Best Of Brazil

The city of Manaus is in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest and while flying in today, make sure to look out the window for your first unforgettable view of the green carpet of rainforest below. Depending on the time of your arrival and having settled into your accommodation in Manaus, the rest of your day is free to explore the city at the gateway to the Brazilian Amazon on your own. We recommend exploring the beautiful Amazonas Theater and Opera House and the lively Adolpho Lisboa Market where you can indulge in the sweet fruits of the Amazon. Tonight, head out to one of the locals.

Meals (X)

Embark on a captivating half-day private City Tour, immersing yourself in the rich tapestry of Manaus’ cultural heritage and architectural marvels. The journey commences with a convenient pick-up from your hotel, where your transfer awaits to lead you along an 11-mile scenic route along the picturesque riverfront road of Ponta Negra. As you traverse this enchanting path, you’ll find yourself drawn to the floating port of Manaus, a captivating and truly unique experience that unveils the city’s maritime essence.

A pause at the Rio Negro Palace follows, offering a glimpse into history through its stately presence as an erstwhile governor’s official residence. This architectural gem stands as a testament to the opulent era of rubber, an emblem of the city’s bygone splendor. The next chapter of your exploration unfolds at the Indian Museum, where the vibrant narratives, customs, and traditions of the indigenous communities of the Brazilian Amazon come alive. Gain profound insights into their way of life, forging a deeper connection with the cultural mosaic that defines this region.

Continuing your sojourn, a tour of the Salesian Congregation awaits, further enriching your understanding of indigenous populations. Here, the intricacies of their habits and behaviors are unveiled, painting a vivid picture of their existence within the Amazonian landscape. A momentary pause at the Justice Palace offers a glimpse into the administrative fabric of the city before you arrive at the zenith of today’s journey – the Opera House.

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AM: This day we embark on the Motor Yacht Tucano in Manaus, Brazil. We depart on the Rio Negro and as the vessel glides upstream we will have our first talk about Amazon environments. By late afternoon we enter one of the world’s largest river island systems, the Anavilhanas Archipelago. The boat will weave along a winding channel with rainforest on both sides in a riot of brilliant vegetation.

PM: Weather permitting, we will go for a launch excursion in the gnarled and dense flooded forest along the river’s edge. We may see some Squirrel Monkeys and we may hear the other-worldly growls of Howler Monkeys echoing through the primitive rainforest. The Amazon has one of the greatest collections of birds in the world and we are sure to see some of these brightly colored jewels perched in the treetops.

We return to the M/Y Tucano for hors d’oeuvres on the observation deck and a toast to the rainforest sunset. Following dinner, we will embark on our launches in search of nocturnal creatures such as the Caiman, the Amazon’s crocodilians. We may also see one of the large night birds such as a Great Potoo, with its bulging eyes and largemouth, adapted to swallow the huge Mariposa Moths.

Meals: (B, L, D)

AM: Shortly after sunrise this morning we explore the Anavilhanas Archipelago, a reserve that includes the world’s largest system of river islands and also areas of tall dense rainforest. Here we will see the strange environment called the igapó, the black water flooded forest, where dense forests grow right out of the dark water of the Rio Negro. Mid-morning we return to the vessel for a hearty Brazilian breakfast. After some time to relax, weather permitting, we will disembark in mid-morning and dividing into very small groups we will go for a walk in the type of rainforest known as the terra firma. Here we have a good chance to see the markings, if not the animals themselves, of some of the Amazon’s great mammals like peccaries (wild pigs) or even a jaguar.

PM: Around mid-day, we return to the vessel for lunch and a siesta. In the afternoon we will excursion in our launches along the edges of the dense forest and listen to the sunset chorus of birds, howler monkeys, and frogs. Weather permitting, tonight we will have an excursion to spot caiman (the Amazon’s crocodiles) and other nocturnal creatures. We very often see arboreal porcupines or sloths scrambling high in the limbs.

Meals: (B, L, D)

AM: Today we will voyage to the west side of the Rio Negro and continue to scout in our launches and walk in the forest. We will explore, according to the weather and water depth, areas rarely visited by anyone else.

PM: Tonight the M/Y Tucano goes downstream, and river depth permitting, will enter an east bank affluent of the Rio Negro and explore on deep into the rainforest on this small river. After our nocturnal exploration of the rainforest in our launches we return to the Tucano for “Caipirinha Night” and perhaps try a bit of samba on the top deck.

Meals: (B, L, D)

AM: We begin the day with a dawn excursion hunting for wakening wildlife followed by a full Brazilian breakfast. We will then go one last time into the forest.

PM: In the mid-afternoon, we will begin to journey downstream to arrive late in the day at the “Encontro das Aguas” – a stark several mile long lines where two of the world’s largest rivers, the Amazon and the Rio Negro, join in a turbulent maelstrom. Here the dark water of the Negro runs beside the opaque brown water of the Amazon.

At sunset, the M/Y Tucano will once again turn her bows upstream on the Rio Negro and journey to our overnight anchorage north of the City of Manaus. As we pass in front of Manaus, we will marvel at the scale of one of the world’s largest and most vibrant port cities over a thousand miles from the sea. Tonight we will have a farewell dinner and prepare for an early departure in the morning.

Meals: (B, L, D)

AM: Early this morning, after a hearty breakfast, all guests disembark from the M/Y Tucano.

Travelers will be transferred to the Manaus city center and will disembark at the Millennium Hotel or Hotel Villa Amazonia. For those passengers that do not have a hotel arranged for the end of the cruise, we recommend that they disembark from the transfer bus at the Millennium Hotel.

PM: The adventure is not over yet! This afternoon you will buckle up for your flight from Manaus to Rio de Janeiro! Tonight you will spend the night in your hotel in anticipation of the exciting days that lay ahead.

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After breakfast, we embark on a trip to visit Corcovado Mountain. We take the cable car from Cosme Velho Station and the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. Our journey takes us through the dense Atlantic rain forest of Tijuca and offers us a wonderful opportunity for a closer look at the forest’s lush tropical vegetation and to enjoy the scenic landscapes of the beaches and city. Perched on top of the 2,300-foot high granite peak of the aforementioned Corcovado, the Cristo Redentor is as famous a landmark as there is globally. While everyone will be familiar with it, not everyone has the chance to visit it up close and personal and appreciate just exactly how immense and imposing it is. Built between 1922 and 1931 in the art-deco style of the era, the statue is an enormous 100 feet high and the outstretched arms are only a few feet shorter.

From there we wind down with a trip to one of Rio’s most famous beaches and a stroll along the seafront. We take you to the world-famous Copacabana beach and enjoy a spot of every Brazilian’s favorite beach pastime: People-watching. Here you get a chance to watch the hive of activity that is the Copacabana with people swimming, bodyboarding, sunning themselves, playing volleyball, footvolley or beach soccer.

Lastly, ask any ardent futebol (pronounced fuchebol) fan which is the most iconic stadium in the Americas and they would instantly tell you it is the Maracanã. Originally built for the 1950 World Cup held in Brazil and completely renovated in 2013, the stadium has now a 75000-seat capacity and was the stage of the World Cup final in 2014. The Maracanã continues to attract football fans from across the globe and it is a place steeped in sporting history, from the footprints in the concrete of footballing legends to the grandstand, the very locker rooms used by none other than Pele to the museum of football

Meals (B, L)

We begin today with a panoramic tour of downtown and a visit to the Metropolitan Cathedral which was built in a pyramidal form with an internal diameter of 96 meters and a height of 80 meters. We head on to the world-famous Escadaria Selarón, also known as the ‘Selaron Steps’, a wonderful colorful staircase comprising of some 215 individually mosaiced steps. They are the work of Chilean-born artist Jorge Selarón who claimed it as “my tribute to the Brazilian people”. We end our morning’s excursions with a short tour of the traditional Cinelândia Square and its historical buildings.

In the afternoon we head on to the Aterro do Flamengo and the neighborhood of Urca and the site of the famous Sugar Loaf Mountain. You will travel all the way to the top in two steps by cable car. The first cable car takes us to Urca Hill, a vantage point some 215m (nearly 700 feet) high, from where we can enjoy fantastic views of Guanabara Bay and its islands, the Rio-Niterói Bridge and Corcovado Mountain. The second leg of our cable car journey reaches the top of Sugar Loaf and from here we get a whole new set of views of such sights as Copacabana beach, the Santa Cruz fortress, and several beaches of Niterói.

In the afternoon, we board a helicopter and set off from the Sugar Loaf helipad to gain a unique view of the following attractions from the sky: The Red Beach with a view of the Sugar Loaf, Copacabana Beach, and Copacabana Fort, Pedra do Arpoador Rock, Ipanema Beach, and Leblon Beach.

Meals (B)

It should come as no surprise that a country the size of Brazil, and one with the largest part of the Amazon rainforest within its borders should be home to one of the finest botanical gardens in the world. Here we have access to an immaculate collection of diverse Brazilian and foreign flora. There are around 6,500 species (some endangered) distributed throughout an area of 54 hectares (130 acres) as well as numerous greenhouses. The garden also houses monuments of historical, artistic, and archaeological significance. There is an important research center, which includes the most complete library in the country specializing in botany with over 32,000 volumes.

The first greenhouse at the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Gardens was built in 1890. It was made of wood and was an octagonal shape. In the 1930s, the greenhouse was remodeled in glass and iron, more in the style of a traditional English glasshouse. Today the Orchidarium includes the glasshouse and the whole area that surrounds it, and it is home to, amongst other things, an orchid nursery with over 3000 plots of orchids. We have lunch here before transferring you back to your hotel to enjoy the rest of your evening.

Meals (B, L)

Today we pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the airport to begin the next leg of your journey: A visit to the mighty Iguazú Falls. First, we take a trip to the Iguazú bird sanctuary which is home to more than 1,300 species of birds. Located right next to the Iguazú National Park, the center is not restricted to just birds and features numerous species of reptiles and butterflies. The sanctuary backs onto the forest which is home to many beautiful flowers, incredible plants, and the famous tree of life.

On a trip to Iguazú, the best way to see the falls is to do the Brazilian side of the falls and the Argentinean side separately. From the Brazilian side, you get a wonderful panoramic view of the whole complex of waterfalls, which are made up of hundreds of smaller waterfalls to create the impression of a wall of water. This acts as a kind of precursor of the whole trip which takes on added meaning once you get up close and personal on the Argentinian side and can appreciate the scale of the 275 waterfalls.

We rest up and enjoy the evening in preparation for our full day’s trip to both sides of the falls. For many, this will be the first trip to include two different countries in the same tour!

Meals (B)

We leave the hotel and are transported to the National Park of the Brazilian Falls. The tour starts with a visit to the Main Center of the park, where our guide will teach us all about the nuances of the local ecosystem. We then embark on a short walk through a forest track which periodically gives us glimpses of the waterfalls, but the real reward is at our final destination. Once we arrive at the end of the trail there is a belvedere which we are allowed access to and the resulting viewing point rewards us with some astonishing sights of the entire panorama of the waterfall complex which can be seen in all its glory. We return to the meeting point via the panoramic elevator and prepare ourselves for the Argentinian side of the falls.

The next leg of our journey is by boat. The adventure begins with a trail through the National Park to the Macuco jump, a 20m high crystalline waterfall that springs from the vegetation forming a natural rock pool. Using silent electric jeeps that make no noise or pollute the environment, we take you the first 3 kilometers, before continuing on foot in the form a 600 meter inland jungle hike to the pier (Please note that this is optional and those who wish to opt-out can still see the falls). Throughout the jungle, bilingual guides present examples of local fauna and flora. Arriving on the Iguaçu River, you will board a two-engine boat equipped with life jackets and cross the canyon up the rapids towards the Iguazu Falls.

Meals (B)

Today we have a full day on the Argentinian side of the falls and we use our time to visit as many of the individual cascades as possible.  We travel around 28 kilometers in total, at first with a private vehicle from your hotel and then on to the last section which we do on foot. In order to get to the falls, we need to cross the Iguaçu River and do this by crossing the Tancredo Neves Bridge. The overall trip by vehicle is around 30 minutes and once there we begin exploring the National Park and the bucket-list destination of the Devil’s Throat cascade. The Devil’s throat is the largest waterfall in Iguazú and one you will already have seen from a distance, but now we get closer and its scale is really something quite astonishing. We stop for a quick buffet-style lunch in a rustic restaurant inside the park before beginning the next part of our journey.

As impressive as Devil’s Throat is, the falls are actually made up of 275 individual waterfalls all laid out in an intricate circuit which has the overall effect of the volume of an Olympic-sized swimming pool full of water cascading down from the top every single second. Given this fact we set off on a tour of some of the smaller but incredibly intricate falls, many working in conjunction with others to give us that astonishing “wall of water” image. The Superior Circuit is at an average height of 3500 feet and we circumnavigate this side of the falls until we return to our transport and the short ride back to our hotel.

Meals (B, L)

After breakfast and a morning at leisure, we will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the airport.

Meals (B)