South Brazil: See & Experience it ALL in 13 Days, 1st Class Custom Tours

Our tour begins in Bonito, enjoyed especially by those who seek outdoor activities. This town is Brazil’s ecotourism hub. The surrounding area is known for its caves and for crystal-clear rivers. If visiting during the wet season (December through March), we make a daytrip to a waterfall called Boca da Onca. There we go swimming and hiking on a full-day guided tour.

During the times of the year when the waterfall has dried up, we replace Boca da Onca with a trip to a river called Rio da Prata. It is only a 30-minute drive away from Bonito. There we are provided with snorkeling gear as we swim in some of the clearest waters on Earth. The large fish which are abundant in this river make this tour even that much more special. Regardless whether we end up going to the waterfall or to the river, lunch is included on today’s tour. Note that if you cannot get to Sao Paulo in time to make the connecting flight to Bonito, then we will take you to a hotel and you will officially start this 13-day tour the following morning.

This morning starts with a daytrip from Bonito to a natural monument called Gruta do Lago Azul. There we are provided with a guided walking tour. It holds two caves with interesting but fragile calcareous formations. Gruta do Lago Azul has been listed as a protected area since 1978. The second half of the day is spent at a place called Segunda do Nascente Rio Sucuri. There we go snorkeling along the river for a significant amount of time. Rio Sucuri is unarguably Brazil’s clearest river.

Today we make a daytrip from Bonito to the world's largest tropical wetland area. It is called Pantanal Matogrossense National Park. Pantanal is also home to the world's largest flooded grasslands. Along with exploring the area by boat, we go on a 4x4 safari. Animals commonly spotted are jaguars, lowland tapirs, giant anteaters, deer, caimans, black howler monkeys and southern tamanduas. Lunch is included on today’s tour.

Home to fancy resorts, charming hotels, beach clubs and a lively nightlife scene (specifically at Conceição Lagoon), it should come as no surprise that Santa Catarina is South Brazil’s most visited island. Using its capital Florianopolis as our base, the attractions for this morning and early afternoon are Campeche Central Beach, Morro das Pedras viewpoint, Caldeirão Beach, Peri Lagoon, Armação Beach, Matadeiro Beach, the bridge walk to the island of Ilha das Campanhas, a historic village called Ribeirão da Ilha, sand dunes called Dunas of Joaquina, Joaquina Beach, Praia Mole Beach, a channel called Barra da Lagoa and the adjacent beach, a viewpoint called Ahaus (a.k.a. Belvedere), Conceição Lagoon, a viewpoint near Conceição Lagoon and the viewpoint at Morro da Cruz Park.

Today we cover the other half of Santa Catarina Island: a bridge called Ponte Hercílio Luz, downtown Florianopolis (street art, the cathedral, the Florianopolis Museum, a palace called Cruz e Sousa and the public market), the viewpoint at Cacupé Beach (not for swimming), a historic village called Santo Antônio de Lisboa, São José da Ponta Grossa Fortress, Praia do Forte Beach, 2 beaches and 1 beach club in the town of Jurerê, Canasjure Beach and Canasvieiras Beach.

Before relocating by flight to the city of Florianopolis, we explore the Iguazu area some more. The morning starts with a guided visit to the Brazilian side of the falls. Hopefully we see the rainbow which stretches across the falls. In the afternoon, we head to a natural bird park called Parque Das Aves. Creatures commonly seen there include butterflies, monkeys, toucans, parrots and yellow-breasted caimans.

Home to fancy resorts, charming hotels, beach clubs and a lively nightlife scene (specifically at Conceição Lagoon), it should come as no surprise that Santa Catarina is South Brazil’s most visited island. Using its capital Florianopolis as our base, today we cover Campeche Central Beach, Armação Beach, the bridge walk to the island of Ilha das Campanhas, Matadeiro Beach, Peri Lagoon, Caldeirão Beach, Morro das Pedras viewpoint, a historic village called Ribeirão da Ilha, a channel called Barra da Lagoa and the adjacent beach, Prainha Beach, Praia Mole Beach, Belvedere Beach, Conceição Lagoon, Joaquina Beach, sand dunes called Dunas of Joaquina and a viewpoint near Conceição Lagoon.

Called the cidade maravilhosa (marvelous city), Rio de Janeiro is renowned for its spectacular mountainous setting, stunning scenery, a tropical rainforest, exotic white-sand beaches complimented by clear waters, water sports activities, plenty of fascinating colonial architecture, chic and carefree people, festive music and an almost overwhelming nightlife scene. Spend your mornings sightseeing, afternoons tanning and evenings partying in the Lapa district, where street bands are performing to locals who love to sing and celebrate seemingly as no other culture can. The Pedra do Sal district is also buzzing with nightlife. As a famous song goes, Rio is a city ‘where music and passion are always in fashion’. Incidentally, lunch is included on today’s tour.

This morning we relocate by flight from Florianopolis to the city of Belo Horizonte. From the airport, we are taken to the colonial town of Mariana. There we are provided with a guided tour. Mariana is the oldest town in the state of Minas Gerais. It was founded on July 16, 1696. Mariana retains the characteristics of a baroque town, with its churches, historic buildings and museums. After our tour, we are taken to the colonial town of Ouro Preto. This is where we sleep this evening.

Before returning to Belo Horizonte so we can fly out to the city of Rio de Janeiro, we explore Ouro Preto in depth with our tour guide. This former colony owes to the riches that were once extracted from below it. Now a focal point of arts and education, Ouro Preto was once an important center for mining and government. Fortunately, its history has left it with attractive baroque buildings and lasting ambiance. Although this steep town’s sites are a bit spread out and are otherwise church-centric (23 churches to be exact), there’s something to be said about Ouro Preto being one of Brazil’s most visited urban destinations. The narrow and stone-paved streets generally and the spectacular panorama views of fine architecture especially are enough reasons to come here. Ouro Preto is one of the most authentic Portuguese town settlements in not only the state of Minas Gerais but in all of Brazil.

As a daytrip from Rio de Janeiro, firstly we are taken to a beach town called Cabo Frio. There we see the beaches of Praia do Forte, Praia das Conchas and Praia do Peró. We later head to the beach town of Arraial do Cabo. The first stop is a beach called Praia dos Anjos. There we are taken by foot to a lookout point. The views from there are spectacular. Next, we are taken on a boat which visits the beaches of Praia do Forno, Pontal do Atalaia and Praia Grande. Before heading to our final destination for today, a resort town called Buzios, a stop is made along the road so we can get a good view of a beach called Prainha. Upon arrival in Buzios, we are provided with both a driving and walking tour of the area. The shops and restaurants are indeed the highlights. Buzios is the place in Brazil to ‘see and be seen’, with its fashionable scene and good-looking people. We return to Rio de Janeiro in the late evening.

As another daytrip from Rio de Janeiro, we are taken along Costa Verde (meaning the ‘Green Coast’). The beaches and islands along the way are quite exotic. Today’s highlights are the islands surrounding a municipality called Angra dos Reis and an island called Ilha Grande. Lunch, a boat ride and snorkeling are included on today’s tour.

Rio de Janeiro is the final destination on our tour around South Brazil. Transportation will be arranged for you to reach the airport.

If you have the extra time, we strongly recommend you stick around. If you really want to cover all of the highlights in Rio de Janeiro, then you will need about 6.5 days. However, few people have that sort of time. Upon request, we can provide you with a guided sightseeing tour, for as many days as you wish. We can also provide you with a spectacular paragliding tour over the city. Ask us for details.

Rio de Janeiro is undoubtedly Brazil’s showcase destination…and rightfully so. Called the cidade maravilhosa (marvelous city), Rio de Janeiro is renowned for its spectacular mountainous setting, stunning scenery, a tropical rainforest, exotic white-sand beaches complimented by clear waters, water sports activities, plenty of fascinating colonial architecture, chic and carefree people, festive music and an almost overwhelming nightlife scene. Spend your mornings sightseeing, afternoons tanning and evenings partying in the Lapa district, where street bands are performing to locals who love to sing and celebrate seemingly as no other culture can. As a famous song goes, Rio is a city ‘where music and passion are always in fashion’.