Machu Picchu - Lake
Titicaca
(11
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Machu Picchu - Lake
Titicaca
(12 days/11 nights)
Machu Picchu - Lake
Titicaca
(14 days/13 nights)
Colca Canyon - Machu
Picchu
Lake Titicaca
(16 days/15 nights)
Archaeological & Ecological
Treasures
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
Lake Titicaca (or Amazon)
(18 days/17
nights)
Colca Canyon - Amazon
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(22 days/21 nights)
Machu Picchu
(10
days/9 nights)
Machu Picchu
(13 days/12 nights)
Machu Picchu - Galapagos
(15 days/14 nights)
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
(18 days/17 nights)
Manu National Park
(8 days/7 nights)
Enchanted Isles of the Galapagos
Galapagos
(11
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Galapagos & the Kingdom of Quito
Galapagos - Andes
(16 days/15 nights)
Galapagos - Amazon
(16 days/15 nights)
Historic Haciendas of the Andes
Cotopaxi - Antisana
- Otavalo
(7 days/6 nights)
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Inka's Empire Corporation.
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Rio - Paraty - Ouro Preto - Tiradentes - Recife - Olinda - Serra de Capivara National Park
Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
Land Price (14 days/13 nights)
De Luxe US$ 5,645
The land price includes escorted transfers, private excursions with professional guides and chauffeurs, entrance fees, indicated category of accommodations, all breakfasts and specified meals except beverages, all transportation except air flights, and travel insurance for guests through the age of 59 years. Over that age, there is a supplementary fee. All prices are per person based on two people sharing a guest room. For a detailed description of our services, see About Our Tours.
Intra-Tour Air Flights & Fares
Air fares are in addition to the land price. A "Visit Brazil Air Pass" is recommended.
Brazil's immense size and wealth has made it a stage for battles waged between the Portuguese, Dutch and French who sought colonial occupation of this land of bounty. Much of Brazil's turbulent but rich past has been preserved, as evidenced by its charming historical towns and diverse culture. Travelling through time from prehistory to Brazil's colonial era and vibrant cultural displays, this unforgettable journey reveals the astounding historical diversity of this land and the origins of its people.
Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
This fascinating classic roundtrip starts in one of the world's most famous and beautiful cities: Rio de Janeiro. With a dreamlike beauty that exceeds even the greatest of expectations, Rio is a city that has to be seen to be believed. From its two famed peaks, the Sugar Loaf and Corcovado Mountain, atop which stands the statue of Christ the Redeemer with outstretched arms, Rio de Janeiro is truly "The Wondrous City", her spectacular landforms embracing sandy beaches, glittering bays, fine residential districts and towering forest-covered mountains. The landscape is so dramatic that even the largest areas of modern high-rise are still dwarfed by the overwhelming grandeur of numerous peaks and the largest urban tropical forest in the world, itself a monument to environmental preservation.
Day 1: Rio de Janeiro
Arrival at the airport, meet-and-greet with our local bilingual guide and transfer in private air-conditioned vehicle to the hotel. After check-in, free time to relax around the hotel and beachfront following the long journey. Time permitting, there will be a delicious grill dinner accompanied by a variety of spectacles ranging from authentic samba to folklore and rhythms such as capoeira, lambada and even a taste of Carnival, with samba school drummers and dancers in lavish costume presenting the best of Brazil in alluring, glittering shows. Overnight at the hotel.
Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
Day 2: Rio de Janeiro
A fascinating full-day tour takes the visitor to the top of the two most majestic landmarks of Rio de Janeiro: The Sugar Loaf and Corcovado Mountain. After a tour of downtown Rio de Janeiro, the tour proceeds through the old Urca neighbourhood towards the Sugarloaf, where a cable-car starts the steep, exhilarating 215m climb up Morro da Urca. From here, the cable-car travels high above the rugged, vegetated terrain to the Sugarloaf's 395m summit. Visitors can enjoy wonderful panoramic views of Rio de Janeiro from the top. The next visit is Corcovado Mountain: Perched atop the Corcovado (Hunchback) at an altitude of 710m, the statue of Christ the Redeemer is certainly one of the world's best-known and most-visited monuments. Clad with a soapstone mosaic, the statue is also one of Rio's finest Art Nouveau monuments and at night becomes a shining landmark visible from all over the city. A rack railway takes the visitor up to the foot of the statue, climbing the steep slopes through the Tijuca Forest. Located around the base of Corcovado and with many springs and waterfalls, this dense forest was proclaimed a National Park in the early sixties. After descending, the tour stops at Mário Filho Stadium, known worldwide as Maracanã, and the Sambódromo, designed by Oscar Niemeyer and the stage for the largest and most flamboyant carnival celebrations in Brazil. Evening free to explore Rio's vibrant city centre. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 3: Rio de Janeiro
Morning tour of Guanabara Bay by boat: Guanabara Bay is the second largest bay on the Brazilian coastline, its shores having been densely vegetated with Atlantic Rainforest and inhabited by native tribes. Aboard a schooner, passengers are treated to fabulous views of the Rio coastline, passing the ruins of various fortresses that overlook the entrance to the bay. The visitor will also see the extraordinary Contemporary Art Museum designed by Oscar Niemeyer to house the paintings and sculptures of Brazil's foremost modern art collectors. Further sights include the Rio-Niterói Bridge that spans the bay and the Fiscal Island with its green Neo-Gothic palace, designed by Adolfo Del Vecchio. During the afternoon, one of Brazil's most impressive botanical gardens is visited, the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, laid out in the 19th century. Located right in the heart of the city, these lush, spacious gardens are an oasis of calm in the middle of a buzzing metropolis. Visitors are met with an astounding array of native and foreign plant species (about 6,200 in all), some of which grow to gigantic proportions in this ecological paradise. Tamarins (small omnivores related to monkeys) and a myriad of colourful bird species thrive amongst the flamboyant vegetation. Overnight at the hotel.
Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
As evidenced by its UNESCO World Heritage Monument status, Paraty is a gem of charming planned colonial architecture, a legacy of the late 17th century when it became a port for the shipment of gold from Minas Gerais. Gaining further international fame with the advent of the highly successful World Literature Festival, the churches and cobbled streets against a backdrop of lushly forested hills, plus dozens of secluded beaches nearby, make Paraty an a must for anyone visiting the region. Beyond Paraty, on the border of Rio and São Paulo states, the Serra da Bocaína National Park stretches inland through Atlantic Rainforest and Araucaria Forest to the 2,132m peak of Boa Vista.
Day 4: Rio de Janeiro - Paraty
Full day tour of the coffee farms: This excursion takes the visitor to the Paraíba Valley, a fantastically picturesque region of lush forest and coffee plantation-blanketed hills. Coffee once played an important role in this fascinating region, whose development started around 1830 when the baron of Mambucaba, accompanied by his slaves, climbed the Serra do Mar mountain range to settle in the lush Paraiba Valley - at the time inhabited by Araris and Puris Indians - to cultivate coffee. During this period, the tremendous wealth that was produced soon transformed the Paraíba Valley into the economic hub of the Empire. Fortunately much of this historical heritage has been preserved, and towns such as Mangaratiba stand testimony to this wealth, boasting old estates, farms, mansions and other colonial buildings. Against the stunning backdrop of the Serra do Mar, this tour first visits the S. João da Prosperidade farm, both a product of and contributor to the coffee industry. Visitors explore the main house and enjoy farm-grown snacks, local arts and crafts workshops being visited before proceeding to the Ponte Alta estate for lunch. After a tour of this impressive colonial-style farm nestling in the coffee plantations, the tour departs for Barra do Piraí, a historical town and major commercial centre for the coffee industry. From here, the tour proceeds to Paraty, where tourists are dropped off at their hotel. Overnight in Paraty.
Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
Day 5: Party
After breakfast, visitors are picked up at the hotel for a short excursion of Paraty's town centre. Full of history and legend, this guided city tour introduces Paraty's charming planned colonial architecture, a legacy of the late 17th century when it became a port for the shipment of gold from Minas Gerais. The churches and cobbled streets against a backdrop of lushly forested hills, plus dozens of secluded beaches nearby, make this small colonial town well worth a visit. Sites visited include the Culture House and the Santa Rita church, which was constructed in 1722 and functions today as Paraty's sacred art museum. From here tourists proceed to the harbour to board a large schooner, which sets sail and heads to an archipelago of densely forested islands, crystal-clear waters and secluded white beaches. Having arrived at this paradise, the schooner makes three one-hour stops for sunbathing, swimming and snorkelling in the emerald-green waters. Amongst the islands visited are Comprida, Algodão, Cotia and Praia Vermelha. Late afternoon arrival back at the port. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 6: Paraty - Ouro Preto
Return to hotel and transfer along the Green Coast to Rio de Janeiro Airport for the flight to Belo Horizonte and onward transfer through the remote Serra do Espinhaço mountain range to Ouro Preto. Mid-afternoon arrival at the hotel in Ouro Preto. Afternoon and evening free to explore Ouro Preto's old town centre. Overnight at the hotel.
Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
They don't make towns any prettier than Ouro Preto or Tiradentes, two picturesque mining towns with colonial buildings running up hillsides that culminate in beautiful churches and monasteries. In 1980, Ouro Preto became the first Brazilian City to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The name Ouro Preto originates from the strange black metal that was found in 1693 by the Bandeirantes (explorers from São Paulo who were looking for indians to capture) and which later turned out to be gold (alluvial gold mixed with iron ore). The resulting wealth and prosperity caused a profound surge in cultural expression and the advent of Brazilian Baroque, Ouro Preto's sister town Tiradentes also boasting a significant collection. With few signs of change over the past two centuries, both towns have retained their magic quality of former ages.
Day 7: Ouro Preto
Full day excursion of Ouro Preto and Mariana: Ouro Preto, previously known as Vila Rica and the former capital of the state of Minas Gerais, was named after the black metal that was found in 1693 (alluvial gold mixed with iron ore). Ouro Preto represents the largest homogeneous collection of Baroque in the world. Some of the masterpieces of Brazilian Baroque are the churches São Francisco de Assis (1771) and Nossa Senhora do Pilar (1730), one of Minas Gerais' most exuberant temples, both of which will be visited. Ouro Preto was also the site of a violent revolt (the Inconfidência Mineira of 1789) against the Portuguese, caused by unpopular taxes on gold. From Ouro Preto, the tour continues to Mariana, a pleasant little mining town only 12 km away, the birthplace of Athaíde. Once it was the administrative centre of the gold mines of central Minas. After lunch, the excursion visits the Cathedral Basílica da Sé, where weekly organ concerts of Baroque music are played on a 1701 German organ. Overnight at the hotel in Ouro Preto.
Day 8: Ouro Preto - Tiradentes
Full-day excursion combining visits to three towns: Congonhas, São João del Rei and Tiradentes. The town of Congonhas is adorned by Antônio Franciso Lisboa's two greatest sculpture masterpieces: The Twelve Prophets, in the Basílica do Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, carved in soapstone; and 66 painted wooden statues, located in six chapels along the way to the main church and depicting Christ's Passion. Antônio Franciso Lisboa (1730-1814) is Brazil's most famous Baroque artist. He was also called Aleijadinho (The Little Cripple) because he lost the use of his hands and legs at the age of 30. However, with hammer and chisel strapped to his arms, he managed to make beautiful sculptures. The tour continues with a visit to São João del Rei. This city dates back to the 18th century and flourished thanks to the discovery of gold in the region, the expression of which can be seen in the opulent urban and religious architecture. In 1774 Aleijadinho's work began here too, with the São Francisco church. It is an exquisite Baroque church, full of curves and carvings, and the town's treasure. Tiradentes, a city with a turbulent past and a major collection of Baroque art, received its name from the martyred hero of the Inconfidência Mineira (Minas Conspiracy) of 1789, against the Portuguese. His original name was Joaquim da Silva Xavier. Together with six conspirators, he plotted the independence of Brazil, but spies exposed the plan, which led to Xavier's execution. There will be a visit to the Santo Antônio church, with its stone facade carved by Aleijadinho and the Museu do Padre Toledo, who was one of the leaders of the Minas Conspiracy. Overnight at the hotel in Tiradentes.
Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
The twin jewels of Brazil's formerly most prosperous region, Olinda and Recife are landmarks of the Portuguese and Dutch colonization of these great sugar-producing lands. There is a startling contrast between floodplain-situated Recife - called the Venice of Brazil - with its reefs, islands, bridges, rivers and mangroves; and Olinda's narrow sloping streets, where colonial churches and monasteries stand alongside coconut groves and hanging gardens.
Day 9: Recife
Morning transfer to the airport for the flight to Recife. Arrival at the airport and transfer in private, air-conditioned vehicle to a hotel on the Recife beachfront or in the historical town of Olinda, The rest of the afternoon and evening is free to relax within the vicinity of the hotel or on the beach. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 10: Recife
Full-day tour of Recife and Olinda: The city tour starts with a drive along the ultra-modern seafront of Boa Viagem and then proceeds to Old Recife. This district was founded by the Dutch, as evidenced by the tall, narrow four-storey houses that resemble those of Amsterdam. As the sugar economy declined over the 19th century, Recife lost its prominence, although the Pernambuco State capital is still an important regional centre, with more than 3 million inhabitants. The tour continues with a visit to the exotic world of the artist Francisco Brennand and Casa da Cultura, once a prison but now with each cell converted into a craft shop. Following a buffet lunch at Parraxaxá, a restaurant specialized in regional dishes, the tour proceeds to Olinda, a breathtaking colonial town that overlooks Recife and the Atlantic Ocean. Olinda's historical wealth won it a place on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1982. The tour includes several unique attractions, such as the Mosteiro de São Bento, built in 1582, lavishly decorated with gold and excellent woodcarvings; Igreja da Sé, where local handicrafts are sold and the former slave market. Just walking down the cobbled streets of this enchanting town and enjoying magnificent views over the pale blue ocean is a true delight. Overnight at the hotel.
Luxury Brazil Tours & Travel.
Day 11: Recife - Serra de Capivara
Morning transfer to the airport for the flight to Petrolina. Meet and greet with guide and transfer by 4X4 jeep through the state of Bahia to Hotel Pousada Serra da Capivara. Time permitting, a stop will be made on the banks of the Sobradinho Reservoir, the largest man-made reservoir in the world. The evidence of ancient human settlements discovered in the Serra de Capivara is kept and studied at a museum and research institute that is open to visitors. Overnight at the Serra de Capivara Hotel.
Days 12 & 13: Serra de Capivara
The Serra de Capivara's massive rock formations can be seen from great distances as a steep escarpment which rises up from the flat arid lands of Piaui's interior. Over millions of years, aggressive erosion has sliced deep fissures and canyons into its hard rock, forming more than 360 natural shelters and caves. The Serra de Capivara preserves an incredible array of plants and animals, among which are the jaguar, howler monkeys and a great variety of birds that thrive in the lush gallery forests filling the maze of deep canyons. The modest yet comfortable Serra de Capivara Hotel, located in the small town of São Raimundo Nonato, will be used as a base from which to explore Serra de Capivara National Park. Undertaking a variety of guided excursions, the visitor explores the park's diverse landscape, geological complexity, wildlife and innumerable archaeological sites. Excursions include a full-day jeep/walking excursion in the park, a visit to the Boqueirão da Pedra Furada shelter, the oldest archaeological site in the Americas; an evening excursion to the ravines to watch the sunset and thousands of the world's largest swallows swooping into a giant cave in huge flocks; a hike through the Paraguaio Canyon to view the stunning cave paintings and scenery; wildlife spotting in the labyrinth of forested canyons where various species of monkeys, rodents and birds can be seen; a climb to see the canyon from the plateau; a visit to Pedra Furada, a giant rock that has been perforated with a large hole over millions of years; exploration of various archaeological sites and a visit to the parks fascinating museum and ceramics workshop, where some of Northeast's most beautiful pottery is made by hand.
Day 14: Serra de Capivara - Home
Depending on flight departure time, there will be free time to relax on the beachfront or go sight-seeing in Olinda. Transfer to the airport for connecting flights back home.
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