Departure from the chosen airport in the UK with connecting flights along the way.

Foz do Iguaçu is the starting point for tours to the fantastic Iguazú Falls. Iguazú Falls actually consist of 275 larger and smaller waterfalls spread over almost 2.7 km, which vary between 60 and 82 metres in height. The waterfalls were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1984. For the ultimate waterfall experience, you visit the waterfalls from both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides.

On your arrival, you will be picked up at the airport and driven to your hotel. To ensure that your visit to Brazil gets off to the best possible start, our partner will  come to your hotel and hold a short welcome meeting of around 30–60 minutes. This is an opportunity for you to run through your tour together and get answers to any questions you may have about the tour or other practical questions about Brazil.

In the afternoon, you will head to the Brazilian side of the falls. The Brazilian side is where you enjoy the most spectacular panoramic view of all the waterfalls. You walk along small walkways round to different viewing platforms. Along the way, you will likely encounter the curious coati, who are always on the lookout for some food scraps from the many visitors. You will be accompanied by a guide who tells you all about the area’s fascinating flora and fauna.

Today, you will visit the Argentinian side of the Iguazú Falls. On the Argentinian side, you walk around the waterfalls along walkways, allowing you to look down into Garganta del Diablo, which translated means the devil’s throat, and where noisy cascades of water crash down into a deep hole.
You continue along footpaths and walkways on the amazing walk around the waterfalls. The rainforest around the waterfalls is home to unique flora and fauna, including orchids, countless bird species and giant lizards.

NOTE: Remember to bring your passport on this day, as you will be crossing the border to Argentina.

Today, you will be heading to Campo Grande. You are picked up at your hotel and driven to the airport, from which you fly to Campo Grande. You will be met by a driver, who drives you to your hotel.

You have the rest of the day to yourself to explore the city or just relax at the hotel.

Campo Grande is the capital and the largest city in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, which has around 900,000 inhabitants. The city is a mix of different nationalities from Paraguay, Bolivia and Japan to name but three countries. The Japanese came here to build the long railway that connects Campo Grande to São Paulo. The multitude of nationalities make for exciting gastronomy, and one of the city’s most popular dishes is Soba, a noodle dish brought to the city by the Japanese.

You can also visit one of the city’s many parks, such as Parque das Nações Indígenas, and go for a walk and see the locals diligently exercising or just relaxing with their family and friends.

Pantanal means swamp in Portuguese, and the wetlands, which cover an area of more than 200,000 km², are the largest in the world. Here, you can get right up close to armadillos, caimans, tapirs, anteaters and capybaras, the world’s largest rodent. Cats such as pumas, ozelots and jaguars live here too, but you’ll need a little extra luck to see them.

With more than 600 different bird species, Pantanal is also a mecca for bird lovers, and you are in with a chance of seeing the hyacinth macaw, which is the largest bird in the parrot family, the blue-and-yellow macaw, toucans, hummingbirds and many more besides.

Pantanal can be visited all year round, but each season has its pros and cons.

During the rainy season from November to March, much of the area is flooded, limiting the areas you can visit. On the other hand, the animals gather in the few remaining drained areas and it is far easier to find them.

In the dry season from April to October, the plains gradually dry out again. During this season, the animals have more space to move about in, however, the birds gather at the few remaining waterholes to fish.

After a good night’s sleep, you will be picked up from the hotel and driven to your lodge in Pantanal. The drive takes around 3 hours, the last 1.5 hours of which are on a gravel track. Your Pantanal adventure begins on your way to the lodge! At first glance, the surrounding fields and meadows seem only to offer various crops, horses and cows. But keep an eye out for the macaws, caimans and perhaps even an anteater on its eternal quest for food, in the treetops and waterholes you pass.

Upon your arrival at the lodge, you will be welcomed and shown to your room after which a delicious lunch is served in the restaurant.

In the afternoon, you will be going on your first excursion in search of exciting birds and wildlife. The tours are of varying duration from 2–4 hours.

Back at the lodge, dinner is served and you can fall asleep to the sounds of Pantanal’s plains.

The next two days are also all about wildlife, and you can look forward to various excursions – all based around your lodge. They depart in the morning and in the afternoon, when the temperature is at its lowest, and the animals are most active. These are the times of the day with the greatest chance of seeing the animals.

In the middle of the day, it’s “siesta” time back at the lodge where you can have a nap after lunch or relax by the small pool.

The following activities are offered at the lodge, and you will be told the final itinerary on your arrival:

• Boat trip on the Aquidauana River with the chance of seeing both capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, caimans, capybaras and a host of different birds such as the kingfisher, the ibis and the beautiful macaws.
• Jeep safari, where you drive around the area in open safari cars such as those you know from Africa, and look for animals such as pampas deer, nandus (in the ostrich family), crab-eating foxes, anteaters and tapir.
• Hike – where you walk at a sedate pace and explore the beautiful area and wildlife.
• Horseback ride – The beautiful Pantanal horses slowly carry you around the area, allowing you to get a bird’s eye view of the wildlife.
• Fishing trip – where you can have a go at catching the ferocious piranhas living in the river.
• Evening jeep safari, where, armed with a searchlight, your skilled guides look for nocturnal animals, such as the jaguar, ozelot, armadillo, raccoon, and nocturnal birds such as the owl.

After breakfast, it’s time to leave Pantanal and drive to Bonito, where new adventures await. The drive from Pantanal to Bonito takes around four hours with a little break along the way.

Bonito is surrounded by scenic lakes, rivers, waterfalls and caves. The little town itself is not especially beautiful, as its Portuguese name suggests, but the surrounding scenery is amazing.

Once you have checked in your luggage at the hotel in Bonito, you will be driven to a large farm – known as a Fazenda in Brazil – where a delicious traditional Brazilian lunch awaits you. Afterwards, it’s time to change into a wet suit and snorkel, and you’re ready to jump into the crystal-clear river and snorkel with colourful fish.

The tour kicks off with a 2 km walk in the lush rainforest before arriving at the river. Your guide gives you a thorough introduction to snorkelling before the tour starts so everyone can join in, even if you haven’t snorkelled before. It is an indescribable experience to see the life below the surface right up close. Let yourself float along with the current in the water, which is about 26 degrees, and be entertained by the funny fish and beautiful aquatic plants. It’s like being in a huge aquarium!

From the crystal-clear rivers, you head on to Buraco das Araras, which is a spectacular sinkhole with a circumference of 500 metres and a depth of around 100 metres. The hole is surrounded by stunning scenery, but the main attraction is the beautiful, squawking red-and-green macaws (Ara chloropterus) that live here and build their nests in the cracks in the rocks.

After the tour, you will be driven back to your hotel in Bonito and have the evening to yourself.

There are no activities scheduled today, so you can relax and go for a walk in the small town. Bonito is not all that big, so you can easily walk down to its small central square, Praca da Liberdade, or visit the shops along its main street.

In the morning, you will be picked up and driven back to the airport in Campo Grande, from which you will fly on to Rio de Janeiro.

The drive back to the airport takes around four hours with a little stop along the way. On this stretch, you get a good sense of how important cattle farming is for this area of Brazil.

On your arrival in Rio de Janeiro, you will be picked up at the airport and driven to your hotel. The evening is yours.

A tour to Brazil wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Rio! The city is magical – whether this is because of the infectious cheerfulness and joie de vivre of the locals (Cariocas), the music and dance, the outdoor life on the numerous beautiful beaches or the view from the top of Mount Corcovado or the Sugar Loaf is hard to say. Perhaps it’s just a good mix of it all.

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and have a quiet morning because your guided tour of the city doesn’t start until the afternoon. You might like to go for a splash in the waves at Copacabana or take a walk along the stunning seafront.

On the guided tour, you will visit some of the main highlights of Rio. The first stop is the famous Christ the Redeemer statue, which stands atop Mount Corcovado at a height of 710 metres, watching over Rio’s inhabitants. Enjoy a stunning view of the city’s colourful favelas, Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon and the famous Maracaña Stadium.

Then visit the cosy Santa Teresa and Lapa districts, with the famous colourful Selaron steps, made by Chilean artist Jorge Selaron. Lunch is not included on this tour, but it is possible to buy a sandwich and other snacks along the way.

The tour concludes with a visit to the 396-metre high mountain, Pão de Açúcar, also known as the Sugar Loaf. To get to the top, you will have to take two cable cars. You will also enjoy a fantastic view of Rio from up here, as the sun sets behind the mountains on the horizon.

You’ll be back at your hotel at 7-8 pm and have the rest of the evening to yourself.

You have the day to yourself to explore Rio. You can choose to relax on the beach or purchase extra excursions, giving you the opportunity to experience even more of what this adventurous city has to offer.

The time has come to say goodbye to Brazil. You will be picked up from your hotel and driven to the airport in Rio. The time depends on your flight  home.

You arrive in the UK after an eventful tour of Brazil.