Day 1 Depart USA Gateway
Day 2 Arrive morning at Rio de Janeiro and transfer to Sheraton Hotel (5-Star). Free day to relax at beach or poolside . Evening dining at Churrascaria (Brazilian Bar-B-Q feast) for typical Brazilian dinner. Ride tram up to Sugar Loaf Mountain for panoramic view of Rio at night and enjoy Samba show.
Day 3 Morning flight to Manaus. Transfer to Hotel Tropical (5-star). Spend day relaxing poolside and sightseeing surrounding jungle and Rio Negro and Amazon (world's largest rivers)
Day 4 Tour Amazonia capitol Manaus. Visit 19th century opera house, river market and indian museum. Afternoon travel up Rio Negro river. Transfer to Araiu Jungle Tower Lodge, overlooking the rainforest canopy. This is the base camp for the next 3 days of rainforest excursions.
Day 5 & 6 Trained naturalist guides will educate our way through this fascinating Amazon Rainforest teaching us the interdependence of man, animal and plant. The naturalist will show us how fragile and threatened this ecosystem is and we will meet local inhabitants of the area and see how they live in harmony with their environment. Venturing into the rainforest by foot or canoe, we will study the amazing canopy and all the prolific flora of the forest. Because of the dense jungle foliage, animal life is difficult to spot. for this reason, our next visit is world largest wetland region, the Pantanal in southwest Amazonia bordering Bolivia.
Day 7 Return to Manaus after breakfast with afternoon flight to Cuiba. Dinner at Western Churrascaria in this frontier city. Accomodations at the Hotel Jaguar (3-star).
Day 8 Venture early morning by van into the remote outback, traveling through the largest wilderness area in the western hemisphere; home to a tremendous variety of wildlife. The wildlife in this area is highly visble. After 4 hours deep into the Pantanl we arrive at the Fazenda Hotel Beira Rio. The Pantanal area has been quoted as being one of the world's richest bird sanctuaries reminiscent of East Africa.
Day 9 & 10 Get out the fishing poles and cameras! Traveling by canoe at sun up, we will witness thousands of birds leaving their nests for feeding. A photgrapher's, bird watchers, or nature lover's paradise. On the flip side we will find schools of Piranha for some fast and furosious fishing. Return to headquarters and relax. Then repeat in the evening. (10 day tour departs for Rio and USA.)
Day 11 Hit the road again. Fly to Iguacu Falls. Accomodations at Hotel Das Cataratas (5-star), a national park lodge overlooking the world's largest falls. (10 day Brazil tour arrives from USA)
Day 12 Full day tour of the falls. From the lookout point at the falls, you can gaze into 3 countries, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay.
Day 13 Set your alarm clocks! We leave at 5am to catch the train. Winding through the coastal mountains and the Atlantic Rainforest of which only 3% is left, we ride on the Nobel Prize winning track (for engineering) built in the late 1800's. Early Italian dinner in Curitiba. Fly to Belo Horizonte. Accomodations at the Othon Palace. (5-star)
Day 14 Depart for tours of Ouro Preto, a United Nations international historic site, and other colonial storybook cities of the 17th century. these old gold rich communities in the state of Minas Gerais (General Mines) remain intact. Ninety percent of the world's colored gems come from here so buys are excellent at the source. Turn back the clock at Pousada Mondego, an historic hotel with wood plank floors and iron fixtures.
Day 15 Return to the 21st Century and and Rio. Enter deluxe tour buses and see the sights of Rio including Corcovado (the statue of Christ), with fantastic panorama, then the Botanical Gardens (housing the world's largest palms and lilypads), King Don Pedro's Palace through the Tijuica Rainforest Park, then down to the beaches. (Copacabana and Ipanema) Then 3 hours north of Rio to Buzios. Accomodations Nos Rocas.
Day 16 & 17 A deluxe resort on our private island. Spend the final days relaxing in the sun or enjoying the many activities. Shop the small tourist town or anyone desiring the shops and bustle of Rio, we will arrange shopping sprees and night dining and dancing options.
Day 18 Depart Rio final night and arrive USA early next morning.
Day 19 Arrive USA