Brazil Holidays

Brazil Nutshell

Rio, Iguazu Falls & the Pantanal

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The Perfect Two Week Holiday in Brazil?

The Best of Southern Brazil: 12-day Brazil holidays for £2850pp

Most people will agree that much of what is best about Brazil: the beautiful beaches, amazing wildlife and stunning cities, can all be enjoyed in the southern 'cone' of Brazil. If you like, it's Brazil in a nutshell!

These Brazil holidays start in Rio, where you'll visit the famous Christ statue and see the dry Atlantic Rainforest as well as visiting a slice of colonial history in the imperial summer capital of Petropolis, with its Crystal Palace and lovely colonial architecture. You'll then travel inland to the breathtaking Iguazu Falls, before a trip into the stunning Pantanal wetlands, which are the best place for enjoying wildlife in the whole of Brazil.

Outline Itinerary

  • Day One: Arrival in Rio
  • Day Two: Corcovado and Tijuca National Park
  • Day Three: Sugarloaf Mountain Tour
  • Day Four: Free Day to Explore Rio
  • Day Five: Fly to Iguazu
  • Day Six: Iguazu Falls tour (Brazil side)
  • Day Seven: Iguazu Falls tour (Argentina side)
  • Day Eight: Into the Pantanal
  • Day Nine: Rio Mutum Lodge
  • Day Ten: Last day in the Pantanal
  • Day Eleven: Free day in Rio
  • Day Twelve: Overnight flight back to the UK

"We enjoyed everything, but the canoe along the Napo creek was just out of this world."

Read more testimonials from our happy customers...

Detailed Itinerary

Day One – Your Brazil Holidays Begin

You’ll land in Rio on an evening flight as you begin your holiday in Brazil! We’ll be there to meet you at the airport and drive you to your hotel in the stylish Copacabana area of the city - once you’re settled in, you might want to take a walk along the waterfront or take in an evening meal on your first night here in Rio. Of course, since this is your first night on holiday in Brazil, Copacabana is a great place for a night out if you’re feeling up to it.

Day Two - Tour of Corcovado and Tijuca National Park

You'll have some free time this morning to recover from your journey, and then this afternoon we will pick you up from your hotel and drive through Rio to the base of Mt. Corcovado. Here we will board a funicular railway which carries us up through the dense Tijuca Atlantic Rainforest to the top of the mountain and the base of the famous Christ the Redeemer statue that has become one of the most famous symbols of Rio, and indeed Brazil. The views over the city from the top are absolutely amazing and it's the perfect way to get your bearings and pick out where to visit next. (Breakfast included)

Day Three – Sugarloaf Mountain Tour

You’ll have a free morning to explore Copacabana, and then after lunch we’ll pick you up from your hotel and take you for a tour through downtown Rio. You will pass the famous Sambadrome, which is the heart of Rio’s annual Carnaval celebrations, and the Metropolitan Cathedral, which stands like an immense 80-metre-high pyramid. We will also enjoy some of the republican and old colonial buildings such as the Municipal Theater, the National Library and the National Museum of Fine Arts. We will finish this section of the tour in the neighbourhood of Urca, at the foot of the iconic Sugar Loaf Mountain, where we will board a cable-car heading first to Urca Hill. Here, at a vantage point of 215 meters, we’ll have beautiful views of Guanabara Bay and its islands, the Rio-Niterói Bridge, and Corcovado Mountain. A second cable car takes us the all the way to the top of Sugarloaf, from where you can enjoy the amazing view of Rio spread before you, with its hills, beaches, favelas and bays. (B)

Days Four - Free day in Rio

A holiday isn't a holiday if you don't have a chance to relax so today is all yours - you could head to some of Rio's other neighbourhoods, such as Ipanema or the bohemian Leblon area. You could take a trip to the Maracana or head up into the hills to the arty Santa Teresa area, or even just relax in Copacabana and go for a stroll along the beach... (B)

options...
  • Corcovado and Sugarloaf are undoubtedly the highlights of Rio, but there’s plenty more to explore so if you’d prefer another tour today then just let us know! The nearby colonial city of Petrópolis is worth a visit, as are the botanical gardens or the Maracanã Stadium, especially for football fans! Other tours include: a full day trip to the beautiful Buzios peninsular; favela tours; hiking tours; boat trips; helicopter rides; and open-top jeep tours.

Day Five – Fly to Iguazu

You’ll have time for breakfast at the hotel this morning before we pick you up and take you back to the airport to catch a short flight inland to the town of Foz do Iguacu, on the border with Argentina. We'll be there to meet you and take you to your hotel in this small town, which is the base for visits to the amazing Iguazu Falls. Since you’ll be arriving in the early evening, you will have some time to wander around and soak in the laidback atmosphere of Foz. (B)

Day Six - Iguazu Falls (Brazil side)

This morning we will take you for your first visit to the incredible Iguazu Falls. Higher than Niagara Falls, and wider than Victoria Falls, Iguazu will take your breath away with its spectacular beauty and awesome power. We will visit today from the Brazilian side, where a long walkway along the canyon top allows you to appreciate the true scale of Iguazu from above. You'll get some fantastic photos, as you work your way along to a viewpoint giving you a panoramic vista of the famous Devil's Throat, where 14 separate falls combine in a single 350-foot drop, sending spray over 100 feet into the air for a dramatic permanent rainbow. (B)

Day Seven - Iguazu Falls (Argentina side)

Today we will cross the border into Argentina for your second visit to Iguazu Falls, this time from the Argentinian side, where a system of walkways project right out into the middle of the waterfall system, allowing you to get close and really feel the power of the waterfalls all around you. Most people feel that this experience trumps even the amazing views of yesterday... (B)

options...
  • For an added taste of adventure on your Brazil holidays, how about taking a white-water rafting trip on the Rio Iguazu?
  • Or if wildlife is your thing, why not arrange a short trek in the Iguazu National Park?

Day Eight – On to the Pantanal

After breakfast today we will take you back to the airport in Foz to fly into the heart of Brazil and the state of Mato Grosso. We will land in the state capital of Cuiaba, and from here will travel up to the edge of the giant Pantanal wetlands. The Pantanal covers an area larger than England, and is the best place in Brazil for wildlife-spotting. On our trip downriver to the Rio Mutum lodge, we will hope to see some caiman, monkeys, capybaras and hundreds of different bird species. (B/L/D)

Day Nine - Rio Mutum

After a very early breakfast we will head out on horseback for an expedition into the Pantanal. Travelling by horse is an excellent way to get through the dense forest, cross the numerous small rivers and streams, and generally allows for the best chance of observing the area's wildlife, including giant otters, iguanas, deer, anteaters and possibly even the big cats. We will enjoy a picnic lunch before continuing on our way back to the lodge to give you some time to relax before dinner. After dinner, those who wish can go on a boat trip at sunset to enjoy the spectacular colours and views, and perhaps even see some of the Pantanal's night-time denizens... (B/L/D)

Day Ten - Last day in the Pantanal

You’ll have another early start today, as we rise at dawn for a canoe trip on the waters of the Pantanal. Dawn is a magical time here, with exceptional stillness and beauty. Being on the water as the animal world awakes is the best way to see many of the birds and other animals that make their home here; we’ll catch them just as they rise to enjoy their breakfasts before heading back to the lodge for ours. After our late breakfast, our time in the jungle sadly comes to an end, as it’s time to check out and head back to Cuiaba for the flight back to Rio. (B)

Day Eleven - Free day in Rio

This last full day of your Brazil holidays is completely up to you. You can relax on one of Rio's beautiful city beaches, explore the shops or museums, or perhaps you’d like to visit some of Rio's other attractions, like the Maracana. Of course, if you'd like us to arrange an activity for you, all you have to do is ask! (B)

Day Twelve - Last day of your Brazil holidays

After a final free morning to make sure you haven't missed an inch of Rio, your Brazil holidays will sadly come to an end. We’ll pick you up from your hotel to make sure your trip ends perfectly by getting to the airport with plenty of time to catch the flight home. (B)

Options for our Brazil Holidays

Amazon Jungle

Amazon - 3 days from £1095pp

Get back to nature by adding on some time in the Amazon jungle. Just a flight away from Rio, Salvador, Sao Paulo, and most major cities in Brazil are a range of fantastic jungle lodges where you can immerse yourself in the full rainforest experience (in comfort!) with our experienced local guides.

Buzios Beaches

Buzios Beach Break - 5 days from £550pp

If you’re looking to add a bit of a beach break to your holiday in Brazil, look no further than the Buzios Peninsula. Just under two hours by car from Rio, the small town of Buzios is home to cobbled streets, lovely cafes and fantastic seafood restaurants, and it's all surrounded by miles of secluded sandy beaches with stunning warm, clear water. This is the ideal place to kick back, take a deep breath... and relax...

Paraty Beaches

Paraty Beach Break - 5 days from £575pp

If you’d like a beach break with a side order of colonial culture, then a great choice is the small colonial town of Paraty. Nestling on the Atlantic shore, this small town was originally a shipping town for Brazil’s gold mines and is graced with lovely colonial architecture but the grand houses and cobbled streets are filled with cafes and galleries these days, while the coast around is dotted with secluded coves with warm clear waters and golden sands. This place is all about relaxation, so how you spend your time here is entirely up to you – you can enjoy the delights of Paraty itself, or even catch a boat around the coast to enjoy your own slice of tropical paradise.

Porto de Galinhas

Porto de Galinhas Beach Break - 5 days from £795pp

The North of Brazil is an amazing place to visit, yet few tourists make it up this far. You’ll land in the city of Recife, and we'll pick you up and take you to the stunning beach nearby - Porto de Galinhas. Porto de Galinhas is consistently rated one of the best beaches in Brazil, if not the world, and you can spend your time here relaxing and swimming at the beach, enjoying some of the finest Brazilian Cuisine, or even taking in a spa treatment or two. However you choose to spend your time here, it’s sure to be relaxing and something you’ll never forget.

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What's Included?

Our standard price for these Brazil holidays is £2850 per person, which is based on two sharing a double or twin room in our standard hotels.

That price includes all your accommodation, internal transport, transfers, tours, guides and entrance fees. It also includes all your meals in the Pantanal, and breakfast every day.

We don't have any "local payments" or sneaky charges: everything you have read about on this itinerary is included in that price. And because everything we do is tailor-made, we don't have fixed departure dates or minimum numbers for our trips. Outside of national holidays or other special events, this price is valid for the whole of 2020.

International flights

So with the exception of a few meals, everything on your holiday is included. What we don't include as standard is your international flights, because with these you have a huge range of options depending on the date you want to travel, the route you want to fly, and your preferred departure airport in the UK.

We aren't tied to any particular airline, and we will be delighted to discuss all options with you, or you can even book the flights yourself if you prefer: it's totally up to you.

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in this category have an average rating of 5 out of 5, based on 2 customer reviews
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