before departure.

  • Where free transfers are included, they are available for any flight but can only be added to your booking once we have received your flight schedule.
  • Where group arrival and departure transfers are available, these operate at fixed times. You will need to arrive in time to meet the scheduled transfer. If the timings don’t align with your travel plans, our team can arrange private transfers once they receive your flight schedule.

Trip Note validity
Trip notes may be updated after booking; if any updates significantly impact the inclusions or itinerary you will be advised in writing. A link to the most up-to-date Trip Notes will be sent out with your Final Joining Instructions before departure.

The information in these Trip Notes is given in good faith. All holidays can be subject to unexpected changes, and occasionally it may not be possible to follow the itinerary as planned. In these circumstances we will make the best-possible alternative arrangements that maintain the integrity of the original itinerary.

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