Brazil Amazon & Salvador
Summary
This popular Brazil tour combines three amazing highlights of Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, the Amazon Rainforest, and Salvador da Bahia.
Begin in the marvelous city of Rio de Janeiro, delve deep into the Amazon Rainforest and stay in an Amazon Jungle Lodge, then finish in the cultural and historical gem of a city in Salvador da Bahia.
Tour Highlights
- 3 Nights in Rio de Janeiro
- Sugar Loaf Mountain
- Corcovado (Christ the Redeemer Statue)
- 1 Nights in Manaus
- 3 Nights at the Juma Amazon Lodge including all meals & excursions
- 2 Nights in Salvador da Bahia
- Sightseeing of the Pelourinho District
Included
- All nights accommodations
- All breakfasts and 4 dinners
- All transfers
- English-speaking guides
Sample Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive in Rio de Janeiro & Brazilian Barbeque
Guided transfer from International Airport to your hotel in Rio de Janeiro near Copacabana beach, 10 minutes from downtown and just a few minutes away from shopping centers, movie theaters, restaurants and tourist attractions in the city. There is easy and quick access to both the international and domestic airports. Today enjoy a Brazilian barbeque.
Day 2 Rio de Janeiro & Sugarloaf Mountain (+ opt. Samba)
Breakfast at the hotel. The panoramic view from the top of the Sugar Loaf Mountain, at 1,296 ft (395m) above sea-level, is breathtaking. Two sets of cable cars elevate you to the top of Sugar Loaf. The first brings passengers to the top of Urca Mountain. From Urca Mountain a second set of cable cars brings passengers to the summit with its 360° spectrum of golden beaches, green forests and a thriving metropolis that has earned Rio de Janeiro the title of the world’s most beautiful city. Sightseeing continues with a tour of Rio’s historical past. Learn how Portugal’s prince scandalously broke all family ties and declared himself Emperor of Brazil. Optional today: Samba Dinner Show: dancers take you to a cultural journey through popular Brazilian music. The journey begins with the Portuguese settlers and slavery and continues to modern day Bossa Nova, Carnival and Brazilian pop.
Day 3 Rio de Janeiro & Christ the Redeemer
Christ the Redeemer keeps an eye on Rio from an elevation of 710m (2340ft). Board the cogwheel railway up to the top of Corcovado Mountain for a bird’s eye view of the center of the city from the center of the city! The 38-meter statue is the image of the faith and friendliness of cariocas.
The monument was inaugurated on the day of Our Lady of Aparecida, 12 October, 1931 by then President Getulio Vargas and cardinal Dom Sebastiano Leme. Then get a close-up look at Rio’s world famous beaches.
Day 4 Rio de Janeiro - Manaus
Transfer to your hotel in Manaus. Then let us tour you through this big city on the shore of Rio Negro with the famous Opera house and many other highlights.
Day 5 Manaus - Juma Amazon Lodge
En route to Juma Lodge, stop to observe the magnificent Meeting of the Waters, where the muddy waters of the Solimões River meet the black waters of the Negro River. Passengers will feel the difference in temperature between the two rivers as they run side by side. Upon arrival at Juma Amazon Lodge, enjoy a warm greeting and a welcome drink made with exotic fruits. Lunch will also be provided at the lodge, comprised of both regional and international cuisine.
Following lunch, depart for a canoeing tour which includes an in-depth exploration of the igarapés (Amazonian creeks) and the Igapós (flooded forest). During the excursion, swim with some of the river’s most majestic creatures: pink dolphins. Then, return to the lodge for dinner and an evening expedition to observe frogs, birds, and cayman.
Day 6 Juma Amazon Lodge
Enjoy a breakfast of regional cuisine with typical fruits, while watching the beautiful birds of the region. Next, enjoy an educational jungle walk and discover native plants and their uses. Many are edible or medicinal.
After lunch, tour Juma Lodge from a unique perspective. See the bungalows built completely upon stilts, from underneath. Gain insight into its construction and the role of sustainability within the lodge. Later, board a motorboat with a professional guide and learn about the Amazonian fish native to the river. As the sun sets off the water, return to Juma for a dinner made of the fish caught earlier. Following dinner, listen to an informal lecture on everyday life in the Amazon, including legends, traditions, and cultures of the region.
Day 7 Juma Amazon Lodge
After breakfast, embark on a jungle hike. Break for regional cuisine baked over a fire for lunch in a captivating area of the forest. Hammocks will be present for after-meal relaxation. In the afternoon, the hike will lead to a native house. Here, learn about the fascinating Amazonian culture from the inhabitants. A native will share their knowledge of the traditional medicinal plants and demonstrate how to prepare manioc flour, one of the region’s main economic resources. Return to the lodge, enjoy dinner, and the rest of the night at leisure.
Day 8 Juma Amazon Lodge - Manaus - Salvador
Indulge in the last breakfast provided at Juma Lodge. On the way back to Manaus, the local guide will stop at the Pirarucu Floating Dock to see the giant Pirarucu fish (also known as Arapaima), reaching 3 meters high (9,8 ft) and 200 kg (440 lbs)!
Continue the journey back to Manaus. Upon arrival, transfer to the Manaus airport for your flight to Salvador.
Day 9 Salvador City Tour (+ opt. Dinner & Show)
Breakfast at the hotel.
The historical tour invites you to travel through time, to walk the paths, hills and to visit the squares, churches and forts that were landmarks in the first Capital city of Brazil. Special attention it centred on Pehourinho, Latin America’s largest colonial architectonic complex.
Pelourinho is the name of an area in the center of the northeastern Brazilian city of Salvador which means “pillory, the stocks or a place of public shame” and in colonial times it was a place of horror for slaves who were taken there to be thrashed.
Pelourinho was described by UNESCO as the most important collection of baroque colonial architecture in the Americas and has been recently restored to its sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth century splendor. It retains a traditional atmosphere rarely found in old cities, because in Bahia, tradition lives on, intermingling with its present.
In Pelourinho, a place where the visitor breathes culture and history, we find the House of Jorge Amado Foundation, the City Museum, the Udo Knopf Museum, as well as the gold-plated church of Sao Francisco. Pelourinho is also the home of afoxò groups such as Filhos de Ghandy and Afro groups such as Olodum, symbols of Bahia’s traditional culture.
Optional today: Bahia By Night Dinner & Show at Coliseu: A folklore show presentend by natives will give you a chance to discover the rich diversity of the Afro-Bahia traditions of Candomblò, Maculel®, Samba de Roda, Puxada de Rede and the traditional Regional Capoeiras, filling the spectator with the “Axò”, of the Land of Happiness, followed by a dinner of typical dishes (beverges not included)
Day 10 End of this Brazil Amazon & Salvador Bahia Tour
Transfer to Salvador’s airport for you flight home.
